Bureau of Justice Statistics

 U.S. Department of Justice

 Office of Justice Programs 

Family Violence Statistics

Including Statistics on Strangers and Acquaintances

 

Reported and unreported family violence

Murder of family members

Family violence reported to police

Family violence recorded by police

State prosecution of family assault

Federal prosecution of domestic violence

Family violence offenders in prison

Family violence offenders in jail
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

810 Seventh Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20531

Alberto R. Gonzales

Attorney General

 

Office of Justice Programs

Partnerships for Safer Communities

Tracy Henke

Acting Assistant Attorney General

World Wide Web site:

http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov

 

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Lawrence A. Greenfeld

Director

World Wide Web site:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs

 

For information contact

National Criminal Justice Reference Service

1-800-851-3420
 

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Family Violence Statistics

Including Statistics on Strangers and Acquaintances

By 

Matthew R. Durose

Caroline Wolf Harlow, Ph.D.

Patrick A. Langan, Ph.D.

Mark Motivans, Ph.D.

Ramona R. Rantala

Erica L. Smith

BJS Statisticians

Assisted by

Elizabeth Constantin

BJS Statistical Assistant

June 2005, NCJ 207846
 

Contents

ii Family Violence Statistics

Highlights, definitions, and counting rules 1

Definitions

Sources of data on family violence

Counting rules

Reported and unreported family violence 8

About the data in this section

Offense type (table 2.1)

Offense location (table 2.2)

Victim demographics (table 2.3)

Victim injury (table 2.4)

Victim medical care (table 2.5)

Offender demographics (table 2.6)

Offender weapon use (table 2.7)

Offender drug or alcohol use (table 2.8)

Number of victims and offenders 

(table 2.9)

Fatal family violence 17

About the data in this section

Victim demographics (table 3.1)

Offender demographics (table 3.2)

Offender weapon use (table 3.3)

Number of victims and offenders (table 3.4)

Family violence reported to police 22

About the data in this section

Percent of family violence reported to police (table 4.1)

Reporting rates by offense (table 4.2)

Reporting rates by victim demographics (table 4.3)

Reporting rates by whether offender had a 

 weapon (table 4.4)

Reasons for not reporting family violence 

 to police (table 4.5)

Person who reported family violence 

 to police (table 4.6)

Arrest rate by offense (table 4.7)

Family violence recorded by police 29

About the data in this section

Offense type (table 5.1)

Offense location (table 5.2)

Victim demographics (table 5.3)

Victim injury (table 5.4)

Offender demographics (table 5.5)

Offender weapon use (table 5.6)

Number of victims and offenders (table 5.7)

Arrests by offense (table 5.8)

Arrestee demographics (table 5.9)

Victim demographics in crimes leading 

 to arrest (table 5.10)

Arrest rate by offense (table 5.11)

Arrest rate by arrestee demographics (table 5.12)

Arrest rate by victim demographics (table 5.13)

Weapon possession at time of arrest (table 5.14)

Disposition of juvenile arrestees (table 5.15)

State prosecution of family assault 45

About the data in this section

Defendant demographics (table 6.1)

Prior arrests (table 6.2)

Prior felony arrests (table 6.3)

Prior convictions (table 6.4)

Prior felony convictions (table 6.5)

Criminal justice status at time of arrest (table 6.6)

Pretrial release (table 6.7)

Bail amount (table 6.8)

Time from arrest to pretrial release (table 6.9)

Time from arrest to adjudication (table 6.10)

Court outcome (table 6.11)

Time from conviction to sentencing (table 6.12)

Sentence imposed (table 6.13)

Length of prison and jail sentences imposed (table 6.14)

Federal prosecution of domestic violence 51

About the data in this section

Offense type (table 7.1)

Investigating agency (table 7.2)

Profile of convicted offenders (table 7.3)

Family violence offenders in prison 53

About the data in this section

Offense type (table 8.1)

Offense location (table 8.2)

Victim demographics (table 8.3)

Victim injury (table 8.4)

Offender demographics (table 8.5)

Offender weapon use (table 8.6)

Offender drug or alcohol use (table 8.7)

Number of victims and offenders (table 8.8)

Federal, State, and local correctional facilities

Prior sentences (table 8.9)

Family violence offenders in jail 61

About the data in this section

Offense type (table 9.1)

Offense location (table 9.2)

Victim demographics (table 9.3)

Victim injury (table 9.4)

Restraining orders among jail inmates 

 convicted of family violence

Offender demographics (table 9.5)

Offender weapon use (table 9.6)

Offender drug or alcohol use (table 9.7)

Number of victims and offenders (table 9.8)

Methodology 68

Reported and unreported family violence

Fatal family violence

Family violence recorded by police

State prosecution of family assault

 (tables 10.1 and 10.2)

Federal prosecution of domestic violence

Family violence offenders in prison

Family violence offenders in jail

Appendix 71

Discrepant findings from two different 

 ways of measuring family violence 

 (tables 11.1 and 11.2)
Introduction

This compendium contains the most

recent family violence statistics from

these sources: surveys conducted by

the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS),

the BJS database of Federal statistics,

and two statistical databases

maintained by the FBI.

The sources provide statistical

snapshots of family violence at different

stages in the administration of justice. 

First are statistics on the nature and

extent of family violence. Next are

statistics on family violence that is

reported to police, followed by statistics

on the prosecution of persons charged

with family violence. Lastly are statistics

on persons sent to prison or jail for

family violence.

The report is divided into eight sections

giving statistics on —

• Reported and unreported family

violence

• Fatal family violence

• Family violence reported to police

• Family violence recorded by police

• State prosecution of family assault

• Federal prosecution of domestic

violence

• Family violence offenders in prison

• Family violence offenders in jail.

Highlights

Trends in family violence

The rate of family violence fell between

1993 and 2002 from an estimated 5.4

victims to 2.1 victims per 1,000 U.S.

residents age 12 or older. Throughout

the period family violence accounted for

about 1 in 10 violent victimizations. 

Reported and unreported family

violence

Family violence accounted for 11% of

all reported and unreported violence

between 1998 and 2002. Of these

roughly 3.5 million violent crimes

committed against family members,

49% were crimes against spouses, 11%

were sons or daughters victimized by a

parent, and 41% were crimes against

other family members.

The most frequent type of family

violence offense was simple assault.

Murder was less than half of 1% of all

family violence between 1998 and 2002.

About three-fourths of all family violence

occurred in or near the victim's

residence.

Forty percent of family violence victims

were injured during the incident. Of the

3.5 million victims of family violence

between 1998 and 2002, less than 1%

died as a result of the incident.

The majority (73%) of family violence

victims were female. Females were

84% of spouse abuse victims and 86%

of victims of abuse at the hands of a

boyfriend or girlfriend.

While about three-fourths of the victims

of family violence were female, about

three-fourths of the persons who

committed family violence were male.

Most family violence victims were white

(74%), and the majority were between

ages 25 and 54 (65.7%). Most family

violence offenders were white (79%),

and most were age 30 or older (62%).

Fatal family violence

About 22% of murders in 2002 were

family murders. Nearly 9% were

murders of a spouse, 6% were murders

of sons or daughters by a parent, and

7% were murders by other family

members.

Females were 58% of family murder

victims. Of all the murders of females in

2002, family members were responsible

for 43%.

Children under age 13 were 23% of

murder victims killed by a family

member, and just over 3% of nonfamily

murder victims.

The average age among sons or

daughters killed by a parent was 7

years, and 4 out of 5 victims killed by a

parent were under age 13.

Eight in ten murderers who killed a

family member were male. Males were

83% of spouse murderers and 75% of

murderers who killed a boyfriend or

girlfriend.

In 2002 family murders were less likely

than nonfamily murders to involve a

firearm (50% versus 68%). Parents

were the least likely family murderers 

to use a firearm (28%), compared to

spouses (63%) or other family members

(51%).

Among incidents of parents killing their

children, 19% involved one parent killing

multiple victims.

 

Highlights, definitions, and counting rules

 Family Violence Statistics 1
Family violence reported to police

Approximately 60% of family violence

victimizations were reported to police

between 1998 and 2002. The reporting

rate among female victims was not

significantly greater than the reporting

rate among male victims.

The most common reason victims of

family violence cited for not reporting

the crime to police was that the incident

was a "private/personal matter" (34%).

Another 12% of non-reporting family

violence victims did not report the crime

in order to "protect the offender."

Among the 2.1 million incidents of

family violence reported to police

between 1998 and 2002, 36% resulted

in an arrest.

Family violence recorded by police

Family violence accounted for 33% of

all violent crimes recorded by police in

18 States and the District of Columbia

in 2000. Of these more than 207,000

family violence crimes, about half (53%,

or 110,000) were crimes between

spouses.

Among crimes recorded by police, 2%

of family violence involved a firearm,

compared to 6% of nonfamily violence.

A weapon was used in 16% of family

and 21% of nonfamily violence.

About 6% of all violent crime recorded

by police in 2000 involved more than

one offender victimizing a lone victim.

The exception was stranger crime, in

which 14% of incidents involved multiple offenders victimizing a lone victim.

About 49% of family violence crimes

recorded by police resulted in an arrest.

Males comprised 77% of suspected

family violence offenders arrested in

2000.

State prosecution of family assault

Of the approximately 1,500 defendants

charged with felony assault during May

2000 in the State courts of 11 large

counties, about a third were charged

with family violence.

Among felony assault defendants

charged with family violence in State

courts, 84% had at least one prior arrest

for either a felony or a misdemeanor

(not necessarily for family violence),

and 73% had been previously convicted

of some type of felony or misdemeanor

(not necessarily family violence).

