U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

Bureau of Justice Statistics

BJS

Special Report

August 2011 ncj 234212

From 1993 to 2009, an average of 9% of victims of 

serious violent crime—rape or other sexual assault, 

robbery, and aggravated assault—received assistance 

from a victim service agency (figure 1). Victim service 

agencies are publicly or privately funded organizations 

that provide victims with support and services to aid their 

physical and emotional recovery, offer protection from 

future victimizations, guide them through the criminal 

justice system process, and assist them in obtaining 

restitution. 

Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) 

reveal no measurable change in the percentage of serious 

violent crime victims age 12 or older who received help 

or advice from a victim service agency in 1993 and 2009 

(figure 1). However, because the serious violent crime rate 

declined in the United States during this period, a smaller 

number of serious violent crime victims received assistance 

in 2009 than in 1993. 

From 2000 to 2009, the majority of victims of serious violent 

crime did not receive assistance from a victim service 

agency. A greater percentage of female victims of serious 

violent crime (15%), victims of intimate partner violence 

(23%), and victims who suffered an injury (15%) received 

assistance from a victim service agency, compared to male 

serious violent crime victims (6%); victims of crimes by a 

stranger, acquaintance, or relative (8%); and victims who 

were not injured during the offense (7%). 

Lynn Langton, BJS Statistician

Highlights

 About 9% of serious violent crime victims received direct 

assistance from a victim service agency from 1993 to 2009.

 From 2000 to 2009, 14% of violent crime victims 

who reported the crime to the police received direct 

assistance from a victim service agency, compared to 4% 

when the crime was not reported.

 Victims who received direct assistance from a victim 

service agency were more likely to see an arrest made in 

the case and have contact with a non-law enforcement 

criminal justice official, such as a judge or prosecutor, 

than victims who did not receive direct assistance. 

 About 1 in 5 victims of rape or other sexual assault 

received assistance from a victim service agency.

 A greater percentage of serious intimate partner violence 

victims (23%) received assistance from a victim service 

agency than other serious violent crime victims (8%). 

 From 2000 to 2009, a greater percentage of female (15%) 

than male (6%) victims of serious violent crime received 

assistance from a victim service agency.

 A slightly greater percentage of serious violent crime victims 

living in rural areas (12%) received assistance from victim 

service agencies than victims living in urban areas (8%).

Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims 

of Serious Violent Crime, 1993-2009

0

5

10

15

20

25

‘93 ‘94 ‘09‘08‘07‘06*‘05‘04‘03‘02‘01‘00‘99‘98‘97‘96‘95

0

5

10

15

20

25

Percent of victims who

received assistance Rate per 1,000 persons 

age 12 or older

 

Percent of victims

Figure 1

Serious violent crime rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older, 

and percent of serious violent crime victims who received 

assistance from victim service agencies, 1993–2009

Note: See appendix table 7 for standard errors.

*Due to methodological changes in the 2006 NCVS, use caution when comparing 2006 

criminal victimization estimates to other years. See Criminal Victimization, 2006, 

http://bjs.gov, for more information.
2 Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of serious violent crime, 1993-2009

Victims who received direct assistance from a victim service 

agency were more likely to experience a follow-up criminal 

justice system action related to the crime, such as an arrest 

or contact from a judge or prosecutor, compared to victims 

who did not receive assistance from a victim service agency. 

Using data from the NCVS, this report primarily examines 

the trends from 2000 to 2009 in the percentage and type of 

crime victims who received assistance from a victim service 

agency. It also examines the relationship between victims 

receiving assistance and reporting the crime to the police, 

and other criminal justice system actions pertaining to the 

crime. 

From 1993 to 2009, the percentage of victims 

receiving assistance from victim service agencies 

remained relatively stable

While the percentage of serious violent crime victims who 

received assistance from victim service agencies remained 

relatively stable from 1993 to 2009, the number of victims 

who received assistance declined. From 1993 to 1999, an 

annual average of 297,000 serious violent crime victims 

received assistance, compared to an annual average of 

193,000 from 2000 to 2009 (not shown in a table).* The 

percentage of serious violent crime victims who received 

assistance from a victim service agency increased slightly 

during the mid-2000s before returning to a level in 2009 

comparable to 1993 (figure 2). 

