IV. Austin/Travis County Victimization Statistics
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Victimization can be considered from two different angles: the type of crime that created a victim, such as homicide, or from the type of victim, such as a child. This section will consider victimization from both angles. Certain types of victims have special needs or are particularly vulnerable to being victimized and therefore are considered separately from the type of crime committed. For the purpose of this assessment, victim is defined as a person who has suffered physical, sexual, emotional or financial harm as a result of reported or unreported criminal conduct, abuse, neglect or exploitation.
Victims of Index Crimes
|
|
The Index Crimes fall into two categories: violent and property. Violent index crimes are homicide, rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crimes are burglary, theft, and auto theft.
City of Austin’s Index Crime Rate. From 1991 to 2001, the City of Austin’s overall Index Crime Rate fell by 41%. This decrease occurred during a time that the metropolitan area experienced explosive population growth (APD 2002). Additionally, this decline coincided with a tremendous economic boom in the region, marked by low unemployment and rising wages. Research suggests that low unemployment and higher wages are linked to lower crime rates (Amburgey 2002). Although crime rates have decreased from ten years ago, an increase has been noted in the last couple of years. Violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, sexual assault, and aggravated assault) incidents increased 5% from 2,990 in 2000 to 3,145 in 2001 and 3,203 in 2002 (APD 2002; APD 2003). It is possible that the economic downturn over the last few years is impacting crime rates. Research indicates that the economy affects both property and violent crime rates (Amburgey 2002).
Many incidents for which victim services programs provide assistance do not get counted in crime rates. For example, arrest charges in a domestic violence situation may be reduced to simple assault and not recorded as an index crime. Other crimes are not recorded in the category that accurately reflects the crime. For example, a DWI defendant may be charged with involuntary manslaughter which makes it difficult to track as a DWI case. These caveats are evident in this section and throughout the report. Every effort is made to point them out as necessary. The following sub-sections report demographics on the Index Crime categories.
Demographics
It is impossible to count all victims of violent crime due to the fact that there are those who do not report crimes and that there are often multiple victims of one crime, including primary and secondary victims. However, as stated above, reported crimes provide a starting point. In addition to the reported number of crimes, local law enforcement collects some information on victims they serve. It should be noted that the number of victims served does not always match the number of crimes reported or the number of incidents that occurred in the community. Factors that influence the consistency of data on crime victims include: 1) victim services are mostly voluntary; 2) multiple victims may be served for one crime; and 3) many crimes remain unreported to law enforcement.
Race and Ethnicity
Chart 1 below shows the racial/ethnic differences between the Austin population and victims served through the Austin Police Department Victim Services Division. This Division saw proportionally higher numbers of Hispanic and Black victims than are represented in the community. White and Asian victims were seen at proportionally lower numbers.
According to the Office of Victims of Crime (2002), for the five year period between 1993 and 1998, nationally, blacks experienced significantly higher rates of victimization than whites. However by 1998, blacks and whites experienced violent crime at similar rates. Overall, blacks were disproportionately represented among homicide victims. During the five year period, the majority of violent crimes committed against whites (66%) and blacks (76%) were committed by offenders of the same race. This is not true for Asian American and Native American victims who were victimized by individuals of other races (Rennison 2001).
Age
As shown in Chart 2, the likelihood of being a victim of violent crime generally decreases with age. Persons ages 15 to 24 sustained violent victimization at rates higher than individuals of other ages. Individuals in this age range comprise 7.4% of the Austin population and were victims of 16.25% of the violent crimes. Persons ages 20 to 24 comprise 12.6% of the population and were victims of 21.36% of the violent crimes (APD NIBRS 2002).
Gender
For violent offenses in general, males in Austin were victimized at rates 60% higher than females. Rape and sexual assault are the exception; all victims of rape are female (by statutory definition) and the majority of sexual assaults (APD Victim Services 2002).
Nationally in 2001, among the population 12 and older, males have a slightly higher rate of violent victimization than women – 27.3 per 1000 versus 23.9 per 1000 respectively. However, in the case of sexual assault, women experience a rate of sexual assault more than 95 times that of men – 1.9 versus .02. Men experience a higher rate of assault than women – 23.2 versus 19.4 (BJS 2001).
