Where do the National Crime Victimization numbers come from?



These preliminary numbers are national estimates of crime in
1995, based on data collected in 1995 from the National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS).  The final numbers will include
information received in 1996 about crimes in 1995 and will show
more detail regarding the nature of victimizations such as the
victim's age, sex, race, and the relationship between offender
and victim. 



National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is the Nation's
primary source of information on criminal victimization. Twice
each year, data are obtained from a nationally representative
sample of roughly 49,000 households comprising about 100,000
persons on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of
criminal victimization in the United States.



The survey reports the likelihood of victimization by rape,
sexual assault, robbery, assault, theft, household burglary, and
motor vehicle theft for the population as a whole as well as for
segments of the population such as women, the elderly, members
of various racial groups, city dwellers, or other groups. 



The NCVS provides the largest national forum for victims to
describe the impact of crime and characteristics of violent
offenders.  Although the NCVS has been measuring crime since
1973, the redesigned and improved survey started reporting
results in 1992.



How do these numbers compare with the FBI's Uniform Crime
Reports (UCR)?



On May 5, 1996, the FBI released their preliminary 1995 estimate
that violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated
assault) fell 4% and property crime fell 1% in 1995. The UCR measures 
crime reported to police, while the NCVS calculates  "Reported to police,"
as presented in table A,
based on interviews with the victims.


Table A. Comparison of NCVS and UCR preliminary estimates					
					
The direction of change in the NCVS preliminary estimates for 1995 is					
 largely consistent with the preliminary 1995 estimates from the UCR:					
					
					
			    1994-95 percent change		
					
			                NCVS		
		            	        reported 		
			    NCVS	to police       UCR

Violent crime,		    -9.1%	  -5.7%		--
including simple assault					
					
Rape, robbery, 					
aggravated assault	   -17.1%	-14.1%		-4%
Burglary		   -11.6%	 -6.3%		-5%
Theft		            -3.7%	 -1.9%		+1%
Motor vehicle theft	    -9.0%	-12.3%		-6%
					
					
					
The NCVS and UCR percent change estimates do not correspond exactly 					
because there are confidence intervals surrounding the survey's estimates.					
NCVS:  National Crime Victimization Survey from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)					
UCR: Uniform Crime Reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)					



The FBI's UCR program, which began in 1929, collects information
from monthly law enforcement reports or individual crime
incident records transmitted directly to the FBI or to
centralized State agencies that then report to the FBI.  In
1994, law enforcement agencies active in the UCR Program
represented approximately 249 million U.S. inhabitants -- 96% of
the total population.



The UCR Program provides crime counts 

for the Nation as a whole, as well as for regions, States,
counties, cities, and towns.  This permits studies among
neighboring jurisdictions and among those with similar
populations and other common

characteristics.



Each program has unique strengths. The UCR provides a measure of
the number of crimes reported to law enforcement agencies
throughout the country.  The UCR's Supplemental Homicide Reports
provide the most reliable, timely data on the extent and nature
of homicides in the Nation.  The NCVS is the primary source of
information on the characteristics of criminal victimization and
on the number and types of crimes not reported to law
enforcement authorities.