In 1993 a similar percentage (3%) of serious violent crime 

victims’ received assistance from government-funded 

and privately funded victim service agencies. However, 

the percentage of victims who received assistance from 

a government-funded victim service agency increased 

from about 3% in 1993 to about 5% in 2009. In 2009, 

the percentage of victims who received assistance from 

a publicly funded agency (5%) was more than double 

the percentage of victims who received assistance from a 

privately funded agency (2%).

A greater percentage of serious violent crime victims 

received assistance when the crime was reported 

to the police (14%), compared to victims whose 

victimization was not reported (4%)

From 2000 to 2009, about 58% of serious violent crimes were 

reported to the police (not shown in a table). The percentage 

of serious violent crime victims who received assistance 

from a victim service agency was more than 3 times greater 

among those whose victimization was reported to the police 

(14%) compared to those whose victimizations was not 

reported (4%) (table 1). About 1.5 million serious violent 

crime victims who reported to the police received assistance 

from a victim service agency during the 10-year period, 

while about 300,000 victims who did not report received 

assistance (not shown in a table). The apparent relationship

between the victim reporting the crime to the police and 

receiving assistance may suggest that the police refer victims 

to victim service agencies or that a greater percentage of 

victims decide to contact the police after receiving assistance. 

About 9.5 million victims who reported to the police did not 

receive assistance during the 10-year period (not shown in a 

table).

Table 1

Serious violent crime victims who received direct assistance 

from victim service agencies, by whether victimization was 

reported to the police, 2000–2009

Percent of serious violent crime victims who received direct 

assistance from victim service agencies when victimization was—

Year Reported to the police Not reported to the police

Total 14% 4%

2000 11% 4%

2001 15 2!

2002 14 3!

2003 13 9

2004 16 4!

2005 16 5

2006* 15 4

2007 14 4!

2008 13 5!

2009 12 3!

Note: Excludes victims who did not know if the crime was reported to the police. See 

appendix table 9 for standard errors.

*Due to methodological changes in the 2006 NCVS, use caution when comparing 2006 

criminal victimization estimates to other years. See Criminal Victimization, 2006, 

http://bjs.gov, for more information. 

! Interpret with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient of 

variation is greater than 50%.

0

5

10

15

20

Private service agency

Government service agency

All victim service agencies

200920072005200320011999199719951993

Percent of victims

 

Figure 2

Serious violent crime victims who received assistance from 

victim service agencies, by type of agency, 1993–2009

Note: See appendix table 8 for standard errors. Due to methodological changes in the 2006 

NCVS, use caution when comparing 2006 criminal victimization estimates to other years. See 

Criminal Victimization, 2006, http://bjs.gov, for more information. 

*The counts exclude victims of simple assault, property crimes, and other 

crimes reported in the NCVS, such as identity theft and stalking, who also 

received assistance from victim service agencies. Estimates generated by 

other organizations on the use of victim service agencies may also include 

the family and friends of victims who received assistance and may count 

each repeated use of services separately.
august 2011 3

Among persons whose victimization was reported to the 

police, the percentage receiving assistance was similar in 

2009 (12%) and 2000 (11%). However, during this period 

the percentage of victims who reported to the police and 

received assistance varied depending on victim and crime 

characteristics (appendix table 1).

A greater percentage of serious violent crime victims 

who received assistance experienced a follow-up 

criminal justice system action compared to those who 

did not receive assistance

The NCVS collects data on four types of criminal justice 

system actions that can be taken in response to a crime: 

police are notified of the crime, a formal complaint is signed, 

an arrest is made, and the victim receives contact from 

a non-law enforcement criminal justice authority, such 

as a prosecutor or a judge. From 2000 to 2009, a greater 

percentage of victims who received assistance from a victim 

service agency experienced each type of follow-up action 

than victims who did not receive assistance (figure 3). 

The percentage of victims who experienced all four types 

of criminal justice system actions was more than 5 times 

greater among victims who received assistance (24%) than 

among victims who did not (4%).

