Crime victimization is an essential aspect of the law that describes involuntary, personal exposure to criminal acts. People who are victims of violent crimes, including sexual assault, robbery, and simple or aggravated assault, can take legal action in civil courts. In the US, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report highlights an overall de-escalating trend in crime victimization between 1993 and 2021. However, evaluating the short-term changes of criminal victimization indicates varying outcomes. Although the trends in crime victimization are unpopular among the general population, they are influenced by multiple factors, including geographic distribution patterns and economic and sociopolitical status.
First, I am not surprised by the trends in crime victimization that I think the general population is less aware of. Arguably, the rate of violent and property crimes is influenced by the justice system’s long-term enhancements. Even though the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) established by the BJS is responsible for sourcing information on criminal victimization, there is less public awareness of the trend of victimization incidents in the short and long term. Additionally, a high share of violent victimization is unreported to the police. Some demographic, social, economic, and political factors might explain the crime victimization trend.
Geographic distribution plays a crucial role in understanding the variation in crime rates over a long time. The geographic distribution indicates crime patterns in society since it reflects income distribution, social norms, status, and education, respectively. According to BJS, the rate of violent victimization surged from 19.0 to 24.5 in the urban areas in 2021, while the pace in the rural areas remained constant (Thompson, 2021). Compared to the rural areas, there is a higher unemployment rate, youth violence, and toxic stress in urban areas that drive escalated crime victimization.
The economic status of society is a risk factor for a high crime rate. Statistical data from the BJS suggest an overall spike in both violent and property victimization from 2020 to 2021. Between 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic severely implicated the US economy, potentially influencing an increase in the crime rate (Bindler & Ketel, 2022). For instance, economic earnings and poverty levels are relative to incidences of gun violence, burglary, trespassing, and robbery. Therefore, there is a close relationship between poverty or economic status and crime victimization rate.
Sociopolitical stability is another major factor that determines the scale of crimes. In 2021, the US sociopolitical stability was interfered with by the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The insurrection that left five dead was the worst sociopolitical menace the US had experienced for the past decade. After pro-Trump citizens discredited the outcomes of the elections, there was a great political divide in the US. To some extent, the short-term spike in crime victimization in 2021 was influenced by sociopolitical instability following the January 6 insurrection.
Ultimately, although crime victimization trends are unpopular among the general public, they are influenced by a variety of factors, such as geographic distribution, economic and sociopolitical status. I am not surprised by the trend in crime victimization despite the less public awareness regarding the subject. Compared to rural areas, urban environments are at higher risk of crimes. The COVID-19 pandemic and the January 6th attack on Capitol Hill are the economic and social-political factors that influence crime victimization, respectively.
References
Bindler, A., & Ketel, N. (2022). Scaring or Scarring? Labor Market Effects of Criminal Victimization. Journal of Labor Economics, 40(4), 939-970. Web.
Thompson, A., & Tapp, S. N. (2021). Criminal victimization, 2021. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Web.