Nearly half of felony assault defendants

charged with family violence were

released pending case disposition.

Among the 1,500 felony assault cases,

the probability of the case leading to

conviction (felony or misdemeanor) was

greater for family assault defendants

(71%) than nonfamily assault defendants (61%).

State courts sentenced 83% of persons

convicted of assault (both family and

nonfamily) to either prison or jail.

Among felony assault defendants

convicted in State courts —

• 68% of incarceration sentences 

for family assault were to jail

• 62% of incarceration sentences 

for nonfamily assault were to prison

• 45% of persons sent to prison for

family assault received a sentence of

more than 2 years, compared to 77%

of nonfamily assault offenders sent to

prison.

Federal prosecution of domestic

violence

Persons suspected of domestic

violence made up 4% of the total

18,653 Federal suspects referred to

U.S. attorneys for alleged violent crimes

from 2000 to 2002.

Of the 757 suspects referred to U.S.

attorneys for domestic violence

offenses between 2000 and 2002, most

were firearm-related domestic violence

offenses rather than interstate domestic

violence offenses.

• The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,

Firearms and Explosives accounted

for 80% of all referrals for firearmrelated domestic violence.

• The FBI accounted for 72% of all

interstate domestic violence referrals.

Federal courts convicted 90% of defendants adjudicated for an interstate

domestic violence offense. 

Among defendants convicted in federal

courts —

• 79% of convictions were the product

of a guilty plea, and the remaining

21% were the product of conviction

following a trial

• most were male (96%), under age 40

(67%), white (72%), and non-Hispanic

(95%)

• 4 in 5 defendants had a prior adult

conviction.

Of 47 Federal defendants sentenced for

an interstate domestic violence offense

between 2000 and 2002, 91% received

a prison term with a median length of 60

months.

2 Family Violence Statistics
Family violence offenders in prison

Of the nearly 500,000 men and women

in State prisons for a violent crime in

1997, 15% were there for a violent

crime against a family member.

Nearly half of all the family violence

offenders in State prisons were serving

a sentence for a sex offense against a

family member. More than threequarters of parents convicted of a

violent crime against their son or daughter were in prison for a sex offense.

Of the crimes for which family violence

offenders were in prison —

• most were against a female (78%)

• more than half were against a child

under age 18

• more than a third were against a

child under age 13.

About 90% of offenders in State prisons

for family violence had injured their

victim:

• 50% of family violence victims were

raped or sexually assaulted

• 28% of the victims of family violence

were killed

• 50% of offenders in State prisons for

spousal abuse had killed their victims

• Of State prison inmates imprisoned

for a crime against their son or daughter, 79% had raped or sexually

assaulted the child, and another 10%

had killed the child.

Among family violence offenders in

State prisons in 1997 —

• most were male (93%)

• 6 out of 10 were white, while about a

quarter were black

• about 80% were between ages 25

and 54.

Among offenders whose incarceration

in State prisons was for family violence,

23% had used a weapon to commit

their crime. The comparable percentage

among State prisoners incarcerated for

nonfamily violence was higher— 46%.

Family violence offenders in jail

Convicted family violence offenders

made up about 22% of the nearly

86,500 convicted violent offenders in

local jails in 2002. Most (60%) of these

approximately 18,700 jail inmates incarcerated for family violence were in jail

for an aggravated assault.

Local jail inmates convicted of family

violence reported that —

• their victims were predominantly

female (79%)

• nearly 30% of their victims were

under age 18.

Among local jail inmates convicted of

family violence, 55% injured their victim.

Most convicted jail inmates serving time

for violence against a family member

(88%) did not use a weapon during the

crime.

Among jail inmates convicted of family

violence, 45% had been subject to a

restraining order at some point in their

life. About 18% were under an active

restraining order at the time of admission to jail.

 Family Violence Statistics 3
Definitions

Violent crime Unless indicated otherwise, statistics on violent crime in this

report pertain to all forms of the following crimes: criminal homicide,

completed and attempted rape, sexual

assault (including threats), robbery,

assault (including threats), kidnaping,

intimidation, illegal abortion, extortion,

cruelty towards child or wife, hit-and-run

driving with bodily injury, and miscellaneous crimes against persons (as

opposed to crimes against property).

Family violence Unless indicated otherwise, family violence includes all types

of violent crime committed by an

offender who is related to the victim

either biologically or legally through

marriage or adoption. A crime is considered family violence if the victim was

the offender’s current or former spouse;

parent or adoptive parent; current or

former stepparent; legal guardian;

biological or adoptive child; current or

former stepchild; sibling; current or

former step sibling; grandchild; current

or former step- or adoptive-grandchild;

grandparent; current or former step- or

adoptive-grandparent; in-law; or other

relative (aunt, uncle, nephew).

Nonfamily violence Unless indicated

otherwise, nonfamily violence includes

all types of violent crime between

current or former boyfriends and

girlfriends; between current or former

friends and acquaintances; and

between strangers.

Relationship of victim to offender The

databases used in this report all contain

sufficient information to permit identification of family violence cases.

However, the types of information that

make identification possible are not

uniform. Some provide more relationship categories than others. For

example, the Supplemental Homicide

Reports provides 28 different categories of victim-offender relationship, while

the National Crime Victimization Survey

has 15 categories. Also, the databases

use different terms to describe specific

victim-offender relationships. For

example, one uses the category

“employee/employer,” while another

uses “colleague at work.” 

In general, enough information was

available in each of the databases to

distinguish six categories of victimoffender relationship: three family

categories (spouse, son or daughter,

and other family), and three nonfamily

categories (boyfriend/girlfriend, friend/

acquaintance, and stranger). Most

sections of the report present statistics

on all six categories.

Sources of data on family violence

National Crime Victimization Survey

(a BJS survey)

One data source used to document the

nature and extent of family violence in

the United States is the BJS National

Crime Victimization Survey, or NCVS,

for 1998 to 2002. The NCVS compiles

data on family and nonfamily violence

through biannual interviews with nationally representative samples of U.S.

residents age 12 or older. In these interviews, residents are asked if they were

a recent victim of crime. Those who

were victims are then asked numerous

questions about the incident, such as

where it occurred and whether they

knew the offender. Residents are

encouraged to tell interviewers both

about crimes that were reported to

police and about unreported crimes.

Because the survey data come from

interviews with victims, the NCVS has

no information on homicide. The

survey’s scope is limited to certain

forms of nonfatal violence: rape and

sexual assault, robbery, aggravated

assault, and simple assault. Based on

interviews with the Nation’s crime

victims, estimates are formed not only

of how many of these crimes occur

each year but also of the characteristics

pertaining to the criminal incidents.

Such characteristics include the number

of victims that obtained medical care for

their injuries, the number that reported

the crime to police, and the number

whose assailant was a relative. 

4 Family Violence Statistics

Data documenting the flow of family violence cases through the justice system

Crime Crime

reported

to police

Crime

recorded

by police

Arrest

Prosecution

and

adjudication

Sentencing

Corrections

National Crime

Victimization Survey (BJS)

Supplementary

Homicide Reports (FBI)

National IncidentBased Reporting

System (FBI)

State Court Processing

Statistics (BJS)

Federal Justice

Statistics Program (BJS)

Survey of Inmates

in State and Federal

Correctional

Facilities (BJS)

Survey of Inmates

in Local Jails (BJS)

Figure 1
Supplementary Homicide Reports

(an FBI database)

For national statistics on family

homicide for the year 2002, the source

used in this report was the FBI's

Supplementary Homicide Reports, or

SHR. The FBI compiles detailed

national data on family and nonfamily

homicide from the thousands of law

enforcement agencies across the

Nation. For each criminal homicide, the

SHR record such information as the

age and race of the offender, the

relationship of the victim to the offender,

and the type of weapon used in the

killing.

National Incident-Based Reporting

System (an FBI database)

For statistics on family violence that

comes to police attention and for statistics on arrests for family violence, the

source used in this report is the

database for the year 2000 from the

National Incident-Based Reporting

System, or NIBRS. The database,

compiled by the FBI, contains NIBRS

data from at least 1 police agency in

each of 18 States and the District of

Columbia. These jurisdictions cover

about 16% of the U.S. population and

do not include any areas with a population of one million or more.

The NIBRS data have information on

victims, offenders, persons arrested,

and incidents of family and nonfamily

violence. For example, information on

victims includes the type of injury

sustained and the victim’s relationship

to the offender. Among the various

details available on offenders and arrestees are their age, race, and gender.

Offense characteristics available in the

NIBRS data include the type of weapon

used and the type of location where the

crime occurred.

State Court Processing Statistics 

(a BJS data collection)

No national data in the United States

describe the processing of family

violence cases from arrest through final

disposition by a court. The available

alternative used in this report is an

extract of the BJS data collection State

Court Processing Statistics (SCPS).

The SCPS data used are entirely from

police and court records that tracked

family and nonfamily assault cases in

11 counties, from the filing of State

court charges in May of 2000 to their

final court disposition. These data

include information about persons

arrested and charged with family and

nonfamily assault: their demographic

characteristics, their prior arrest and

conviction record, and their criminal

justice status at time of arrest. The

SCPS data also contain information

about the processing of the assault

cases, such as type of pretrial release,

adjudication outcome, and type of

sentence imposed.

