NCJ Number
240246
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 40 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2012 Pages: 441-451
Date Published
December 2012
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between reporting of crimes and the victim's age, and whether this relationship was affected by the type of crime reported.
Abstract
This study found that 1) the rate of reporting differed by type of crime reported, with the rate of reporting increasing with age; 2) incident, victim, and offenders characteristics affected reporting rates differently for both juveniles and adults as well as for younger adults and older adults; and 3) the proportion of incidents reported to authorities increased as the age of the victim increased. This study examined the relationship between the rate of reporting of crimes and the victim's age, and whether this relationship was affected by the type of crime reported. The main objective of the study was to determine if under reporting of crime is a significant problem and whether this problem can be found among certain populations. Data for the study were obtained from the annual National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) for the years 1992 through 2010. Estimation techniques and regression analyses were used to examine three questions: 1) did the percentage of violence reported to police differ by age of victim and type of crime; 2) did the predictors of reporting vary by age of the victim; and 3) did the nature of victimization reporting vary by age of the victim. The findings from the analyses indicate that crime reporting rates differ not only between juveniles and adult victims but also between younger adults and older adults as well. Directions for future research are discussed. Tables, figure, appendix, and references