Victimization and African Americans

Violent Crime 1

• In 1998, there were 8.1 million crimes of violence, representing 26% of all crimes. For every 1,000 persons age 12 or older, there were 2 rapes or sexual assaults, 3 assaults with serious injury, and 4 robberies. The total number of violent crimes decreased 26.7% from 1993 to 1998.

• As victims of violent crime, African Americans experienced higher overall rates of crime in 1998 (41.7 per 1,000 persons) than whites (36.3) and Hispanics (32.8). During that year, young African American males were the most vulnerable to violent crime.

• However, between 1993 and 1998, the overall violent crime victimization rate decreased more for African Americans (37%) than for whites (27%), cutting the gap between them by 69%. Hispanic victimization rates decreased by 55%. This increased the gap between Hispanics and African Americans by 13%. Hispanics, however, experienced higher rates of robbery (6.3 per 1,000 persons) than African Americans (5.9) in 1998.

• African American victims of violent crime committed by a single offender most often identify the offender as also being African American. In a study of 12 American cities, around 84% of such single-offender crimes committed against African Americans were committed by African Americans. Similarly, white victims of violent crimes also most frequently identified whites as offenders.
  

• In 1997, homicide was the least frequent violent crime, with about 7 murder victims per 100,000 persons nationwide. This is the lowest homicide rate since 1967. Of the murder victims in 1997, 49% were African Americans, 48% were whites, and 3% were Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans.

• In 1996, the African American homicide victim rate (29.8 per 100,000 persons) was more than twice that of Hispanics (12.4) and more than six times that of whites (3.5) and Asians (4.6). Homicide victimization rates for African Americans have been at least five times higher than those of whites for the last half-century, and sometimes reached more than ten times the white rate.

• Among males ages 15 to 24 (the group with the highest homicide victimization rates), the differences across racial and ethnic groups are even more pronounced. In 1996, African Americans had by far the highest rate (123.1 per 100,000 males aged 15 to 24), followed by Hispanics (48.9), American Indians (26.6), Asians (15.6), and non-Hispanic whites (6.4).

• Most murders are intra-racial. From 1976 to 1997, whites killed 85% of white victims and African Americans killed 94% of African American victims. However, interracial homicides are on the rise. Stranger homicides are more likely to cross racial lines than those that involve friends or acquaintances. About 1 in 10 homicides committed by a friend or acquaintance of the victim is interracial, compared to 3 in 10 committed by a stranger.

 

Property Crime

• In 1998, U.S. residents age 12 or older were victims of approximately 22.9 million property crimes, 73% of all crimes committed. Overall, between 1997 and 1998, property crime rates fell 12% from 248 to 217 incidents per 1,000 households.

• Property crime victimization rates were higher for African Americans (248 per 1,000 households) and Hispanics (268 per 1,000) than for whites (213 per 1,000). Households maintained by Asians and American Indians experienced an estimated 225 property crimes per 1,000 households.

• African Americans experienced significantly higher rates of burglary (54.8 per 1,000 persons) and motor vehicle theft (20.1 per 1,000 persons) than both whites (36.3 and 9.4) and the combined group of Asians and American Indians (33.2 and 12.5) in 1998. Hispanics had higher motor vehicle theft rates (22.0) than African Americans, but lower burglary rates (44.9).

 

References

Leadership Conference Education Fund, Fighting Hate Across the Nation, Hate Crime Statistics 1991-1995.
Bureau of Justice Statistics. Criminal Victimization, General Summary Findings. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvictgen.htm

Bureau of Justice Statistics. Victim Characteristics, Summary Findings. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict_v.htm

Council of Economic Advisors for the President's Initiative on Race. Changing America:
Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being by Race and Hispanic Origin. U.S. Government Printing Office; Sept. 1998. http://www.access.gpo.gov/eop/ca/pdfs/ch7.pdf

Fox, James A., and Marianne W. Zawitz. Homicide trends in the United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics: 4 Dec.
1998. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/homtrnd.htm#contents

Rennison, Callie Marie. Criminal Victimization 1998 Changes 1997-98 with Trends 1993-98. U.S. Department of Justice: 31 Aug. 1999. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/cv98.txt

Smith, Steven K., et. al. Criminal Victimization and Perceptions of Community Safety in 12 Cities, 1998. U.S. Department of Justice: May 1999. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/cvpcs98.txt

End Notes

1 Violent crime includes rape/sexual assault, robbery, assault, but not murder and manslaughter.

2 Property crime is a composite of burglary, motor vehicle theft and theft.

Prepared by Roderick Harrison and Dania Frank for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. September 1999

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