Federal Justice Statistics Program

(a BJS database)

Information regarding violations of

family violence-related Federal statutes

that were subsequently referred to

Federal court come from the Federal

Justice Statistics Program (FJSP), a

database maintained by the Bureau of

Justice Statistics. FJSP provides annual

data on workload, activities, and

outcomes associated with Federal

criminal cases. Data for 2000 to 2002

were acquired on all aspects of

processing in the Federal justice

system, including the number of

persons investigated, prosecuted,

convicted, and incarcerated. The FJSP

database is a BJS database,

constructed from files provided by the

U.S. Marshals Service, the Executive

Office for United States Attorneys, the 

Administrative Office of the United 

States Courts, the United States

Sentencing Commission, and the

Federal Bureau of Prisons. 

Survey of Inmates in State and Federal

Correctional Facilities (a BJS survey)

For national statistics on persons in

prison for family violence, this report

used the BJS Survey of Inmates in

State and Federal Correctional

Facilities, conducted in 1997. The

survey involves face-to-face interviews

with a nationally representative sample

of State prisoners. Persons in prison for

either family or nonfamily violence are

included in the sample. Through interviews with them, information is obtained

on their victims and on numerous other

characteristics of the crime that brought

them into prison, such as whether a

weapon was used, and the location of

the offense.

Survey of Inmates in Local Jails

(a BJS survey)

For statistics on inmates who were

convicted of family violence and

sentenced to a period of incarceration

of less than 1 year, the source used in

this report is the BJS Survey of Inmates

in Local Jails. This is a periodic survey

which describes the current offenses

and offense characteristics of local jail

inmates. Most recently conducted in

2002, face-to-face interviews were

conducted with a nationally representative sample of local jail inmates to

collect systematic information on this

special correctional population.

Questions were asked regarding the

relationship of the victim to the incarcerated offender, the gender, race/

Hispanic origin, and age of victims and

offenders, injury to the victim, offender

use of a weapon, offender substance

use at the time of the crime, and the

place at which the crime occurred. 

 Family Violence Statistics 5
Uniform counting rules

Incidents of crime vary depending on

the number of offenders, number of

offenses committed, and number of

victims. For instance, in a single

incident where two men rape and rob a

woman, there are two offenders, four

offenses (a rape and a robbery committed by each man), and a single victim.

Such an incident differs from one in

which a lone man assaults another

individual. That incident involves one

offender, one offense, and one victim.

The various databases used in this

report are not uniform in the amount of

information they contain about each

incident of crime. One of the databases

(NIBRS) contains information on virtually every offender, every victim, and

every offense in an incident. The other

databases contain less information. For

example, offender characteristics available in the prisoner database pertain

only to each individual incarcerated

offender. The incident that resulted in

that person’s incarceration may have

involved multiple offenders, but information on co-offenders was unavailable.

To improve the comparability of statistics across the databases, rules were

adopted to guide tabulations. All statistics in this report — that is, statistics on

offenders, on offenses, and on victims

— follow the rule that each incident be

treated as though it involved one

offender, one offense, and one victim. 

If an incident involved more than one

offender and information (such as age,

race, and gender) was available on

more than one offender, the available

data on just one of the offenders were

tabulated. Similarly, if an incident

involved more than one offense and

information on the different offenses

(such as the place where each

occurred) was available, only the data

on one of the offenses were counted.

Likewise, if an incident involved more

than one victim and the database

contained information (such as the

victim’s age, race, and gender) on more

than one victim, victim statistics used in

the analysis were based on just one of

the victims.

Certain databases used in the report —

NCVS, SHR, and NIBRS — were

victim-based. Choosing a particular

victim to characterize an incident was

unnecessary with these databases.

Other data collections used in the report

— Survey of Inmates in State and

Federal Correctional Facilities and

Survey of Inmates in Local Jails — were

offender-based. Choosing a particular

offender to characterize an incident was

unnecessary with these sources.

Where choices had to be made about

which offender, which offense, or which

victim characterized an incident, the

choices were guided by various hierarchies. Information about the hierarchies

is summarized below.

In choosing a particular offender to

characterize an incident, the choice was

guided by the victim’s relationship to the

offender. For example, in a single

incident in which a woman was

assaulted by her husband and a

stranger, the incident was treated as a

spouse-on-spouse assault. Offender

statistics for such an incident (such as

age, race, and gender) therefore

pertained solely to the characteristics of

the husband; characteristics of the

stranger were not tabulated. 

Selecting the husband over the stranger

to characterize the incident conforms to

a rule adopted for this report that says

to select whichever offender is highest

in the following victim-to-offender

relationship hierarchy (shown in order

from highest to lowest, with column

headings in italics):

Spouse

spouse and common-law spouse

ex-spouse

Son or daughter

child

stepchild

Other family

parent and stepparent

sibling and step-sibling

grandchild

grandparent

in-laws

other relative

Boyfriend or girlfriend

boy/girlfriend

ex-boy/girlfriend

homosexual partner

Friend or acquaintance

child of girl or boyfriend

friend

neighbor

employer

employee

acquaintance

babysittee

otherwise known

Stranger

stranger

Not included in analysis

relationship unknown

6 Family Violence Statistics
When it was necessary to choose a

single victim to characterize an incident,

the victim-offender relationship hierarchy was also used. Again, the chosen

victim was the one highest in the

hierarchy.

In choosing a particular offense to

characterize an incident, the choice was

guided by the offense’s position in a

hierarchy of offense seriousness. The

offense highest in the hierarchy was

selected to characterize the incident.

For example, in a single incident where

the victim was raped and murdered, the

offense selected to characterize the

incident was murder because murder is

higher in the offense seriousness

hierarchy than rape. The offense

seriousness hierarchy (from most to

least serious) generally corresponds to

the offense list shown in table 5.1.

As noted earlier, each incident

tabulated in this report was treated as

having one offender, one offense, and

one victim. Each incident was also

treated as having one offense location,

one victim injury (if any), one weapon

involved (if any), one arrestee (if any),

and one arrest offense (if any). The

characteristic’s position in a hierarchy

determined which characteristic (for

example, which injury) was tabulated.

The characteristic with the highest

position was chosen. 

Listed in order from highest to lowest,

the offense location hierarchy is in table

5.2; victim injury hierarchy, table 8.4;

offender weapon use hierarchy, table

5.6; and arrest offense hierarchy, table

5.8. The arrestee hierarchy is the same

as the victim-to-offender relationship

hierarchy described above.

 Family Violence Statistics 7
About the data in this section

Statistics in this section compare family

violence to nonfamily violence in terms

of offense, victim, and offender characteristics. For tables 2.1, 2.3 and 2.4,

violence is broadly defined to include

both fatal and nonfatal violence. For

table 2.2 and tables 2.5 through 2.9,

violence includes only nonfatal violence.

The data on nonfatal violence are from

the National Crime Victimization Survey

(NCVS) for 1998 through 2002. NCVS

data on crimes that occurred from the

beginning of 1998 through the end of

2002 were compiled through interviews

with nationally representative samples

of the general population ages 12 and

older. The data on fatal violence are

from police murder statistics for 1998

through 2002 as compiled by the FBI in

its Supplementary Homicide Reports

(SHR) for the corresponding years.

Together, data from the NCVS and the

SHR document approximately 33.6

million victims of fatal and nonfatal

violence. Information on the type of

criminal violence — family versus

nonfamily — was available on 32.2

million out of the total 33.6 million. The

tables in this section that pertain to all

violence — fatal and nonfatal combined

— provide information on the 32.2

million crimes; the tables that pertain

only to nonfatal violence, 32.1 million

crimes.

Family violence as a proportion 

of all violence 

Of the nearly 32.2 million total victims 

of violence between 1998 and 2002,

11% (3.5 million) were victims of family

violence (table 2.1). The remaining 89%

(28.6 million) were victims of nonfamily

violence. Violence by one spouse

against another was 5.4% of all

violence between 1998 and 2002, while

violence by a parent against a son or

daughter was 1.1% of total violent

crime. The most frequent type of criminal violence was stranger violence,

which accounted for nearly half (46.1%)

of all fatal and nonfatal violence that

occurred between 1998 and 2002.

The roughly 3.5 million violent crimes

committed against family members

during 1998 to 2002 consisted of the

following: 48.9% were crimes against a

spouse; 10.5% were sons or daughters

victimized by a parent; and the remaining 40.6% were crimes against other

members of the offender's family (for

example, parents victimized by sons 

or daughters, brothers victimized by

siblings, and grandparents victimized 

by grandchildren).

Types of crime between family

members

Of the approximately 3.5 million violent

crimes committed against family

members between 1998 and 2002, the

most serious crime — murder — made

up less than 1% (0.3%) (table 2.1). The

least serious violent crime — simple

assault — made up over two-thirds of

the total.

The types of crimes committed against

family members and the types against

nonfamily members were similar. For

example, murder was less than 1% of

both family (0.3%) and nonfamily

violence (0.1%). Also, aggravated

assault made up 18.1% of crimes

against family members and 20% of

those against nonfamily members.

Simple assault was the most frequent

type of family (69.6%) and nonfamily

violent crime (65.1%). Regardless of

the relationship of the victim to the

offender, simple assault was the most

frequent type of offense committed.

Nearly a quarter of the murders committed from 1998 to 2002 were against a

family member. Aggravated assaults by

members of the same family made up

10.1% of all aggravated assaults

between 1998 and 2002. 

Reported and unreported family violence

8 Family Violence Statistics 

The extent of family violence is

measured two different ways in this

report — through survey interviews

with crime victims and through statistics compiled by police. Victimization

surveys indicate that family violence 

makes up 11% of all violence (table

2.1). Police statistics show family

violence as 33% of all violence (table

5.1). Reasons for this discrepancy are

discussed in the Appendix of this

report on page 71.

Two differing measures of family violence

Other family 40.6

Son or daughter 10.5

Spouse 48.9

Family member 100%

Victim was the offender’s — Percent

a

Includes nonnegligent manslaughter.