Where Does Victimization Occur?
In general, crime rates increase in proportion to population density -- urban areas experience higher crime rates than rural areas [BJS 2002(a)]. In addition, certain characteristics within urban areas can help predict the level of crime present. For example, studies of rural versus urban crime show a disproportionate level of violence in many urban areas that are characterized by poverty, joblessness, and family disruption (Hawkins et al. 1998).
Nationally, about 25% of violent crimes occur at or near the victim’s home, with 73% occurring within five miles of the victim’s home. Nearly equal numbers of victims were participating in some form of leisure activity away from home (23%), were at home (21%), or were at work or traveling to/from work (21%) at the time of the victimization [BJS 2002(a)].
Again, local Index Crime statistics provide a starting point for looking at victimization statistics. Table 3 below describes where the violent index crimes of homicide, sexual assault/rape, and aggravated assault occurred geographically in Austin. The geographic designations are police command areas used by APD. A map of these command areas is located in Appendix H.
|
Table 3. Index Crimes By APD Police Command Area 2001
|
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aggravated Assault
|
Sexual Assault
|
Rape
|
Homicide
|
|||||
|
Number
|
Percent
|
Number
|
Percent
|
Number
|
Percent
|
Number
|
Percent
|
|
| SOUTHEAST |
389
|
23%
|
161
|
23%
|
47
|
18%
|
8
|
29%
|
| CENTRAL EAST |
369
|
22%
|
136
|
19%
|
56
|
21%
|
3
|
11%
|
| NORTHEAST |
259
|
15%
|
112
|
16%
|
42
|
16%
|
5
|
18%
|
| SOUTHWEST |
204
|
12%
|
128
|
18%
|
48
|
18%
|
1
|
4%
|
| NORTHWEST |
179
|
11%
|
81
|
12%
|
29
|
11%
|
4
|
14%
|
| DOWNTOWN |
141
|
8%
|
19
|
3%
|
19
|
7%
|
2
|
7%
|
| CENTRAL WEST |
128
|
8%
|
57
|
8%
|
25
|
9%
|
5
|
18%
|
| OTHER |
5
|
0%
|
7
|
1%
|
2
|
1%
|
0
|
0%
|
| TOTAL |
1674
|
701
|
268
|
28
|
||||
Relationships Between Victims and Offenders
In general, males are more likely to be victimized by strangers; females are more likely to be violently victimized by someone they know. However, likelihood varies by the type of crime. For example, nationally, 66% of reported sexual assault victims knew their perpetrator (Rennison 2002). About 45% of murder victims knew their perpetrator. Strangers committed approximately 15% of homicides nationally while the relationship between victim and offender was unknown in another 40% [BJS 2002(a)]. By comparison, in 2001, 78% of Austin’s 28 homicide victims knew the offender; in 2002, 60% of the 25 homicide victims knew the offender; and 67% of rape victims knew the offender (APD 2002, 2003). Chart 3 below shows the relationship involving those individuals assisted by APD Victim Services – this does not include all crimes committed in Austin.
Special Topics in Victimization
Certain types of victimization lend themselves to more detailed discussions because of the extent of the problem or the extreme nature of the crime. This section provides more detailed information on victims of homicide, sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, hate crime, and driving while intoxicated or under the influence. Special attention is also devoted to children, older adults, persons with disabilities, and hidden victims.
Homicide Victims
Homicide is defined in Texas statute as “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly, or with criminal negligence causing the death of an individual”. The offense includes murder, capital murder, and criminally negligent homicide (Texas Penal Code, Chapter 19.01). For homicides committed by juvenile defendants, the law specifically identifies homicide victims to include the “guardians” and “close relatives” of deceased victims. Deaths that occur during the commission of a felony offense by a juvenile can be considered homicides (Texas Family Code, Chapter 57).
Although the number of violent crimes has increased overall in Austin since 2000, homicides have decreased slightly. The number of reported homicide victims decreased from 34 in 2000 to 28 in 2001 and 25 in 2002. An additional 6 homicides occurred outside the City of Austin in 2001 and an additional 3 in 2002. The homicide rate per 100,000 residents decreased from 5.4 to 4.3, then to 3.7 per 100,000 during that period (APD 2002, 2003; Jessica Sammons, Email communication, June 5, 2003).
Locally, Hispanics appear to be over-represented as victims of homicide. As demonstrated in the chart below, Hispanics comprised 31% of the Austin population in 2000 and accounted for 55% of the homicide offenders and 54% of homicide victims (Bureau of the Census 2000; APD 2002). During the years 1997-2001, 44% of homicide victims were Hispanic, 37% were White, 17% were Black and less than 1% were Asian (APD Victim Services 2002). In 2002, three (12%) of the homicide victims were Mexican Nationals.
Most homicide victims in Austin were relatively young. In 2001, 10 of the 28 (35%) homicide victims were under 18 years old; four (14%) were under 13 years old (City of Austin 2002). Local data from 1997 to 2001 shows that 60% of murder victims were under the age of 35, and 20% were under the age of 20. During that same period, persons ages 15 to 19 were victims of homicide at rates higher than individuals of all other ages (APD NIBRS 2002).
Homicide of children is subject to identifiable patterns. Nationally, older juvenile victims aged 12 or more were more likely to be male and Black [OJJDP 2000 (a)]. The National Center for Health Statistics lists homicide as the fourth leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, third for youth ages 5 to 14, and second for persons ages 15 to 24 [Osofsky 2001; OJJDP 2000 (a)].
Sexual Assault and Rape Victims
Sexual assault is any act that involves sexual contact with another person without that person’s consent or sexual contact with a child regardless of consent. Sexual assault includes rape (requires penetration), but may consist of using force or attempting to take advantage of someone who is unable to understand the nature or condition of the act, decline participation, or to communicate unwillingness to engage in the sexual act due to age, illness, disability influence of alcohol or other drugs, intimidation, or pressure (Texas Penal Code, Chapter 22.011).
Between 2001 and 2002, the number of reported rapes in Austin fell only slightly – from 268 to 256 (APD 2003). Young women ages 15 to 19 are most often the victims of rape. In 2001, just over half (54%) of all rape victims were under the age of 20; 76% were between the ages of 10 and 29 (APD 2002). From 1997 to 2001, females ages 10 to 14 were victims of 23.2% of reported rapes (APD NIBRS 2002). In Austin in 2002, 51.1 of every 100,000 females were victims of rape. For comparison, it is estimated that 62.7 of every 100,000 females in the nation were victims of rape (APD NIBRS 2002). While White victims comprised 43% of all rape victims from 1997 to 2001, Blacks and Hispanics were more likely than Whites to be victimized by rape (APD NIBRS 2002).
|
|
Sexual assault victims also tend to be young - In 2001, 80% (611) were under the age of 20 and most of these (377) were between the ages of five and fourteen (APD 2002). The age profile of sexual assault victims nationally varies with the nature of the crime. Table 4 below shows that juveniles are the large majority of the victims of forcible fondling (84%), forcible sodomy (79%), and sexual assault with an object (75%). In contrast, juveniles are the victims in less than half (46%) of forcible rapes (Snyder 2000).
|
Table 4: Percentage of Sexual Assault Victims by Age and Type of Assault in the U.S.
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Victim
Age |
All Sexual
Assault |
Forcible
Rape |
Forcible
Sodomy |
Sexual Assault
with Object |
Forcible
Fondling |
|
0 to 5
|
14.0%
|
4.3%
|
24.0%
|
26.5%
|
20.2%
|
|
6 to 11
|
20.1%
|
8.0%
|
30.8%
|
23.2%
|
29.3%
|
|
12 to 17
|
32.8%
|
33.5%
|
24.0%
|
25.5%
|
34.3%
|
|
18 to 24
|
14.2%
|
22.6%
|
8.7%
|
9.7%
|
7.7%
|
|
25 to 34
|
11.5%
|
19.6%
|
7.5%
|
8.3%
|
5.0%
|
|
35 or older
|
7.4%
|
12.0%
|
5.1%
|
6.8%
|
3.5%
|
(Source: Snyder 2000)
In most cases, sexual assaults involved an acquaintance, family member, babysitter, or a boyfriend or girlfriend. The relationship between the offender and the sexual assault victim was unknown in 9% of the cases (APD 2002). Table 5 shows the victim-offender relationship in cases of sexual assault nationally.
|
Table 5: Victim-Offender Relationship in Sexual Assaults in U.S.
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Victim Age
|
Offender
|
||
|
Family Member
|
Acquaintance
|
Stranger
|
|
|
JUVENILES
|
34.2%
|
58.7%
|
7.0%
|
|
0 to 5
|
48.6%
|
48.3%
|
3.1%
|
|
6 to 11
|
42.4%
|
52.9%
|
4.7%
|
|
12 to 17
|
24.3%
|
66.0%
|
9.8%
|
|
ADULTS
|
11.5%
|
61.1%
|
27.3%
|
|
18 to 24
|
9.8%
|
66.5%
|
23.7%
|
|
Above 24
|
12.8%
|
57.1%
|
30.1%
|
(Source: Snyder 2000)
About one-quarter of all offenders are family members of their victims. The offenders of young victims are more likely to be family members than the offenders of older victims. Except for victims under age 6, most sexual assault offenders are not family members but are otherwise known to the victim. In general, 60% of all sexual assault offenders are acquaintances of the victim; just 14% of offenders are strangers to their victims (Snyder 2000).
|
This type of violence can result in physical injury and illness, psychological problems, economic costs, homelessness and death. Children who witness family violence are also seriously impacted. Problems associated with witnessing family violence include becoming a perpetrator of family violence or a victim of abuse or family violence, developing physical or mental health problems, including addiction to alcohol and drugs (CDC April 2003).
Local data show that domestic violence, or intimate partner violence, is a serious and growing problem with significant social costs.
|
|
Data from the National Crime Victimization Surveys indicate that being young, black, poor, divorced or separated, and living in rental housing in an urban area are all associated with higher rates of intimate partner abuse. Specifically, women ages 20-24 are the most likely to be victimized while black women are 35% more likely to be abused than white women and 2.5 times more likely than women of other races. Women in households with the lowest income have seven times the abuse rates of those in the highest income households (Rennison and Welchans 2000).
Dating violence is widespread among teens: approximately one in five female high school students report being physically or sexually abused by a date partner. Girls who report experiencing abuse have a significantly elevated risk for a broad range of serious health concerns including: being more likely to use alcohol, tobacco and cocaine; engaging in unhealthy weight control; engaging in risky sexual behavior; and seriously considering or attempting suicide. Girls who report experiencing both physical and sexual violence are more likely to report having early first intercourse, multiple recent sexual partners, and engaging in intercourse without using a condom. Girls who report experiencing teen dating violence are four to six times more likely than their non-abused peers to have ever been pregnant (Silverman et al. 2001).
Best Practice:
|
|
The San Diego Children's Hospital Family Violence Program assists battered mothers in establishing a safe environment for their children and themselves. Serving 120 women and 350 children each year, the program pairs battered women and their children with a two-person team of an advocate and a therapist. Mother and child receive free intensive advocacy, legal consultation, and mental health services. Children are often treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and receive a range of preventive and therapeutic interventions, including age appropriate play therapy and teen groups. At intake, 88% of the program participants report physical assault. At the six-month follow-up, the level of physical violence the women experience has decreased to 10%. The proportion of children exposed to family violence decreased from 85% to 20% [OVC 1999 (b)]. |
Hate Crime Victims
The U.S. Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990 defines hate crime as “those offenses motivated in part or singularly by personal prejudice against others because of a diversity – race, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity/national origin, or disability.” This Act mandated local and state law enforcement agencies to report certain information regarding hate crimes to the federal government. For the purpose of hate crime reporting, “victim” can refer to a person, business, institution or society as a whole (FBI 2001). In 2001, the Texas Legislature passed a hate crimes law.
Most hate crimes are violent crimes, such as assault or threats. Most hate crimes are committed against individuals (84%). The rest (16%) are committed against businesses, financial institutions, governments, religious organizations, or the general public. Aggravated assault hate crime incidents had the highest percentage of multiple victims (23% of incidents). Victims’ ages tend to be fairly distributed overall, with victims of violent hate crimes being generally younger than hate crime victims as a whole (BJS 2001).
Nationally, the most common motivator for hate crime is race, followed by religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, and disability. Travis County reported a total of 32 hate crimes in 2000 to the FBI. Most were motivated by the race, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin of the victim(s) (FBI 2001). Table 6 below compares the local, state and national incidents of hate crimes.
|
Table 6: Single-Bias Hate Crime Incidents 2000:
National, State, and Local Comparison2 |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Motivation
|
Travis County
|
Texas
|
National
|
|||
|
Race
|
13
|
(40%)
|
159
|
(56%)
|
4,337
|
(55%)
|
|
Sexual Orientation
|
10
|
(31%)
|
50
|
(17%)
|
1,299
|
(16%)
|
| Ethnicity/Nat’l Origin |
6
|
(18%)
|
30
|
(10%)
|
911
|
(12%)
|
| Religion |
2
|
(6%)
|
45
|
(16%)
|
1,472
|
(17%)
|
| Disability |
1
|
(3%)
|
2
|
(<1%)
|
36
|
(<.05%)
|
| Total |
32
|
(100%)
|
286
|
(100%)
|
8,055
|
(100%)
|
(Source: FBI 2001)
Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) Victims
Automobile accidents involving alcohol injure and kill a large number of people every year. In Travis County in 2000, 2,380 accidents involving alcohol occurred. As shown below, 26 of these were fatal, killing a total of 28 individuals. Nearly half (1,142) caused at least one injury (DPS 2003). In 2001, 58 people died in Travis County as a result of alcohol-related traffic accidents (NHTSA 2003). Historically, more people in Texas die in alcohol-related traffic accidents than in any other state.
Alcohol related accidents exact not only a high human cost but a high financial cost as well. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that in Texas in 1997, alcohol related crashes cost $4 billion in monetary costs and another $6.5 billion in quality of life costs. Victims personally pay costs associated with DWI accidents and homicides. Miller et al. (1996) estimated each DWI fatality to personally cost each victim $4.0 million and each DWI injury to cost $88,000 in tangible and intangible costs.
Nationally, younger drivers, ages 21-24, have the highest intoxication rate in fatal crashes. Twenty-seven percent of intoxicated drivers in this age group had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .10 or greater. This group is followed by 25-34 year olds (24% with BAC .10+) and the 35-44 year olds (22% with BAC .10+). Motorcyclists have the highest intoxication rates (27% with BAC .10+) of all drivers and light truck drivers have a slightly higher rate (20% with BAC .10+) than passenger car operators (19% with BAC .10+). Men are more likely than women to be drivers in alcohol related fatalities (NHTSA 2000).
|
|
|---|
|
Child Victimization
Child victimization assumes different forms (e.g., accidental, abuse, neglect, sexual, and more). This section begins by looking at child deaths, then discusses abuse and neglect, and concludes with child sexual abuse and exploitation
|
|
According to TDPRS there were 1,476 confirmed victims of child abuse/neglect in Travis County, or 7.4 per 1,000 children in 2002. At that time, there were an estimated 200,793 children in Travis County. Chart 6 below presents data on the confirmed types of abuse and neglect committed against children in Region 7, consisting of Travis County and the 30 surrounding counties (TDPRS 2003).
Nationally and locally, the primary perpetrators in child abuse and neglect cases are parents, followed by other members of the household. In Texas, parents were identified as perpetrators in 77% of confirmed cases. In the Austin region (30 central Texas counties), just over half (56%) of perpetrators were female. In addition, they were generally between the ages of 26-35 (37%), Anglo (43%), and married (37%) (TDPRS 2002).
Nationally and locally, the primary perpetrators in child abuse and neglect cases are parents, followed by other members of the household. In Texas, parents were identified as perpetrators in 77% of confirmed cases. In the Austin region (30 central Texas counties), just over half (56%) of perpetrators were female. In addition, they were generally between the ages of 26-35 (37%), Anglo (43%), and married (37%) (TDPRS 2002).
|
|
Children of all ages are victimized, but rates of abuse vary by age. Nationally, children ages birth through three years tend to be maltreated and victimized at the highest rates [Children’s Bureau 2001(a); Children’s Bureau 2001(b)]. Rates of abuse decline with increasing age. Table 7 below shows that in Travis County in recent years, victims are getting younger – victims under age three make up a greater percentage of abuse victims in 2002 than in 1999.
|
Table 7: Age of Confirmed Child Abuse/Neglect Victims in Travis County FY99-FY02
|
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Age
|
1999
|
2000
|
2001
|
2002
|
||||
|
Under 1
|
157 | 12% | 229 | 14% | 256 | 17% | 266 | 18% |
| 1-3 Years | 226 | 18% | 336 | 20% | 324 | 22% | 343 | 23% |
| 4-6 Years |
265 | 21% | 311 | 19% | 249 | 17% | 288 | 20% |
| 7-9 Years |
239 | 19% | 285 | 17% | 251 | 17% | 241 | 16% |
| 10-12 Yrs |
185 | 15% | 242 | 15% | 177 | 12% | 153 | 10% |
| 13-17 Yrs | 198 | 16% | 250 | 15% | 215 | 15% | 185 | 13% |
| Total | 1270 | 1653 | 1472 | 1476 | ||||
(Source: TDPRS November 2002)
|
|
The increasing use and availability of the Internet poses a new threat to children and adolescents. At least 50% of all homes have Internet access; an even higher percentage of kids have access to the Internet each day. Predators victimize children online by enticing them to engage in sexual acts; producing, manufacturing, and distributing child pornography online; exposing youth to pornography; encouraging them to exchange pornography; enticing and exploiting children for “sexual tourism” (i.e., traveling in order to engage in sexual activity either for commercial gain or personal gratification) (OVC 2001).
A survey (OVC 2001) of a nationally representative sample of youth indicated that:
- 20% were approached sexually solicited over the Internet in the past year; 25% of these told a parent.
- 25% experienced unwanted exposure to naked people or people engaging in sexual acts; 40% told a parent.
- One in 33 received an “aggressive” sexual solicitation.
Only 17% of children and 11% of adults could name a specific authority to which to report Internet solicitations. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service each have programs in place to provide assistance, investigation, education, and referral (OVC 2001).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Elderly Victimization
Texas law requires that the abuse or neglect of an elderly person be reported to the appropriate authorities. In Texas, suspected abuse is reported to and investigated by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, Adult Protective Services Division (TDPRS-APS). Abuse may be “negligent or willful infliction of injury”, sexual abuse, monetary abuse, or “failure to provide goods or services…which are necessary to avoid physical or emotional harm or pain” (Texas Human Resources Code, Chapter 48).
TDPRS-APS completed 8,831 in-home investigations of abuse in Travis County during the five-year period 1998-2002; they validated abuse or neglect in 61% (5,377) of these cases. This does not include investigations of complaints that occurred within institutions. Chart 7 shows the number of investigations and validations for the five-year period. For comparison, the population of individuals 65 and older in 2002 was 56,932.
Chart 8 below shows the types of allegations made in validated in-home investigations in Texas in 2001. Physical neglect was the most common allegation, followed by medical neglect and physical abuse.
|
|
|
|
In order to address the issue of elder abuse it is also important to understand who the perpetrators of abuse are. In Texas, Adult Children are perpetrators in almost 40% of confirmed in-home adult protective services cases (includes abuse of elderly and individuals with disabilities). The second most frequent perpetrator is the spouse (15%) followed by the parent (12%). Other relatives combined make up another 20.3% (TDPRS 2003).
Older populations are not only victims of abuse and neglect, but also other crimes. The Austin Police Department’s Victim Services Division served 572 elderly victims in 2001. In 2000, the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, published a report focused specifically on crimes against older adults during the years 1992 through 1997. Of all groups, elderly white women, elderly white males and elderly black females experienced the lowest rates of non-lethal violent victimization during the five year period. Among elderly individuals, black males experienced the highest rates. Hispanics had higher rates of victimization than non-Hispanics. Individuals who were divorced or separated experienced higher rates of non-lethal violence than individuals who were married or widowed.
Between 1992 and 1997, persons age 65 and older constituted 15% of the population 12 and older and experienced 7% of crimes measured through the National Crime Victims’ Survey. The rate of victimization for individuals over 65 is much lower than among the general population. Property crime is the most common type of victimization experienced by the elderly – 9 in 10 of all crimes against this group involve property (BJS 2000).
|
|
|
Victimization of Persons with Disabilities
The Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 amended the Hate Crime Statistics Act to include reporting on victims of hate crimes who had disabilities. Officially, in 2000, one hate crime victim in Travis County was reported to have a disability (FBI 2001). However, this in no way indicates the number of victims of other crimes in Travis County who have disabilities. The Crime Victims with Disabilities Act of 1998 mandates that crimes against persons with disabilities be counted in the National Crime Victims Survey by 2000. This should increase the amount of information available on this population who experience victimization.