Similarly, the percentage of victims who received assistance 

from victim service agencies was greater among victims 

who had experienced all four types of criminal justice 

system action (39%) than those who had not (8%) 

(appendix table 4). Together, these finding may suggest that 

some victims who receive assistance take steps to move 

the case through the process and that some victims whose 

cases have moved further through the system may then 

receive assistance.

From 2000 to 2009, about 1 in 5 victims of rape or 

other sexual assault received assistance from a victim 

service agency

Overall, a greater percentage of serious violent crime victims 

(10%) than victims of simple assault (7%) and property 

crime (2%) received assistance from a victim service agency 

from 2000 to 2009 (table 2). Among violent crime victims, 

more than double the percentage of rape or other sexual 

assault victims (21%) received assistance from a victim 

service agency, compared to victims of robbery (8%), 

aggravated assault (9%), and simple assault (7%).

Table 2

Victims who received assistance from victim service agencies, by type of offense, 2000–2009

Serious violent crime victims

Year All Rape/sexual assault Robbery Aggravated assault Simple assault Property crimea

Total 10% 21% 8% 9% 7% 2%

2000 8% 25% 7% 5% 9% 2%

2001 10 23 7 8 7 2

2002 10 19 10 7 6 2

2003 11 23 10 10 8 2

2004 11 23 9 10 6 2

2005 11 22 5 ! 13 7 2

2006b 10 16 8 9 6 2

2007 9 24 8 6 8 2

2008 10 18 9 8 6 2

2009 8 13 ! 7 ! 8 5 1

Note: See appendix table 11 for standard errors.

aIncludes burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft.

bDue to methodological changes in the 2006 NCVS, use caution when comparing 2006 criminal victimization estimates to other years. See Criminal Victimization, 2006, http://bjs.gov, for more 

information.

! Interpret with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%.

0

20

40

60

80

100 Victim received 

assistance

Victim did not

receive assistance

All follow-up 

actions

Contact made 

with other 

criminal justice 

authorities

Arrest 

made

Complaint 

signed

Police 

notied

Police not 

notied

Percent of victims

Follow-up actions

Figure 3

Serious violent crime victims who received follow-up 

criminal justice system action, by type of action, 2000–2009

Note: See appendix table 10 for standard errors.
4 Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of serious violent crime, 1993-2009

The percentage of property and serious violent crime victims 

who received assistance remained relatively stable from 

2000 to 2009, while the percentage of simple assault victims 

who received assistance decreased from about 9% in 2000 

to about 5% in 2009. Comparing 2000 to 2009, there were 

no measurable changes in the percentage of victims of rape 

or other sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated assault who 

received assistance from a victim service agency. 

While rape or other sexual assault victimizations accounted 

for 12% of the total serious violent crime victimizations, they 

accounted for 24% of those who received assistance among 

victims whose victimization was reported to the police. 

Among serious violent crime victims whose victimization 

was not reported to the police, rape or other sexual assault 

victims accounted for 35% of those who received assistance 

(not shown in a table). Compared to victims of robbery 

(4%) and aggravated assault (3%), a greater percentage 

of rape or other sexual assault victims (9%) who did not 

report to the police received assistance from victim service 

agencies (appendix table 1). This finding may suggest that 

rape victims are more likely to be referred to victim service 

agencies through non-law enforcement organizations, like 

hospitals or counselors, or that these victims are more likely 

to seek out services on their own.

Victims of crimes perpetrated by an intimate partner 

or resulting in an injury were more likely to receive 

assistance from a victim service agency

From 2000 to 2009, nearly 1 in 4 victims of serious violent 

crime committed by a spouse, partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, 

or a former intimate partner received assistance from a 

victim service agency (table 3). Despite a similar percentage 

of victims of intimate partner (60%) and non-intimate (57%) 

violence who reported to the police during the 10-year 

period, a greater percentage of victims of serious violent 

crimes committed by intimate partners (23%) received 

assistance from a victim service agency than other serious 

violent crime victims (8%) who were not intimately involved 

with their offender. Among serious violent crime victims 

whose victimization was not reported to the police, victims 

of intimate partners violence accounted for 36% of victims 

who received assistance (not shown in a table). Similar to 

victims of rape and other sexual assault, a greater percentage 

of victims of intimate partner violence who did not report 

to the police (15%) received assistance from victim service 

agencies compared to victims of other serious violent crimes 

committed by nonintimates (3%) (appendix table 1).

