Victimization Surveys in Criminology

Introduction

• Victimization Surveys: Developed in the US during the 1960s to measure crime and understand victim characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors.
• History: Evolved from basic crime measurement to provide insights into unreported crimes and victim experiences.

Evolution and Importance of Crime Measurement

• Early crime measures: court convictions, prison counts, police statistics.
• Dark Figure of Crime: Concept of unreported or undiscovered crimes.
• President Johnson's Commission (1965): Led to the development of victimization surveys by Albert Bitterman and colleagues.

Development of Victimization Surveys

• Face-to-face interviews, initially with adults 18+.
• Unreported Crimes: Initial surveys revealed high levels of unreported crimes ("dark figure").
• Influenced community policing and policies to improve public attitudes towards police.

Canada and Victimization Surveys

• Canada's first survey in 1982; now part of the General Social Survey (GSS).
• Surveys conducted approximately every five years, less frequent than in the US and UK.
• Focuses on eight crime types under two categories: crimes against persons and household crimes.

Crime Categories in Surveys

• Crimes Against Persons: Sexual assault, robbery, physical assault, theft of personal property.
• Household Crimes: Burglary, motor vehicle theft, theft of household property, vandalism.

Crime Measurement Metrics

• Victimization Rate: Number of incidents per population.
• Prevalence Rate: Number of individuals who experience at least one victimization.
• 2014 data showed a decline in victimization rates in Canada.

Benefits of Victimization Surveys

• Capture unreported crimes, offer victim insights, and inform crime prevention strategies.
• Provide information on victim support needs and risk factors for victimization.

Limitations of Victimization Surveys

• Limited to certain crime types; exclude children, institutionalized individuals, and those without telephones.
• Subjectivity in crime definition and respondents' reporting accuracy.
• Memory errors such as exaggeration and telescoping affect data accuracy.

Differences from Police Data

• Victimization surveys focus on unreported crimes, while police data capture reported incidents.
• Variability in reporting rates across countries and crime types.

Risk Factors and Demographics

• Higher victimization rates in younger, single, unemployed, or substance-using individuals.
• Indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities report higher victimization rates.

Multiple and Polyvictimization

• Multiple victimization: Repeated victimization of the same or different types of crimes.
• Polyvictimization: Experiencing multiple types of victimization.

International Comparisons

• Canada participates in the International Crime Victim Survey (ICVS); comparable victimization rates to the US.
• Attitudes towards crime and sentencing have become harsher over time in many countries.

Conclusion

• Victimization surveys are a critical tool for understanding crime and victim experiences.
• They complement police data by revealing the "dark figure" of unreported crime and informing policy decisions.