Simple assault 100 11.7 88.3

Aggravated assault 100 10.1 89.9

Robbery 100 9.2 90.8

Sex offenses 100 8.9 91.1

Murdera 100% 22.9% 77.1%

All offenses 100% 11.0% 89.0%

Nonfamily

member

Family

Type of offense Total member

Victim was

offender’s—
 

Family Violence Statistics 9

Note: Data identifying the victim's relationship to the offender were reported for 95.9% of 33,501,120 nonfatal violent crimes and for 58.4% of 80,319

murders. Of these 32,163,870 crimes with known relationships, offense type was reported for all. Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

*Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

a

Includes nonnegligent manslaughter.

Source: BJS, 1998 – 2002 National Crime Victimization Survey; FBI, 1998 – 2002 Supplementary Homicide Reports.

Percent of all offenses 100% 11.0% 5.4% 1.1% 4.5% 89.0% 6.3% 36.6% 46.1%

Total offenses 32,163,870 3,544,900 1,733,960 371,890 1,439,060 28,618,970 2,037,800 11,775,660 14,805,510

Simple assault 65.6 69.6 70.6 67.5 69.0 65.1 66.0 72.1 59.4

Aggravated assault 19.8 18.1 15.6 17.5 21.2 20.0 16.6 17.2 22.6

Robbery 10.1 8.4 8.9 9.5 7.6 10.3 8.2 4.7 15.0

Sexual assault 1.9 0.9* 1.0* 0.8* 0.8* 2.0 2.2 2.6 1.5

Rape 2.5 2.7 3.7 4.0* 1.1* 2.5 6.9 3.1 1.5

Sex offenses 4.4 3.6 4.7 4.8* 2.0* 4.5 9.1 5.7 3.0

Murdera 0.1% 0.3% 0.3% 0.7% 0.2% 0.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.1%

All offenses 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Stranger

Friend or

acquaintance

Boyfriend

Total or girlfriend

Other

family

Son or

Total Spouse daughter

All violent

Type of offense crimes

Family member Nonfamily member

Percent of crimes in which the victim was the offender’s —

Table 2.1. Offenses against family violence victims compared to nonfamily violence 

victims between 1998 and 2002, by relationship

Note: Data identifying the victim's relationship to the offender were reported for 95.9% of 33,501,120 nonfatal violent crimes.

Of these 32,116,920 crimes with known relationships, the location of the offense was reported for 96.4%. 

Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

*Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

a

Includes 0.3% of violent crime that occurred in a hotel or motel. 

Source: BJS, 1998 – 2002 National Crime Victimization Survey.

Total offenses 32,116,920 3,534,150 1,729,360 369,220 1,435,570 28,582,770 2,034,160 11,753,660 14,794,960

Other place 8.5% 3.1% 2.6% 2.6%* 3.8% 9.1% 2.6% 8.5% 10.6%

Other commercial 4.6 1.1* 0.4* 0* 2.2* 5.0 1.4* 7.0 3.9

Bar/nightclub/restaurant 5.4 0.3* 0.1* 0.8* 0.4* 6.1 2.7 4.7 7.7

Commercial property 10.0% 1.4% 0.5%* 0.8%* 2.6%* 11.1% 4.1% 11.7% 11.6%

Other public 3.5 0.7* 0.5* 0* 1.3* 3.9 0.6* 2.9 5.1

School/college 14.7 0.8* 0.5* 1.8* 0.9* 16.5 3.0 27.4 9.6

Parking lot/garage 7.8 2.5 3.6 0* 1.8* 8.5 3.7 4.7 12.3

Highway/road 15.9 3.0 4.7 1.0* 1.4* 17.6 5.9 7.3 27.6

Public place 42.0% 7.0% 9.3% 2.8%* 5.4% 46.5% 13.3% 42.3% 54.7%

Near house/apartment 4.4 3.2 2.8 0.7* 4.5 4.5 2.6 5.6 3.9

At or in house/apartment 5.6 11.7 6.7 23.6 14.7 4.8 13.4 6.3 2.4

10.0% 15.0% 9.5% 24.3% 19.2% 9.3% 16.1% 11.9% 6.3%

Residential property —

friend, relative or neighbor

Near house/apartment 13.5 13.0 12.1 7.7* 15.3 13.6 10.1 14.9 13.1

At or in house/apartment 16.0 60.5 66.0 61.7 53.8 10.3 53.9 10.6 3.8 a

29.6% 73.5% 78.1% 69.4% 69.0% 23.9% 64.0% 25.5% 16.9%

Residential property —

victim

All offenses 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Stranger

Friend or

acquaintance

Boyfriend 

Total or girlfriend

Other

family

Son or

Total Spouse daughter

fatal violent

Offense location crimes

All non- Family member Nonfamily member

Percent of crimes in which the victim was the offender’s —

Table 2.2. Location of family violence compared to nonfamily violence between 1998 and 2002, by relationship
Places where family violence occurs

Of the estimated 32.1 million nonfatal

violent crimes committed from 1998 to

2002, 42% occurred in a public place,

such as on a highway or road, in a

parking lot or garage, or at a school or

college (table 2.2). A smaller percentage (29.6%) took place in or near the

victim’s own residence. 

Nearly 9 out of 10 incidents of family

violence occurred in or near a

residence, either the residence of the

victim or the residence of a friend,

relative, or neighbor of the victim. An

estimated 73.5% of family violence took

place at or near the home of the victim,

with an additional 15% occurring at the

home of a friend, relative, or neighbor.

The majority of spouse violence

(78.1%) and boyfriend/girlfriend

violence (64%) occurred in the victim’s

home.

Nonfamily violence was more likely to

occur in a public place than at or near

the residence of the victim. The location

of 46.5% of nonfamily violence was a

public place, while 23.9% took place at

or near the victim's home. An additional

11.1% of nonfamily violence happened

at a commercial property.

About a quarter of the violence against

the offenders' friends or acquaintances

between 1998 and 2002 occurred at a

school or college. 

Stranger violence was the category of

violence, family or nonfamily, least likely

to take place at or near the residential

property of the victim or a friend,

relative, or neighbor of the victim. An

estimated 23.2% of stranger violence

occurred at, in, or near the home of the

victim (16.9%) or a friend, relative, or

neighbor (6.3%). Comparable percentages for other categories were 37.4% of

the violence against friends and

acquaintances; 80.1% of boyfriend or

girlfriend violence; 87.6% of spouse

abuse; 93.7% of violence by a parent

against a son or daughter; and 88.2% of

violence against other family members.

Demographic characteristics of

family violence victims

Gender

Females were more likely than males to

be victimized by family violence, and

more likely than males to be victimized

by specific types of family violence.

Females were 51.6% of the U.S.

population age 12 or older between

1998 and 2002 but 73.4% of the

Nation’s victims of family violence (table

2.3). Similarly, females were about 50%

of all spouses and romantic partners

but were 84.3% of spouse abuse

victims and 85.9% of the victims of

violence between boyfriends and

girlfriends.

Males were more likely than females to

be victimized by nonfamily violence.

Between 1998 and 2002, males were

48.4% of the U.S. population age 12 or

older but 58.4% of victims of nonfamily

violence and 68.3% of the victims of

violence by strangers.

Race/Hispanic origin

Whites and blacks were more likely

than Hispanics or persons of other

races to be victimized by family

violence. Between 1998 and 2002,

non-Hispanic whites were 72.9% of the

U.S. population age 12 or older but 74%

of family violence victims. NonHispanic blacks were 12.1% of the

population age 12 or older but 13.6% 

of family violence victims. By contrast,

Hispanics were 10.9% of the population

age 12 or older but 10.1% of family

violence victims. Corresponding figures

for persons of other races were 4.1% 

of the 12 or older population and 2.3%

of family violence victims. 

10 Family Violence Statistics 

Trends in family violence

Between 1993 and 2002 the rate of

family violence declined. In 1993 an

estimated 5.4 victims per 1,000

persons age 12 or older were victimized by a family member, such as a

spouse or a parent. In 2002 that rate

had fallen to approximately 2.1 family

violence victims per 1,000 persons

age 12 or older. The downward trend

in the rate of family violence mirrored

the overall downward trend of all

violent crime during the same period.

Family violence as a proportion of all

violent victimizations has remained

fairly stable over the past 10 years.

Between 1993 and 2002 about 

1 in 10 violent crimes were committed

by family members.

 Rate of family violence victimization

0 0

1993 1996 1999 2002

0

2

4

6

 (per 1,000 persons age 12 or older)

1993 1996 1999 2002

0%

5%

10%

15%

Family violence

as percent of all violence
Rates of victimization from family

violence were relatively high for American Indians and Alaska Natives, and

relatively low for Asians and Pacific

Islanders. Together, American Indians

and Alaska Natives made up 0.4% of

the U.S. population age 12 or older

between 1998 and 2002 but 1.6% of the

victims of family violence. Corresponding figures for Asians and Pacific

Islanders were 3.6% of the 12 or older

population but 0.5% of family violence

victims.

Age

The average age of the 3.5 million

victims of family violence was 34.

Victims of nonfamily violence were

slightly younger overall, with an average

age of just under 29 years. Average

ages for other victims were age 35 for

persons victimized by their spouses;

age 21 for sons and daughters victimized by their parents; age 35 for those

victimized by other family members;

age 27 for victims of violence against 

a boyfriend or girlfriend; age 27 for

persons victimized by friends and

acquaintances; and age 30 for victims

of stranger violence.

Adults between ages 25 and 54

comprised two-thirds of the victims of

family violence. Persons age 25-34

were 16.7% of the U.S. population age

12 or older but 24.5% of family violence

victims, and persons age 35-54 were

36% of the population age 12 or older

but 41.2% of family violence victims.

Young adults age 18-24 also represented a segment of family violence

victims larger than their corresponding

percentage in the U.S. population.

Persons from 18 to 24 years old were

11.7% of the population age 12 or older

between 1998 and 2002 but 17.6% of

family violence victims.

The oldest adults — those 55 or older

— were the least likely to be family

violence victims between 1998 and

2002: they comprised 25% of the U.S.

population age 12 or older during those

years but 6% of the victims.

Family Violence Statistics 11

Note: Data identifying the victim's relationship to the offender were reported for 95.9% of 33,501,120 nonfatal violent crimes 

and for 58.4% of 80,319 murders. Of these 32,163,870 crimes with known relationships, victim characteristics were reported 

for virtually all victims. Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

*Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

Source: BJS, 1998 – 2002 National Crime Victimization Survey; FBI, 1998 – 2002 Supplementary Homicide Reports.

Percent of all offenses 100% 11.0% 5.4% 1.2% 4.5% 89.0% 6.3% 36.6% 46.0%

Total offenses 32,163,870 3,544,900 1,733,960 371,890 1,439,060 28,618,970 2,037,800 11,775,660 14,805,510

55 or older 5.1 6.0 3.2 1.3* 10.6 5.0 2.0 4.3 6.0

35 - 54 27.4 41.2 47.8 7.9 41.7 25.7 21.4 23.8 27.9

25 - 34 19.7 24.5 33.5 13.6 16.6 19.1 25.3 15.7 21.0

18 - 24 24.5 17.6 14.7 27.2 18.6 25.3 42.0 20.8 26.6

Under 18 23.3% 10.8% 0.8%* 50.1% 12.6% 24.8% 9.4% 35.4% 18.5%

Age

Asian/Pacific Islander 1.7 0.5* 0.4* 0.8* 0.5* 1.9 1.0* 0.9 2.7

1.1 1.6 2.1 0* 1.4* 1.0 1.5 1.0 0.9

American Indian/

Alaska Native

Other 2.9 2.3 2.6 0.9 2.3 2.9 2.8 2.0 3.7

Hispanic 10.5 10.1 9.8 8.0 11.1 10.6 9.0 8.9 12.2

Black 14.3 13.6 10.9 12.6 17.1 14.3 17.2 14.6 13.7

White 72.3% 74.0% 76.8% 78.5% 69.5% 72.1% 71.0% 74.5% 70.3%

Race/Hispanic origin

Female 45.1 73.4 84.3 62.9 62.9 41.6 85.9 46.4 31.7

Male 54.9% 26.6% 15.7% 37.1% 37.1% 58.4% 14.1% 53.6% 68.3%

Gender

All offenses 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Stranger

Friend or

acquaintance

Boyfriend or

Total girlfriend

Other

family

Son or

Total Spouse daughter

All violent

Victim characteristic crimes

Family member Nonfamily member

Percent of crimes in which the victim was the offender’s —

Table 2.3. Demographic characteristics of family violence victims compared to nonfamily violence victims 

between 1998 and 2002, by relationship
Injuries to family violence victims

Not all victims of violence sustain an

injury from the crime. The assailant may

have verbally threatened to hurt the

victim but did not actually do anything

that resulted in physical harm. Similarly,

the offender may have tried to inflict

physical harm but did not succeed

because the victim was able to flee.

Of the 32.2 million victims of violent

crime between 1998 and 2002, most

(71.3%) were not injured (table 2.4).

About a quarter sustained an injury. 

While comprising 11% of all violent

crime victims, family violence victims

made up 15.2% of injured victims,

indicating that the likelihood of injury

was greater in family violence than in

nonfamily violence (not in a table). The

likelihood of injury was comparatively 

high for these victims as well: victims of

spouse violence (5.4% of all victims but 

7.8% of injured victims), and victims 

of violence between boyfriends and

girlfriends (6.3% of all victims but 

11.6% of injured victims).

Medical attention for injured family

violence victims

The majority (71.4%) of nonfatal

violence victims did not sustain an injury

during the incident (table 2.5). The

remaining 28.6%, or 9.2 million victims,

sustained injuries ranging from serious,

including gun shot wounds and rape, to

minor, such as bruises and minor cuts.

Of the 9.2 million victims of a nonfatal

violent crime who were injured, 41%

received medical attention for their

injuries (11.7% / 28.6% = 40.9%). This

medical care could be given by the

victim, by a person without medical

training like a bystander or relative, or

by a medical professional. The treatment could range from a cold pack to

surgery. Of the 1.4 million injured

victims of family violence, 42% (16.5% /

39.3% = 42%) received treatment;

among the 7.8 million injured nonfamily

violence victims, 40.7% (11.1% / 27.3%

= 40.7%).

Sixteen and one-half percent of the 3.5

million victims of violence by a family

member received medical care for

injuries that resulted from the incident.

This percentage was higher than the

corresponding percentage of nonfamily

violence victims (11.1%).

Persons violently victimized by their

boyfriend or girlfriend (52.6%) were

more likely than persons victimized 

by their spouse (41.5%) to be injured.

Boyfriend/girlfriend violence victims

(18.7%) were not more likely than

spouse violence victims (18.1%) to get

medical care for those injuries.

Among the 28.6 million victims of

nonfamily violence, boyfriend/girlfriend

violence victims (18.7%) were more

likely to receive medical attention for

injuries inflicted during the incident than

victims of friend/acquaintance violence

(10.3%) and stranger violence (10.6%).

12 Family Violence Statistics 

Note: Data identifying the victim's relationship to the offender were reported for 95.9% of 33,501,120 nonfatal violent crimes 

and for 58.4% of 80,319 murders. Of these 32,163,870 crimes with known relationships, victim injury was reported for 99.9%. 

"Serious injuries" includes all victims of rape and sexual assault. Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

*Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

a

Includes bruises, black eyes, cuts, scratches, swelling, and chipped teeth.

Source: BJS, 1998 – 2002 National Crime Victimization Survey; FBI, 1998 – 2002 Supplementary Homicide Reports.

Total offenses 32,163,870 3,544,900 1,733,960 371,890 1,439,060 28,618,970 2,037,800 11,775,660 14,805,510

71.3% 60.5% 58.4% 47.7% 66.4% 72.6% 47.3% 71.2% 77.2%

Percent of victims

not injured

Minor injuries 21.1 32.7 33.9 44.7 28.1 19.7 39.2 20.4 16.5 a

Serious injuries 7.4 6.5 7.5 6.8* 5.3 7.5 13.3 8.2 6.1

Victim died 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1

Percent of victims injured 28.7% 39.5% 41.6% 52.3% 33.6% 27.4% 52.7% 28.8% 22.8%

All offenses 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Stranger

Friend or

acquaintance

Boyfriend

Total or girlfriend

Other

family

Son or

Total Spouse daughter

All violent

Victim injury crimes

Family member Nonfamily member

Percent of crimes in which the victim was the offender’s —

Table 2.4. Among violent crimes resulting in injury between 1998 and 2002, the type of injury to family 

violence victims compared to nonfamily violence victims, by relationship
Family Violence Statistics 13

Note: Data identifying the victim's relationship to the offender were reported for 95.9% of 33,501,120 nonfatal violent crimes. 

Of these 32,116,920 crimes with known relationships, victim injury was reported for 99.9%. Of injured victims, data on medical 

care was reported for all. "Victim was injured" includes all victims of rape and sexual assault. Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

Source: BJS, 1998 – 2002 National Crime Victimization Survey.

Total offenses 32,116,920 3,534,150 1,729,360 369,220 1,435,570 28,582,770 2,034,160 11,753,660 14,794,960

No injuries 71.4% 60.7% 58.5% 48.1% 66.5% 72.7% 47.4% 71.3% 77.3%

No medical care 16.9 22.8 23.4 32.8 19.6 16.2 33.8 18.4 12.1

Medical care received 11.7 16.5 18.1 19.1 13.8 11.1 18.7 10.3 10.6

Victim was injured 28.6% 39.3% 41.5% 51.9% 33.5% 27.3% 52.6% 28.7% 22.7%

All offenses 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Stranger

Friend or

acquaintance

Boyfriend

Total or girlfriend

Other

family

Son or

Total Spouse daughter

fatal violent

crimes

Victim injury and

medical care

All non- Family member Nonfamily member

Percent of crimes in which the victim was the offender’s —

Table 2.5. Medical care for family violence victims compared to nonfamily violence victims 

between 1998 and 2002, by relationship

Note: Data identifying the victim's relationship to the offender were reported for 95.9% of 33,501,120 nonfatal violent crimes. 

Of these 32,116,920 crimes with known relationships, offender gender was reported for 99.2%; race for 97.6%; age for 95.3%. 

Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

*Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

a

Includes 2.8% of violent victimizations involving multiple offenders of mixed races.

Source: BJS, 1998 – 2002 National Crime Victimization Survey.

Percent of all offenses 100% 11.0% 5.4% 1.1% 4.5% 89.0% 6.3% 36.6% 46.1%

Total offenses 32,116,920 3,534,150 1,729,360 369,220 1,435,570 28,582,770 2,034,160 11,753,660 14,794,960

Mixed age group 9.1 1.4 0.6* 1.4* 2.4 10.1 1.4* 7.5 13.5

30 or older 34.2 62.4 73.0 93.9 40.9 30.7 36.6 30.0 30.4

18 - 29 34.3 25.5 25.5 2.5 31.5 35.4 56.2 26.3 39.9

Under 18 22.4% 10.7% 0.8%* 2.2%* 25.2% 23.8% 5.8% 36.2% 16.2%

Age

Other 13.4 6.6 6.0 3.8 8.0 14.3 10.9 11.9 16.7 a

Black 24.6 14.9 11.5 14.3 19.3 25.8 21.6 21.1 30.2

White 62.0% 78.5% 82.5% 82.0% 72.8% 59.9% 67.5% 67.0% 53.1%

Race

Both 3.1 1.8 0.9 2.2 2.6 3.2 2.0 2.9 3.6

Female 17.0 22.6 13.0 29.6 32.4 16.4 15.6 24.0 10.4

Male 79.9% 75.6% 86.1% 68.2% 64.9% 80.4% 82.4% 73.1% 86.0%

Gender

All offenses 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Stranger

Friend or

acquaintance

Boyfriend

Total or girlfriend

Other

family

Son or

Total Spouse daughter

fatal violent

Offender characteristic crimes

All non- Family member Nonfamily member

Percent of crimes in which the victim was the offender’s —

Table 2.6. Demographic characteristics of family violence offenders compared to nonfamily 

violence offenders between 1998 and 2002, by relationship
Demographic characteristics of

family violence offenders

Gender

Between 1998 and 2002, nearly 4 out of

5 violent offenders were male (table

2.6). Males accounted for 75.6% of

family violence offenders and 80.4% 

of nonfamily violence offenders. Among

violent crimes against a spouse, 86.1%

of the offenders were male; against a

boyfriend or girlfriend, 82.4%; and

against a stranger, 86% of the offenders were male. 

The 3.5 million family violence crimes

that occurred between 1998 and 2002

involved a larger percentage of female

offenders than the 28.6 million

nonfamily violence crimes. Females

were 22.6% of offenders committing

family violence, compared to 16.4% of

nonfamily violence offenders.

Violent crimes between friends and

acquaintances (24%) were more likely

to involve a female offender than

violence between boyfriends and

girlfriends (15.6%) and stranger

violence (10.4%).

Race/Hispanic origin

Between 1998 and 2002, 62% of

violence victims reported that the

offender was white. Among family

violence offenders, 78.5% were white,

an additional 14.9% were black, and

6.6% were some other race. Among

nonfamily violence offenders, 59.9%

were white, 25.8% were black, and

14.3% were some other race.

Age

The majority of violent offenders were

age 18 or older. Approximately a fifth of

offenders were under 18. An additional

9.1% of violent crimes involved multiple

offenders of mixed ages (for example, a

robbery involving two offenders, one

who was 20 and the other, 35).

Offenders involved in family violence

were generally older than nonfamily

violence offenders. An estimated 62.4%

of family violence offenders were age

30 or older, compared to 30.7% of

nonfamily violence offenders. Fewer

offenders who committed family

violence were under age 18 (10.7%)

than those committing nonfamily

violence (23.8%).

A larger percentage of spouse abuse

offenders (73%) was age 30 or older,

compared to 36.6% of offenders who

abused their boyfriend or girlfriend. In

addition, about a quarter of spouse

abuse offenders were between 18 and

29, while about half of offenders who

abused a boyfriend or girlfriend were in

this age range.

About a third of violence between

friends and acquaintances involved

offenders who were under age 18. This

proportion was greater than the corresponding percentages for boyfriend/

girlfriend violence (5.8%) and stranger

violence (16.2%).

Weapon use and family violence

In the NCVS, victims of violent crime

were asked whether the offender had a

weapon. A weapon could be a gun, a

knife, some other sharp object (such as

scissors or an ice pick), or a blunt

object (such as a rock or a baseball

bat). In a quarter of nonfatal violence

incidents, victims reported that the

offender had a weapon (table 2.7). 

The percentage of family violence

offenders who had a weapon during the

crime was lower than the percentage 

of nonfamily violence offenders. An

estimated 19.5% of family violence

cases involved an offender with a

weapon, compared to 26.5% of

nonfamily violence cases.

14 Family Violence Statistics 

Note: Data identifying the victim's relationship to the offender were reported for 95.9% of 33,501,120 nonfatal violent crimes. 

Of these 32,116,920 crimes with known relationships, data showing whether the offender had a weapon was reported for 92.2%. 

Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

Source: BJS, 1998 – 2002 National Crime Victimization Survey.

Total offenses 32,116,920 3,534,150 1,729,360 369,220 1,435,570 28,582,770 2,034,160 11,753,660 14,794,960

Did not have a weapon 74.3 80.5 82.7 80.2 77.9 73.5 83.5 81.3 65.4

Had a weapon 25.7% 19.5% 17.3% 19.8% 22.1% 26.5% 16.5% 18.7% 34.6%

Offender —

All offenses 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Stranger

Friend or

acquaintance

Boyfriend

Total or girlfriend

Other

family

Son or

Total Spouse daughter

fatal violent

crimes

Whether offender

had a weapon

All non- Family member Nonfamily member

Percent of crimes in which the victim was the offender’s —

Table 2.7. Armed offender in family violence compared to nonfamily 

violence between 1998 and 2002, by relationship
Of the 28.6 million violent crimes

against nonfamily members, stranger

violence was more likely to involve a

weapon than other types of nonfamily

violence. Among offenders who

committed violent crimes against

strangers, 34.6% had a weapon,

compared to 16.5% of offenders who

were boyfriends or girlfriends and

18.7% of offenders who were friends 

or acquaintances.

Drug and alcohol use by family

violence offenders

The NCVS asks victims to indicate

whether they thought the offender or

offenders were drinking or on drugs at

the time of the criminal incident. Of the

32.1 million nonfatal violent crimes that

took place between 1998 and 2002,

30% of victims said the offender was

under the influence of drugs or alcohol

(table 2.8). An additional 29.2%

indicated the offender was sober at the

time, and 40.8% said they did not know.

A larger percentage of family violence

victims (38.5%) reported the offender

was under the influence of drugs or

alcohol during the incident than did

nonfamily violence victims (28.9%). 

Offenders who abused their boyfriend

or girlfriend were more likely than other

types of nonfamily violence offenders to

be drinking or using drugs. Four out of

10 (41.4%) offenders involved in

violence with a boyfriend or girlfriend

were under the influence of drugs or

alcohol, compared to 26.3% of offenders involved in violence against a friend

or acquaintance and 29.3% of stranger

violence. 

Excluding the 19.5% of family violence

victims who did not know whether the

offender was under the influence of

drugs or alcohol at the time of the

incident, approximately 2.8 million

victims of family violence were able to

indicate whether the offender was or

was not under the influence of drugs or

alcohol. In nearly half the incidents,

family violence victims reported the

offender had been using drugs or

alcohol at the time of the offense. 

Number of victims and offenders 

in family violence

Between 1998 and 2002, most of the

32.1 million nonfatal violent crimes

involved an individual victim (85.6%)

(table 2.9). More than three-quarters

(78.7%) involved a lone victim victimized by a lone offender (for example, a

woman robbed by a man as she

approaches her car in a parking lot).

Approximately 14% of violence involved

multiple victims, with about 1 in 8

crimes perpetrated by a single offender

against multiple victims (for example, a

lone offender physically assaulting three

people at a nightclub).

Family violence (90.7%) was more likely

than nonfamily violence (85%) to be

committed against a lone victim. Family

violence (88.6%) was also more likely

than nonfamily violence (77.4%) to

involve one victim being victimized by

one offender. Nonfamily violence (7.6%)

was more likely than family violence

(2%) to involve one victim and multiple

offenders, such as when three strangers rape a lone female.

Family Violence Statistics 15

Note: Data identifying the victim's relationship to the offender were reported for 95.9% of 33,501,120 nonfatal violent crimes. 

Of these 32,116,920 crimes with known relationships, offender drug or alcohol use was reported for 99.7%. 

Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

Source: BJS, 1998 – 2002 National Crime Victimization Survey.

Total offenses 32,116,920 3,534,150 1,729,360 369,220 1,435,570 28,582,770 2,034,160 11,753,660 14,794,960

Do not know 40.8 19.5 19.3 18.6 20.0 43.4 21.8 33.9 53.9

None 29.2 42.0 39.0 46.0 44.6 27.6 36.8 39.8 16.7

Drugs or alcohol 30.0% 38.5% 41.8% 35.3% 35.4% 28.9% 41.4% 26.3% 29.3%

All offenses 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Stranger

Friend or

acquaintance

Boyfriend

Total or girlfriend

Other

family

Son or

Total Spouse daughter

fatal violent

crimes

Drug or alcohol

use by offender

All non- Family member Nonfamily member

Percent of crimes in which the victim was the offender’s —

Table 2.8. Offender drug or alcohol use in family violence compared to nonfamily 

violence between 1998 and 2002, by relationship

Total offenses 2,846,000

None 52.2

Drugs or alcohol 47.8%

Family violence 100%

Percent

Drug or alcohol use by offender

during family violence incidents
Crimes involving multiple victims were

less likely to occur against family

members (9.3%) than against nonfamily

members (15%).

Among nonfamily violent crimes that

involved one victim, the more distant

the relationship between the victim and

the offender(s), the greater the likelihood the crime involved multiple offenders. A greater percentage of stranger

violence (10.7%) involved a single

victim and multiple offenders than friend

or acquaintance violence (5.2%) or

boyfriend/girlfriend violence (1.8%). 

The type of nonfamily violence most

likely to involve multiple victims was

also stranger violence. Nearly 18% of

stranger crimes involved multiple

victims, compared to 12.8% of crimes

against friends or acquaintances and

7.1% of boyfriends or girlfriends.

Boyfriend/girlfriend violence (7.1%) was

the category of nonfamily violence the

least likely to involve multiple victims.

16 Family Violence Statistics 

Note: Data identifying the victim's relationship to the offender were reported for 95.9% of 33,501,120 nonfatal violent crimes. 

Of these 32,116,920 crimes with known relationships, the number of victims and offenders was reported for virtually all victims. 

Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

*Estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

Source: BJS, 1998 – 2002 National Crime Victimization Survey.

Total offenses 32,116,920 3,534,150 1,729,360 369,220 1,435,570 28,582,770 2,034,160 11,753,660 14,794,960

 Multiple offenders 2.5 0.9 0.4* 1.4* 1.4* 2.7 0.4* 1.8 3.7

 One offender 11.9 8.4 3.4 13.1 13.3 12.3 6.7 11.0 14.1

Multiple victims 14.4% 9.3% 3.8% 14.6% 14.7% 15.0% 7.1% 12.8% 17.8%

 Multiple offenders 7.0 2.0 1.6 0.8* 2.9 7.6 1.8 5.2 10.7

 One offender 78.7 88.6 94.6 84.7 82.4 77.4 91.1 82.0 71.5

One victim 85.6% 90.7% 96.2% 85.4% 85.3% 85.0% 92.9% 87.2% 82.2%

All offenses 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Stranger

Friend or

acquaintance

Boyfriend

Total or girlfriend

Other

family

Son or

Total Spouse daughter

fatal violent

crimes

Number of victims

and offenders

All non- Family member Nonfamily member

Percent of crimes in which the victim was the offender’s —

Table 2.9. Number of victims and offenders in family violence compared to nonfamily 

violence between 1998 and 2002, by relationship
Reported and unreported family

violence

Statistics comparing reported and

unreported nonfatal family violence to

reported and unreported nonfatal

nonfamily violence come from the

Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)

National Crime Victimization Survey

(NCVS) for 1998 to 2002. The statistics

are based on data gathered from

residents living throughout the United

States, including persons living in group

quarters, such as dormitories, rooming

houses, and religious group dwellings.

Crew members of merchant vessels,

Armed Forces personnel living in

military barracks, and institutionalized

persons, such as correctional facility

inmates, were not included in the scope

of this survey. Similarly, U.S. citizens

residing abroad and foreign visitors to

this country were excluded. With these

exceptions, individuals age 12 or older

living in units selected for the sample

were eligible to be interviewed.

In addition to single incidents of criminal

victimization, the NCVS records data on

series victimizations. A series victimization is defined as six or more similar but

separate crimes which the victim is

unable to recall individually or describe

in detail to an interviewer. Survey

respondents who indicated they were

series victims were asked to provide

details for the most recent incident.

In annual BJS reports on the NCVS,

series victimizations are excluded from

the published victimization estimates.

However, because repeat victimization

is an important aspect of family

violence, series crimes were included in

these analyses, counted as "1" victimization to represent all the incidents in

the series. 

NCVS data in this section are based on

a nationally representative sample of

the general population age 12 or older

who experienced a violent victimization

that occurred between January 1998

and December 2002. Data were aggregated over this 5-year period to obtain

sample sizes large enough to detect

differences between family and

nonfamily violence victims, as well as to

detect differences between family and

nonfamily violent crimes based on the

characteristics of the incident.

Additional information on weighting,

along with other methodological details,

can be found in the BJS Internet-only

report Criminal Victimization in the

United States — Statistical Tables,

2002 (NCJ 200561).

Fatal family violence

To compare family murder to nonfamily

murder, this report uses data from the

FBI's 2002 Supplementary Homicide

Reports (SHR). Murder as defined here

includes murder and nonnegligent

manslaughter which is the willful killing

of one human being by another. Not

included in the analyses are deaths

caused by negligence, suicide, or

accident; justifiable homicides; and

attempts to murder.

SHR data are based solely on police

investigation. Not all law enforcement

agencies which report offense information to the FBI also submit supplemental

data on murder. At the time of analysis,

the most recent SHR data contained

information on 12,940 of the 16,204

murders reported in the FBI's Uniform

Crime Report. To account for the total

number of homicides, the SHR data

were weighted to match national and

State murder estimates prepared by the

FBI. All victim-based analyses are

adjusted in this manner. 

While many law enforcement agencies

report supplemental data on murder,

one reason why much of the data

concerning victim-offender relationship

may not be reported is because no

suspects were identified. In 2002, SHR

data recorded information on the

relationship of the victim to the offender

for 56.2% (9,102) of the 16,204

murders committed that year.

The dataset utilized in this report was

compiled by James Alan Fox, the

Lipman Family Professor of Criminal

Justice at Northeastern University. The

dataset, along with additional details

about imputation and estimation procedures, is available from the National

Archive of Criminal Justice Data

<http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD>,

please refer to ICPSR 4179. After the

analysis for this report was completed,

the SHR database was updated to

include information on an additional

2,117 murders, bringing the total

number of murders included in the

database to 15,057 of the 16,204

murders in the United States in 2002.

Family violence recorded by police

To compare family violence recorded by

police to nonfamily violence recorded by

police, this report utilizes official police

statistics reported to the Federal Bureau

of Investigation (FBI) in 2000. Law

enforcement agencies can report official

police statistics to the FBI's Uniform

Crime Reporting System in one of two

ways: 

1. the Summary reporting system

2. the Incident-based reporting system

(NIBRS). 

Under the Summary system, law

enforcement authorities aggregate the

number of incidents by offense type and

report these totals to the FBI on a

monthly basis. Under the NIBRS

system, agencies provide an individual

record for each reported crime, including detailed information regarding the

victim(s) and offender(s) involved,

characteristics of the incident, and information on any arrests made in connection with the incident. In this regard,

NIBRS represents a more comprehensive and detailed crime reporting 

Methodology

68 Family Violence Statistics
system, with the ability to capture a

wide range of information on specific

incidents.

To compare the characteristics of family

violence to nonfamily violence, only

cases with incident dates during calendar year 2000 were included in the

analysis. In addition, only incidents from

law enforcement agencies officially

certified by the FBI to report NIBRS

data were included. Currently, no

agencies serving jurisdictions with

populations of one million or more are

certified to report NIBRS data. In 2000,

agencies from 18 States and the District

of Columbia submitted NIBRS data,

representing 16% of the U.S. population

and 13% of crime. 

Additional methodological details can

be found on the BJS website

<http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

nibrs.htm>, as well as at the IncidentBased Reporting Resource Center

<http://www.jrsa.org/ibrrc>.

State prosecution of family assault

To compare the prosecution of family

and nonfamily violence defendants, this

report uses data from the BJS data

collection State Court Processing

Statistics (SCPS). The most recent

SCPS study collected data for 14,877

felony cases filed during May 2000 in 40

large counties selected to represent the

estimated 54,590 felonies filed in the

Nation’s 75 most populous counties

during that month. Results of that study

and information regarding sampling and

other methodological details are available in the BJS publication Felony

Defendants in Large Urban Counties,

2000, NCJ 202021, December 2003. 

Data from all 40 counties were not used

to compare the case processing of

family violence to nonfamily violence.

Since assault was the only crime in the

2000 SCPS data to have specific

statutes that identified family violence,

other violent crimes (such as murder,

rape, or robbery) were excluded from

the analysis. To be in this study, a

county also had to meet two criteria:

1. The county had an estimated 10 or

more assault defendants charged under

a family or domestic violence statute

(table 10.1). 

2. The county had at least 17% of its

assault defendants charged with

committing family or domestic violence.

A total of 11 counties met the selection

criteria. For instance, Travis County,

Texas, had an estimated 16 family

violence cases which accounted for

25% of the 64 assault cases filed in that

county during May 2000. Within the

selected counties, a sample of 637

cases was statistically weighted to

represent 1,517 family and nonfamily

assault defendants. Although the

estimated 1,517 cases were less than

3% of the 54,428 felony cases filed in

the Nation’s 75 largest counties in May

2000, demographic characteristics of

both cohorts were similar (table 10.2). 

Where family assault defendants were

compared to nonfamily assault defendants in this section, sampling error was

taken into account. All differences

discussed were statistically significant

at the .05 level.

Family Violence Statistics 69

Source: BJS, 2000 State Court Processing Statistics.

Total defendants 217 420 493 1,024

Travis (TX) 8 24 16 48

Tarrant (TX) 8 38 16 76

Harris (TX) 9 39 36 156

Franklin (OH) 7 9 14 18

Essex (NJ) 15 72 30 144

Pinellas (FL) 15 53 30 106

Santa Clara (CA) 19 24 38 48

San Bernardino (CA) 27 33 54 66

Riverside (CA) 60 36 120 72

Los Angeles (CA) 30 66 120 264

Contra Costa (CA) 19 26 19 26

County (State) Family Nonfamily Family Nonfamily 

 Unweighted Weighted

Table 10.1. Felony assault cases in the State courts of 11 counties

during May 2000, by county and type of assault

*Excludes 162 weighted cases for which the

arrest charge could not be classified.

Source: BJS, 2000 State Court Processing

Statistics.

1,517 54,428*

Total

defendants

55 or older 3.4 2.1

35 - 54 32.8 33.2

25 - 34 31.5 30.9

18 - 24 30.7 30.8

Under 18 1.6% 2.9%

Age at arrest

Other 2.0 2.4

Hispanic 32.6 22.7

Black 39.2 45.4

White 26.2% 29.6%

Race/Hispanic origin

Female 15.3 19.0

Male 84.7% 81.0%

Gender

Total 100% 100%

All cases in

the 75 largest

counties

Assault

cases in 11

counties

Felony defendants in State

courts during May 2000 

Defendant

characteristic

Table 10.2. Demographic distribution

of felony defendants in the 11-county

study compared to the Nation’s 75

largest counties, 2000
Federal prosecution of domestic

violence

The source of data for statistics on

Federal prosecution of domestic

violence is the BJS Federal Justice

Statistics Program database covering

the years 2000 to 2002. The database

is presently constructed from source

files provided by the U.S. Marshals

Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Executive Office for U.S.

Attorneys, the Administrative Office of

the U.S. Courts, the United States

Sentencing Commission, and the U.S.

Bureau of Prisons. A description of the

source agency data files, along with

other methodological details, can be

found in the methodology section in the

BJS Internet-only document Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 2002

(NCJ 205368). 

Family violence offenders in prison

Information about offenders in prison for

family violence were obtained from

BJS's 1997 Survey of Inmates in State

and Federal Correctional Facilities.

From June through October, 1997, a

nationally representative sample of

inmates in State prisons were interviewed about their current offense and

sentences, criminal histories, family and

personal backgrounds, gun possession

and use, prior drug and alcohol use and

treatment, educational programs, and

other services provided while in prison.

Data and documentation with additional

details are available from the National

Archive of Criminal Justice Data

<http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD>.

Please refer to ICPSR 2598.

Family violence offenders in jail

The 2002 Survey of Inmates in Local

Jails provides nationally representative

data on persons held in local jails

including those held prior to trial and

convicted offenders serving sentences

in local jails or awaiting transfer to

prison. Data in the survey include the

individual characteristics of jail inmates;

current offenses, sentences and time

served; criminal histories; jail activities,

conditions and programs; prior drug and

alcohol use and treatment; and health

care services provided while in jail. In

the last Survey, completed in 1996, a

representative sample of 6,000 inmates

were interviewed. The sample for the

2002 survey was selected from 3,365

jails housing 558017 males and 73,224

females. The dataset and documentation with additional details about the

survey will be available from the

National Archive of Criminal Justice

Data <http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/

NACJD>.

70 Family Violence Statistics
Discrepant findings from two

different ways of measuring

family violence

The extent of family violence in the

United States is measured two different

ways in this report. One way C through

the National Crime Victimization Survey

(NCVS) C is based on survey interviews

with samples of the U.S. population.

The other way C through the FBI's

National Incident-Based Reporting

System (NIBRS) C is based on statistics compiled by police.

NCVS data summarized in this report

indicated that family violence makes up

11% of all violence (both reported to

police and unreported) (table 2.1), but

police statistics summarized in this

report indicated that family violence

makes up nearly 33% of all policerecorded violence (table 5.1). No firm

explanation for this apparent discrepancy is offered in the report. Presumably the discrepancy is caused by a host

of factors. The discussion that follows

identifies some of them, not necessarily

the most important ones.

One factor pertains to the willingness of

victims (and others) to report crime to

police. If family violence is more likely

than nonfamily violence to be reported

to law enforcement authorities, the

family violence percentage in police

statistics will tend to be larger than the

percentage in the statistics for all

violence (reported and unreported). To

check that possibility, reporting rates for

family and nonfamily violence were

compared. Results indicated that family

violence (59%) is more likely than

nonfamily violence (46%) to be reported

to police (table 4.1). While the difference is not large enough to fully

account for the 11%-versus-33%

discrepancy between NCVS and police

statistics, results do suggest that a

difference in reporting between family

and nonfamily violence is a contributing

factor. 

A second factor pertains to the fact that

the police statistics on family violence

used here are not directly comparable

to the NCVS statistics in terms of

geographical coverage. That is, the

police statistics are based on data from

agencies reporting in 18 States and the

District of Columbia, while the NCVS

statistics are for the entire United

States. If the family violence percentage

in the 18 States and the District of

Columbia happens to be much larger

than other States, using these jurisdictions to compare to the NCVS will

create the appearance of a greater

discrepancy than may actually exist.

A third factor pertains to the handling of

"series" victimizations in the analysis of

the NCVS data. The 11% family

violence percentage from NCVS data

was based on an analysis that treated

each "series" victimization (6 or more

crimes of a similar nature that the victim

is unable to recall individually) as a

single victimization. Since family

violence series victimizations comprised

17% (rather than 11%) of all violent

series victimizations, treating each

series victimization as 6 or more victimizations (rather than 1) would tend to

raise the family violence percentage

above 11%. To illustrate, when the

family violence percentage was

re-computed, this time treating each

series using the actual number of

incidents (up to 20) indicated by the

victim, the percentage rose to 12.5%.

A fourth factor pertains to the possibility

that the NCVS undercounts family

violence to a greater extent than

nonfamily violence. If so, that would

make the family violence percentage

look lower than it actually is. The little

research on the undercount that has

been done C notably, a small study of

assault victims whose victimization was

reported to police in San Jose, California, and a national study of victims who

went to hospital emergency rooms for

their injuries — compared undercounts

between family and nonfamily violence.

Findings from both studies suggest that

the NCVS undercounts family violence

to a greater extent than nonfamily

violence. The two studies are summarized below. 

San Jose study of known assault

victims 

In January 1971, a sample of victims of

assault was drawn from the records of

the San Jose Police Department. These

known victims were interviewed and

asked whether they had been a victim

of crime at any time in 1970. The

victims and their interviewers were not

told that the researchers wanted to

determine to what extent known assault

victims tell interviewers about recent

victimizations. 

Results suggested that family assault

victims were less likely than nonfamily

assault victims to tell interviewers about

their victimization (table 11.1). While

78% of 18 family assault victims did not

mention being a victim of family

violence, the comparable percentage

for 62 nonfamily assault victims was

lower: 29%. 

Appendix

Family Violence Statistics 71

Source: Adapted from U.S. Department 

of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance

Administration (1972). San Jose Methods

Test of Known Crime Victims, Statistics

Technical Report No. 1. Washington, DC:

USGPO, June.

Nonfamily violence 29

Family violence 78%

Known assault victims

who did not tell NCVS

interviewers about their

victimization

Relationship of

victim to offender

Table 11.1. Among known assault

victims, percent who told NCVS

interviewers about the victimization
The original purpose of the San Jose

study was to determine the effects of

the passage of time on the recall of

criminal victimizations. The survey

design emphasized overall reporting

issues, not the specific reporting of

family violence. Hence, one limitation of

the study is the small sample size. Of

126 sampled victims of assault, 18

family assault victims and 62 nonfamily

assault victims were located and agreed

to participate, a 63.5% response rate.

Another limitation pertains to the fact

that the questionnaire used in the study

was more similar to the pre-1993 NCVS

questionnaire than the one in use today.

Consequently, the San Jose study

results may be more relevant to the

pre-1993 version than today’s questionnaire. 

The pre-1993 version was replaced with

one that was specifically designed to

reduce undercounting of family (and

domestic) violence. There is some

evidence that the redesign may have

succeeded in reducing the undercount.

In 1991 (the last full year of interviews

using the old questionnaire), family

violence victims made up 7.3% of all

violence victims (8% if series victimizations totaling 3 are counted as 3 crimes

rather than 1; 4 counted as 4; and 5

counted as 5). In 1993 (the first full year

using the redesigned questionnaire),

the percentage was 10.2%. 

Hospital emergency room study

While results of the San Jose study only

shed light on the extent to which policereported family violence (family violence

that was brought to police attention) is

mentioned in NCVS interviews, results

of another study may shed light on the

extent to which victims tell interviewers

about both reported and unreported 

family violence of a particularly serious

nature. In this other study, two national

numbers were compared: 

1. from the NCVS, the total (reported

and unreported) estimated number of

family violence victims who said they

went to a hospital emergency room for

treatment for their injuries in 1994

2. from a national survey — the Study of

Injured Victims of Violence (SIVV) —

the total (reported and unreported,

presumably) estimated number of

family violence victims whose injuries

brought them to hospital emergency

rooms for treatment in 1994. 

All other things being equal, the two

numbers should be the same if injured

family violence victims tell NCVS interviewers about any incidents that lead to

emergency room treatment.

In fact, SIVV recorded far more

emergency room admissions in 1994

than the NCVS, suggesting that the

NCVS undercounts victims of serious

family violence. The SIVV number of

emergency room admissions for family

violence (179,000) was found to be over

5 times the number recorded by the

NCVS (33,300) (table 11.2). By

comparison, the SIVV number of

emergency room admissions for

nonfamily violence (775,000) was 1.6

times greater than the NCVS-estimate

(471,400), suggesting that the NCVS

undercounts particularly serious types

of family violence to a greater extent

than nonfamily violence.

The relevance of the SIVV study is

limited by the fact that its findings

pertain to victims who were injured and

went to an emergency room. Such

victims are a small percentage of all

family violence victims. Furthermore,

the statistics for the NCVS-documented

victims of family violence (who went to

emergency rooms) may be unreliable

because they are based on a small

sample. Also, the SIVV study did not

document how many victims had, and

how many had not, reported the crime

to police. Presumably, the SIVV study

included some of both.

72 Family Violence Statistics

*Age 12 or older

Source: Adapted from BJS, Violence-Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency 

Departments, NCJ 156921, August 1997.

Nonfamily violence 775,000 81.2 471,400 93.4 1.6

Family violence 179,000 18.8 33,300 6.6 5.4

Total 954,000 100% 504,700 100% 1.9

Ratio of

Type of offense Number Percent Number Percent SIVV/NCVS

NCVS-estimated

admissions to

hospital emergency

rooms in 1994

SIVV-recorded

admissions to

hospital emergency

rooms in 1994*

Table 11.2. Comparison of the Study of Injured Victims of Violence (SIVV) 

and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), by offense and 

by relationship, 1994