Prevalence of Repeat Violent Victimization in the United States

• In Event: Innovative Research Using Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey

Abstract

One of the most consistent predictors of victimization is experiencing a prior victimization, and repeat victims tend to account for a large percentage of total victimizations. This study uses the NCVS data to examine the prevalence of repeat violent victimization in the United States from 1993-2014, defined as the number of victims who experienced 2 or more violent crimes in each year. The most recent ten years of data (2005-2014) were aggregated to examine demographic characteristics of repeat violence victims and characteristics of repeat victimizations, including victim-offender relationship, type of crime, weapon use, and injury. Results show that the prevalence of repeat victimization decreased significantly from 1993 (6.9 repeat violence victims per 1,000 persons ages 12 or older) to 2014 (2.1 repeat victims per 1,000 persons). Victims most often experienced two or more victimizations by the same type of perpetrator. Intimate partner victims experienced a higher rate of repeat violent victimization than victims of violence committed by acquaintances, relatives, or strangers. Additional findings will be discussed examining who was most at risk for repeat victimization and the types of crimes these victims tended to experience.

Authors

• Barbara A. Oudekerk, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice

• Jennifer Truman, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice