Shanell Sanchez Show
It is difficult to determine that amount of crime that occurs in our communities every year because many crimes never come to the attention of the criminal justice system. There are various reasons that will be discussed, such as victims not reporting, victims not realizing they are victims, and offenders not getting caught. Research reveals, that on average, more than half of the nation’s violent crimes, or nearly 3.4 million violent victimizations per year, went unreported to the police between 2006 and 2010, according to a new report published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). [1] Because of this underreporting of crime, criminologists often refer to a concept known as the dark figure of crime. There are three general sources of crime statistics that will be covered in this chapter: official statistics, which we often describe as reported statistics, self-report statistics, and victimization statistics. Each of these sources of crime statistics has pros and cons, and we will spend time discussing those as well. Additionally, we will discuss the importance of looking at crime trends over time, relying upon statistics and research when developing policy, and how data should be a tool that enhances the criminal justice system. If we have accurate and reliable crime statistics, we can evaluate criminal justice policies and programs. For example, we could use crime statistics to see if incarcerating drug offenders is effective. Such effectiveness is studied in the correctional system via the ‘risk principal,’ or classifying people based on the level of risk. https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/fedsen27&div=37&id=&page= Relying on official statistics can be problematic to grasp a correct understanding of crime in society because many crimes never even come to the attention of the criminal justice system. Official statistics are often the crimes that are known or reported to police or others. It may seem shocking that people do not report crimes, but it is more common than we think. Let us take the example of looking at the gap between reported and unreported crimes. Dark Figure of Crime ExampleMy father-in-law grew up in a small town in South Dakota. When his family moved to Colorado, they still had a rural mindset to their property. They often think people should not touch other peoples things, so there is no need to lock up their house, car, or other property. He leaves his vehicle, house, and garage unlocked in Colorado because of that mindset. However, they live in a large, populous part of Colorado in a suburb outside Denver. Most people do not know the neighbor three doors down. One morning he woke up to his truck gone! The first thing he did was realize he left the keys in the truck and the truck was unlocked (normal to him). Next, he decided to take a walk to look for it before phoning the police. He located the truck, and it was damaged. It appeared that kids took it for a joy ride, as evidence from the beer cans and odor. He chose not to call the police. Why? He was happy the property had was located, yet he believed ‘it was his fault,’ and he had to get to work. Is this type of reaction more common than we may think? A friend of mine was a victim of domestic violence for over nine months and never told anyone, especially police. Her boyfriend was only presented as perfect, loving, and romantic on social media and around people. When she did come forward, it was after she landed in the emergency room due to him assaulting her. People may initially think domestic violence victims would always call the police, but there are so many reasons people do not come forward. When victims of crime do not report, or police are not made aware of a crime these crimes go uncounted in the official statistics. They become part of the ‘dark figure of crime‘ that we will learn about throughout this section. [2] Some Reasons People May Not Report [3] 1. The victim may not know a crime occurred 2. The offender is a member of the family, a friend, or an acquaintance 3. The victim thinks it is not worth reporting 4. The victim may fear retaliation 5. The victim may also have committed a crime 6. The victim does not trust the police National and state and territory crime rates for assault, threat, robbery, break-in, theft or stealing, property damage and police reporting rates. Key statisticsIn the last 12 months:
The statistics discussed in the national commentary refer to experiences which occurred in the 12 months prior to interview (conducted between July 2020 and June 2021), referred to as the 2020-21 reference period. All statistics referred to throughout the commentary are available from the data downloads. Only data with a relative standard error (RSE) of less than 25% are referred to in the text of this publication, and any differences between population groups or survey periods mentioned in the commentary are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level (refer to Methodology for more information). Victimisation rateAn estimated 4.4% of persons aged 15 years and over (889,800) experienced one or more selected personal crimes in the 2020-21 reference period, including:
Between 2008-09 and 2020-21 there was a decrease in the victimisation rate for the following personal crimes:
The victimisation rate for sexual assault (for persons aged 18 years and over) increased between 2008-09 (0.3%) and 2020-21 (0.5%).
For more information, refer to Methodology. Police reportingOf those who experienced a personal crime in the 2020-21 reference period, the following reported the most recent incident to the police:
Victimisation rateAn estimated 9.4% of households (919,500) experienced one or more selected household crimes in the 2020-21 reference period, including:
Between 2008-09 and 2020-21 there was a decrease in the victimisation rate for all selected household crimes, including:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Police reportingOf those which experienced a household crime in the 2020-21 reference period, the following reported the most recent incident to the police:
An estimated 2.0% of persons (412,500) experienced physical assault, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (2.3%). Both men (2.0%) and women (2.1%) experienced physical assault at a similar rate. The following groups were more likely to experience physical assault:
Multiple victimisationOf those who experienced physical assault:
Police reportingAn estimated 60% of persons (245,600) who experienced physical assault reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (52%). The reporting rate was similar for men (62%) and women (59%). Note: whilst it may appear that the reporting rate for physical assault has changed between 2019-20 and 2020-21, the difference between the rates is not statistically significant when the sampling error is taken into consideration. Common reasons for not reporting to police include:
Relationship to perpetrator in most recent incidentFor men who experienced physical assault, the perpetrator was most often:
For women who experienced physical assault, the perpetrator was most often:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Other characteristics of the most recent incidentFor men who experienced physical assault:
For women who experienced physical assault:
Changes over timeVictimisation rateBetween 2008-09 and 2020-21 there was a decrease in the physical assault victimisation rate for men (3.9% to 2.0%) while the victimisation rate for women remained stable (2.4% to 2.1%).
For more information, refer to Methodology. For men, the physical assault victimisation rate declined for the following age groups:
For more information, refer to Methodology. For women, the physical assault victimisation rate for all age groups remained stable between 2008-09 and 2020-21. Police reporting rateBetween 2008-09 and 2020-21 there was an increase in the physical assault police reporting rate for men (42% to 62%), while the rate for women remained stable (49% to 59%). Note: whilst it may appear that the reporting rate for physical assault for women has changed between 2008-09 and 2020-21, the difference between the rates is not statistically significant when the sampling error is taken into consideration.
For more information, refer to Methodology. An estimated 2.2% of persons (444,400) experienced face-to-face threatened assault, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (2.4%). Both men (2.3%) and women (2.1%) experienced face-to-face threatened assault at a similar rate. Persons living in an area in the lowest quintile (most disadvantaged) of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage (2.7%) were more likely to experience face-to-face threatened assault compared with persons living in the highest quintile (1.5%). Multiple victimisationOf those who experienced face-to-face threatened assault:
Police reportingApproximately 40% of persons (179,200) who experienced face-to-face threatened assault reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (36%). The reporting rate was similar for men (39%) and women (41%). For men, common reasons for not reporting to police include:
For women, common reasons for not reporting to police include:
Other characteristics of the most recent incidentFor men who experienced face-to-face threatened assault:
For women who experienced face-to-face threatened assault:
Approximately 51% of men and 50% of women aged 18 years and over who experienced face-to-face threatened assault believed that alcohol or another substance contributed to the most recent incident. Changes over timeBetween 2008-09 and 2020-21 there was a decrease in the face-to-face threatened assault victimisation rate for both men (4.7% to 2.3%) and women (3.2% to 2.1%).
For more information, refer to Methodology. An estimated 0.8% of persons (167,300) experienced non face-to-face threatened assault (such as over the phone), which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (0.9%). Women (1.0%) experienced non face-to-face threatened assault at a higher rate than men (0.6%). Persons living in an area in the lowest quintile (most disadvantaged) of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage (1.2%) were more likely to experience non face-to-face threatened assault compared with persons living in the highest quintile (0.6%). Type of non face-to-face threatened assaultOf those who experienced non-face-to-face threatened assault, the most common method of exposure was over the phone (53% or 88,800), followed by SMS (38% or 63,100).
For more information, refer to Methodology. Police reportingApproximately 38% of persons (63,500) who experienced non face-to-face threatened assault reported the most recent incident to the police, which was higher than the rate in 2019-20 (24%). An estimated 0.3% of persons (54,200) experienced robbery, which was the same as the rate in 2019-20 (0.3%). The rate was similar for men (0.3%) and women (0.2%). Persons aged 15 to 34 years (0.5%) were more likely to experience robbery compared with persons in all other age categories. Police reportingApproximately 64% of persons (34,600) who experienced robbery reported their most recent incident to the police, which was the same as 2019-20 (64%). Other characteristics of the most recent incidentIn the most recent incident of robbery:
An estimated 0.5% of persons aged 18 years and over (104,100) experienced sexual assault, which was higher than the rate in 2019-20 (0.3%). Female experiences of sexual assaultEstimates for male experiences are subject to high sampling error (for further details on sampling error refer to the Methodology page). For this reason, only information on women’s experience of sexual assault are included here. In the 12 months prior to the survey 0.9% of women aged 18 years and over (92,500) experienced sexual assault, which was higher than the rate in 2019-20 (0.5%). Young women aged 18 to 29 years (3.3%) were more likely to experience sexual assault than women aged 30 to 44 years (0.7%) or 45 years and over (0.2%).
For more information, refer to Methodology. Police reportingApproximately 23% of women (21,300) who experienced sexual assault in the last 12 months reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (25%). Changes over timeChanges in the 12-month victimisation rate of sexual assault over time can be influenced by real-world changes in the prevalence of sexual assault, as well as changing attitudes and awareness of family, domestic, and sexual violence more broadly. These changes can impact on people’s ability to recognise sexual assault when it occurs, and their willingness to disclose their experiences to a survey interviewer. Between 2008-09 and 2020-21, the sexual assault victimisation rate for women increased from 0.5% to 0.9%.
For more information, refer to Methodology. For women aged 18 to 29 years, the sexual assault victimisation rate increased between 2008-09 (1.3%) and 2020-21 (3.3%), driven by the significant increase from 2019-20 (1.2%). The sexual assault victimisation rate for the other age groups remained relatively stable.
For more information, refer to Methodology. An estimated 1.7% of households (171,600) experienced a break-in, which was a decrease from 2.4% in 2019-20. The majority of these households experienced a single incident (76% or 129,700). Police reportingApproximately 68% of households (116,700) that experienced a break-in reported the most recent incident to the police, which was lower than the rate in 2019-20 (74%). Common reasons for not reporting the incident include:
Other characteristics of the most recent incidentDuring the most recent incident:
Types of property stolen during the most recent incidentThe most commonly stolen types of property include:
An estimated 1.8% of households (179,400) experienced an attempted break-in, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (1.9%). The majority of these households experienced a single incident (78% or 139,400). Households in an area in the lowest quintile (most disadvantaged) of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage (2.2%) were more likely to experience an attempted break-in than households in the highest quintile (1.6%). Households outside of capital cities (2.3%) were more likely than those in capital cities to experience an attempted break-in (1.6%). Police reportingApproximately 45% of households (80,900) that experienced an attempted break-in reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (40%). Common reasons for not reporting to the police include:
Evidence of the most recent incidentThe most common types of evidence of an attempted break-in include:
An estimated 0.5% of households (47,100) had a motor vehicle stolen in 2020-21, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (0.6%). The majority of these households experienced a single incident (94% or 44,300). Police reportingApproximately 84% of households (39,500) that had a motor vehicle stolen reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (87%). Location of the most recent incidentCommon locations where the motor vehicle was stolen include:
An estimated 2.5% of households (242,400) experienced theft from a motor vehicle, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (2.7%). The majority of these households experienced a single incident (85% or 206,700). Police reportingApproximately 54% of households (130,700) that experienced theft from a motor vehicle reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (53%). Common reasons for not reporting to the police include:
Location of the most recent incidentCommon locations where the incident occurred include:
Types of property stolen during the most recent incidentCommon types of property stolen include:
An estimated 4.0% of households (394,600) experienced malicious property damage, which was a decrease from 4.6% in 2019-20. The majority of these households experienced a single incident (80% or 315,300). Households in an area in the lowest quintile (most disadvantaged) of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage (5.0%) were more likely to experience malicious property damage compared with households in the highest quintile (3.4%). Police reportingApproximately 51% of households (200,500) that experienced malicious property damage reported the most recent incident to the police, which was lower than the rate in 2019-20 (54%). Common reasons for not reporting to police include:
Types of property damaged during the most recent incidentCommon types of property damaged, defaced or destroyed during the incident include:
An estimated 2.2% of households (218,200) experienced other theft, which was similar to the rate in 2019-20 (2.4%). The majority of these households experienced a single incident (79% or 172,300). Police reportingApproximately 37% of households (81,000) that experienced other theft reported the most recent incident to the police, which was the same as 2019-20 (37%). Common reasons for not reporting to police include:
Location of the most recent incidentCommon locations where the incident occurred include:
Types of property stolen during the most recent incidentThe most common types of property stolen include:
The state and territory statistics discussed in the following commentary have been obtained by pooling data across consecutive survey iterations to improve the reliability of estimates at the state/territory level. The pooled estimates can be understood as an annual average of the estimates from multiple survey years. The survey enumeration periods contributing to each pooled estimate are indicated by the label of the pooled period. For instance, the 2019-21 pooled period is an average of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 surveys, spanning from July 2019 to June 2021. While a pooled period spans multiple survey years, the data represents the average annual rate/estimate for those years, not the total number of victims over the 24-month period. For example, the estimated 133,700 victims of physical assault in New South Wales for the 2019-21 reference period refers to the average number of persons that experienced physical assault in the 12 months prior to the interview, conducted during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 reference periods. Data are pooled across two consecutive survey years for all crime types except for sexual assault, where three years have been used. Pooled sexual assault and robbery data are not referred to in the commentary but are available in Tables 25 - 27 from the data downloads. For more information refer to the Methodology. New South WalesPersonal crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period, 3.7% of persons (241,600) experienced physical and/or threatened assault. Including:
The police reporting rates for 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period, however the following victimisation rates declined:
Changes in personal crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Household crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period:
The police reporting rates for 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period, however the following victimisation rates declined:
Changes in household crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. VictoriaPersonal crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period, 3.7% of persons (198,000) experienced physical and/or threatened assault. Including:
The police reporting rates for 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period, however the following victimisation rates declined:
Changes in personal crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Household crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period:
The police reporting rates for 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period, however the following victimisation rates declined:
Changes in household crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. QueenslandPersonal crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period, 5.2% of persons (208,600) experienced physical and/or threatened assault. Including:
The victimisation and police reporting rates were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period. Changes in personal crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Household crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period:
The victimisation rates in 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period, except theft from a motor vehicle which increased from 1.9% to 2.3%. The police reporting rates decreased from the 2017-19 reference period for:
Changes in household crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. South AustraliaPersonal crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period, 4.4% of persons (61,800) experienced physical and/or threatened assault. Including:
The victimisation and police reporting rates were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period. Changes in personal crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Household crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period:
The victimisation and police reporting rates were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period, except the police reporting rate for break-in which decreased from 79% to 68%. Changes in household crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Western AustraliaPersonal crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period, 5.3% of persons (109,500) experienced physical and/or threatened assault. Including:
The police reporting rates in 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period, however there was an increase in the victimisation rate for non face-to-face threatened assault which increased from 0.6% to 1.2%. Changes in personal crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Household crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period:
The police reporting rates in 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period, however there was a decrease in the victimisation rate for break-in from 4.2% to 3.3%. Changes in household crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. TasmaniaPersonal crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period, 5.1% of persons (22,100) experienced physical and/or threatened assault. Including:
The victimisation and police reporting rates in 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period. Changes in personal crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Household crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period:
The victimisation and police reporting rates in 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period. Changes in household crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Northern TerritoryPersonal crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period, 6.2% of persons (9,000) experienced physical and/or threatened assault. Including:
The police reporting rates in 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period, however there was a decrease in the victimisation rate for physical assault which decreased from 4.5% to 2.6%. Changes in personal crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Household crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period:
The victimisation and police reporting rates in 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period. Changes in household crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Australian Capital TerritoryPersonal crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period, 3.8% of persons (12,500) experienced physical and/or threatened assault. Including:
The victimisation and police reporting rates in 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period. Changes in personal crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. Household crime victimisation and reporting ratesIn the 12 months prior to interview, during the 2019-21 reference period:
The victimisation and police reporting rates in 2019-21 were similar to those in the 2017-19 reference period. Changes in household crime victimisation rates since 2008-10Between the 2008-10 and the 2019-21 reference periods, the victimisation rate declined for:
For more information, refer to Methodology. National summary and time series (Tables 1a-7d)2020-21
National summary statistics. Personal crime (Tables 8a-16b)Socio-demographic characteristics of victims of personal crime, multiple victimisation and characteristics of the most recent incident. Household crimes (Tables 17a-24b)Household characteristics of victims of household crime, multiple victimisation and characteristics of the most recent incident. State and territory time series, pooled data (Tables 25a-29d)State/territory victimisation rates and police reporting rates, pooled time series from 2008-10. State and territory times series, single year data (Tables 30a-33d)State/territory victimisation rates and police reporting rates, annual time series from 2008-09. Populations (Tables 34a-35b)Single year and pooled national and state/territory populations, by sex. Data item listList of data items collected in the survey. All data cubesAll Crime Victimisation, Australia 2020-21 data download files. Previous catalogue numberThis release previously used catalogue number 4530.0. MethodologyCrime Victimisation, Australia methodology, 2020-21 financial yearWhat is the most unreported crime?Nationwide, rape is known to be one of the most underreported crimes. Despite the fact that studies estimate one in six women and one in 21 men will be a victim of attempted or completed forcible rape in their lifetimes, only 16-40% of rapes are reported to law enforcement.
What type of crime is least reported?Crimes that people are least likely to report are household larceny (25%), personal larceny when there is no contact with the thief (26%), and pocket-picking (29%). People might neglect to report such crimes because the degree of economic loss and personal harm is less.
What is the most common form of crime?In 2021, property crime was the most common type of crime committed in the United States, at 6.53 million offenses. In the same year, there were 2.55 million cases of violent crime, of which there were 2.3 million cases of assault.
What is the most common but least reported crime in the United States?From 2006 to 2010, the two highest percentages of unreported crime were among household theft (67%) and rape or sexual assault (65%) victimizations, and the lowest percentage was among motor vehicle theft (17%) victimizations (table 1).
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