Statistics on victims with disabilities most likely underreport the number of disabled clients. Many programs that serve persons with disabilities either do not collect information about victimization or about disabilities, making information on this population difficult to obtain. As is the case with APD, providers may only know about disabilities that require an accommodation. Chart 9 below shows that APD Victim Services Division served a total of 377 victims with disabilities in 2001, or 1.3% of the total number (28,571) served that year (377 represents the number of victims with a disability who required a special accommodation in order to receive services – Victim Services counselors do not ask victims if they have a disability – so the actual number could be much higher). Overall, from 1998 to 2001 victims with disabilities constituted 0.6% of APD victim services clients (APD Victim Services 2002).
|
|
Although women with disabilities “appear to be at risk for emotional, physical, and sexual abuse to the same extent as women without disabilities, . . . (they) were significantly more likely to experience emotional abuse by attendants, strangers, or health care providers than women without disabilities” (Nosek and Howland 1999).
Victims with disabilities may be more underserved or underreported than other categories of victims. Reasons for under-reporting include mobility or communication barriers related to the disability, social or physical isolation, reduced self-esteem that exacerbates normal “shame and self-blame”, or the fact that a caregiver is the abuser (Tyiska 1998).
Hidden Victims
Hidden victims are victims of unreported crime. This group is excluded from the most widely used public reports on crime and victimization. This exclusion results in underestimating not only the number of victims, but also the amount of funding required to provide the appropriate level of services in our community.
Nationally, it is estimated that about half of violent victimizations are not reported to the police [BJS 2002(a)]. Using this estimate, we can deduce that about 1,518 violent index crimes go unreported in Austin (DPS 2003).
Certain victims are more likely than others to report victimization. For example, women are slightly more likely to report violent crime than men (54.5% versus 42.9%). Depending on the type of crime, reporting varies by age group. For example, 75.8% of victims over 65 report robberies while only 34.9% of victims under 19 report (BJS 2000).
Locally, victims of crime note a variety of reasons for not reporting victimizations. In 2002, focus groups with local victims of crime and victim service providers identified the following reasons for not reporting.
- Immigration status; fear of being reported to INS
- Language or cultural barriers
- Fear of the police or the criminal justice process
- Unwillingness to report crimes committed by family members, acquaintances (e.g., elderly person victimized by family, child abused by parent)
- Pride or shame
- Don’t think the crime is important enough and won’t get the attention needed from police
- Fear of repercussions at work or lost wages (e.g., victimized by a co-worker or supervisor)
Through the Office of Community Liaison, the Austin Police Department has made efforts to reach out to and educate groups within the community about crime and how to contact law enforcement. For example, this office has outreach efforts focused on the immigrant population and the Asian community, among others. More information is available at www.ci.austin.tx.us/police/community.htm.
Victims who do not report crime most likely do not receive the services they need. Victims can connect to services through channels other than law enforcement agencies. However, without a report to law enforcement, a victim in Texas cannot receive certain services such as Crime Victims Compensation. Obviously, unreported crime is not prosecuted so there is no opportunity to collect restitution. The challenge for our community is to create a system where any victim of crime feels safe coming forward to report the crime.
1. The actual number of protective orders filed is higher than 740, because the County Attorney does not report counts of protective orders filed by private attorneys, legal assistance programs, etc.
2. Travis County agencies reporting were Austin Police Department, Travis County Sheriff’s Office, and The University of Texas at Austin Police Department.
3. The most comprehensive source of information about elder abuse is the National Elder Abuse Incidence Study (NEAIS) published in 1998. This study measures the number of new cases of abuse reported during 1996 and relies on two sources for information: Adult Protective Services (APS) substantiated reports and unsubstantiated reports from trained sentinels (individuals who work in areas that have contact with older adults, such as nursing home workers and hospital personnel) (National Center, 1998; Wolf, 2000).