Victims who were injured during a serious violent crime 

were more likely to report the crime to the police (66%) than 

victims who were not injured (53%). From 2000 to 2009, 

a greater percentage of serious violent crime victims who 

were injured (15%) during the crime received assistance 

from a victim service agency, compared to those who were 

not injured (7%) (figure 4). A similar percentage of victims 

who suffered serious injuries (15%) (such as broken bones, 

internal injuries, or loss of consciousness) and those who 

suffered minor injuries (14%) (such as scratches and bruises) 

received assistance from a victim service agency. 

Table 3

Serious violent crime victims who received assistance from 

victim service agencies, by victim-offender relationship, 

2000–2009

Year Intimate partner Non-intimate partner

Total 23% 8%

2000 29% 7%

2001 19 9

2002 23 8

2003 29 9

2004 26 10

2005 27 10

2006* 21 8

2007 21 8

2008 22 8

2009 22 6

Note: See appendix table 12 for standard errors. Due to methodological changes in the 2006 

NCVS, use caution when comparing 2006 criminal victimization estimates to other years. See

Criminal Victimization, 2006, http://bjs.gov, for more information. 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Rape without 

other injury

No injury Any injury Minor injury Serious injury

Percent of victims

Figure 4

Serious violent crime victims who received direct assistance 

from victim service agencies, by type of injury, 2000–2009

Note: See appendix table 13 for standard errors.
august 2011 5

A lower percentage of younger and male serious 

violent crime victims received assistance from a victim 

service agency, compared to older and female victims 

From 2000 to 2009, a greater percentage of female (15%) 

serious violent crime victims received assistance from a 

victim service agency, compared to male serious violent 

crime victims (6%) (figure 5). Though 43% of serious violent 

crime victimizations were against women, women accounted 

for about two-thirds (66%) of the victims who received 

assistance from a victim service agency (not shown in a 

table).

The percentage of victims of serious violent crime who 

received assistance from a victim service agency was greater 

among victims age 35 or older (12%), compared to victims 

between 18 and 34 years old (9%). Among victims of serious 

violent crime, a lower percentage of Hispanic victims (6%) 

than victims who were black (non-Hispanic) (9%), white 

(non-Hispanic) (11%), or of more than one race (17%) 

received assistance from a victim service agency. Among 

blacks, whites, and Hispanics there were no measurable 

differences in the percentage of victims who received services 

in urban, suburban, and rural areas (appendix table 2). 

A slightly greater percentage of serious violent crime 

victims living in households in rural areas (12%) received 

assistance from victim service agencies than victims living 

in urban areas (9%) (figure 6). There were no measurable 

differences in the percentage of serious violent crime victims 

who received assistance from victim service agencies by 

income level. However, a greater percentage of victims with 

a household income of less than $25,000 living in rural 

areas (16%) received assistance compared to those living 

in urban areas (9%). In rural areas, nearly (50%) of victims 

who received assistance lived in households with an income 

of less than $25,000, while 38% of serious violent crime in 

rural areas was against persons in that income category (not 

shown in a table).

0 5 10 15 20

Two or more races

Asian/Hawaiian/Pacic Islander!*

American Indian/Alaska Native!*

Hispanic

Black*

White*

35 or older

18–34

Under 18

Female

Male

Victim characteristic

Percent of victims who received assistance

Race/Hispanic origin

Age

Sex

Figure 5

Serious violent crime victims who received direct assistance 

from victim service agencies, by victim characteristics, 

2000–2009

Note: See appendix table 14 for standard errors.

! Interpret data with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coefficient of 

variation is greater than 50%.

*Excludes persons of Hispanic/Latino origin.

