BJS: Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
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The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) collects information from victims on nonfatal violent and property crimes, reported and not reported to the police, against persons age 12 or older from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. It produces national rates and levels of personal and property victimization.

  • Violent crimes measured include rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault.
  • Property crimes include household burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft.

Data Collections & Surveys

Publications & Products


Criminal Victimization, 2016 Presents national data on criminal victimization reported and not reported to police in 2016, including the characteristics of crimes and victims and outcomes of victimization.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 212K) | Full report (PDF 750K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 30K)
Part of the Criminal Victimization Series

Race and Hispanic Origin of Victims and Offenders, 2012-15 Presents estimates of violent victimization (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) by the race and Hispanic origin of victims and offenders during the 4-year period from 2012 through 2015.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 190K) | Full report (PDF 557K) | ASCII file (39K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 25K)

Federal Prosecution of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Cases, 2004-2013 Examines commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) cases prosecuted in the federal criminal justice system between 2004 and 2013.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 192K) | PDF (528K) | ASCII file (31K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 13K)

Repeat Violent Victimization, 2005-14 Presents national data on the prevalence of repeat violent victimization and the characteristics of repeat violence.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 182K) | PDF (556K) | ASCII file (26K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 29K)
Part of the Criminal Victimization: National Crime Victimization Survey Series

Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009-2015 - Statistical Tables Presents estimates of nonfatal violent crime (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) against persons age 12 or older with disabilities.
  Summary (PDF 197K) | PDF (1M) | ASCII file (27K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 46K)
Part of the Crime Against People with Disabilities Series

Hate Crime Victimization, 2004-2015 Presents National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) data on hate crime victimization from 2004 to 2015.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 189K) | PDF (773K) | ASCII file (32K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 307K)
Part of the Hate Crime Series

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016 This annual report, a joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, presents data on crime and safety at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, and principals.
  PDF (14M)
Part of the Indicators of School Crime and Safety Series

Police Response to Domestic Violence, 2006-2015 Presents 2006-15 data on nonfatal domestic violence victimizations reported to police, the police response to these victimizations, the prevalence of related arrests or charges, and criminal complaints signed against the offender.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 187K) | PDF (1.07M) | ASCII file (37K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format)

Police-Public Contact Survey: Assessment and Recommendations for Producing Trend Estimates after 2011 Questionnaire Redesign This research and development paper describes changes to the 2011 Police-Public Contact Survey (PPCS) and its impact on estimating trends.
  PDF (654K)

Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009-2014 - Statistical Tables Presents estimates of nonfatal violent crime (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) against persons age 12 or older with disabilities.
  Summary (PDF 138K) | PDF (662K) | ASCII file (46K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 25K)
Part of the Crime Against People with Disabilities Series

Terms & Definitions

Age category The appropriate age category is determined by the respondent's age on the last day of the month preceding the interview.
 
Aggravated assault An attack or attempted attack with a weapon, regardless of whether an injury occurred, and an attack without a weapon when serious injury results.
With injury - An attack without a weapon when serious injury results or an attack with a weapon involving any injury. Serious injury includes broken bones, lost teeth, internal injuries, loss of consciousness, and any unspecified injury requiring two or more days of hospitalization.

Threatened with a weapon - Threat or attempted attack by an offender armed with a gun, knife, or other object used as a weapon that does not result in victim injury.

 
Annual household income The total household income for the 12 months preceding the interview. Includes wages, salaries, net income from businesses or farms, pensions, interest, dividends, rent, and any other source of monetary income of the head of household and all household members.
 
Assault An unlawful physical attack or threat of attack. Assaults may be classified as aggravated or simple. Rape, attempted rape, and sexual assaults are excluded from this category, as well as robbery and attempted robbery. The severity of assaults ranges from minor threats to nearly fatal incidents.
 
Collection year The set of victimizations reported to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) in interviews conducted during the same calendar year. This set may include victimizations that occurred in the previous calendar year, due to the retrospective nature of the NCVS interview. Collection year data are used in tables beginning in 1996. See "Data year."
 
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