0 5 10 15 20

Two or more

One

None

Rural

Suburban

Urban

Unknown*

$50,000 or more

$25,000 - $49,999

Less than $25,000 

Household members under age 12

Location of residence

Income

Percent of victims who received assistance

Figure 6

Serious violent crime victims who received direct assistance 

from victim service agencies, by household characteristics, 

2000–2009

Note: See appendix table 15 for standard errors.

*Data on household income not available for 19.6% of victims. 
6 Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of serious violent crime, 1993-2009

Methodology

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is an 

annual data collection conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau 

for the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The NCVS collects 

information on nonfatal crimes, both reported and not 

reported to the police, against persons age 12 or older in a 

nationally representative sample of U.S. households. Survey 

results 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. The survey excludes personnel 

living in military barracks and persons living in institutional 

settings, such as correctional or hospital facilities. For more 

detail, see the Survey Methodology for Criminal Victimization 

in the United States, 2007 at http://bjs.gov. 

The NCVS asks all victims two questions pertaining to the 

use of victim services: 

l. Did you (or someone in your household) received any 

help or advice from any office or agency other than the 

police that deals with victims of crime?

2. (If yes to the first question) Was that a government or 

private agency?

The analyses in this report use data from these two 

questions.

Standard error computations

If estimates are derived from a sample rather than the 

entire population, as is the case with the NCVS, caution is 

warranted when drawing conclusions about the size of one 

population estimate in comparison to another, or whether 

a time series of population estimates is changing. Although 

one estimate may be larger than another, estimates based 

on responses from a sample of the population each have 

some degree of sampling error. The sampling error, or 

margin of error, of an estimate depends on several factors, 

including the amount of variation in the responses, the size 

and representativeness of the sample, and the size of the 

subgroup for which the estimate is computed. 

One measure of the sampling error associated with an 

estimate is the standard error. The standard error can 

vary from one estimate to the next. In general, a smaller 

standard error provides a more reliable approximation of 

the true value than an estimate with a higher standard error. 

Estimates with relatively large standard errors are associated 

with less precision and reliability, and should be interpreted 

with caution. 

The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of an 

estimate’s reliability. The RSE is the ratio of the standard 

error to the estimate. In this report, the RSE was calculated 

for all estimates, and in cases where the RSE was greater 

than 50% or when the estimate is based on 10 or fewer 

sample cases, the estimate was noted with a “!” symbol. Such 

estimates should be interpreted with caution. 

A statistical test is used to determine whether differences 

in means or percentages are statistically significant once 

sampling error is taken into account. Comparisons made 

in the text were tested for statistical significance at the 

p < .05 level to ensure that the differences were larger than 

might be expected due to sampling variation. Significance 

testing calculations were conducted at BJS using statistical 

programs developed specifically for the NCVS by the U.S. 

Census Bureau. These programs take into consideration 

many aspects of the complex NCVS sample design when 

calculating estimates. Standard errors for average annual 

estimates were calculated based on the ratio of the sums of 

victimizations and respondents across years. 

Many of the variables examined in this report may be related 

to one another and to other variables not included in the 

analyses. Complex relationships among variables were not 

fully explored in this report and warrant more extensive 

analysis. Readers are cautioned not to draw causal inferences 

based on the results presented.
august 2011 7

Appendix table 1

Serious violent crime victims who received direct assistance from victim service agencies, by crime and victim characteristics 

and whether victimiztion was reported to police, 2000–2009

Victimization was reported to police Victimization was not reported to police

Crime and victim characteristics Number of victimizations

Percent of victims who 

received assistance Number of victimizations

Percent of victims who 

received assistance 

All 11,191,400 14% 7,930,900 4%

Type of crime

Rape/sexual assault 990,400 37% 1,318,200 9%

Robbery 3,725,800 11 2,407,300 4

Aggravated assault 6,475,300 12 4,205,400 3

Victim-offender relationship

Intimates 1,234,600 29% 812,700 15%

Nonintimates 9,956,800 12 7,118,300 3

Sex

Male 6,053,800 9% 4,778,400 2%

Female 5,137,600 20 3,152,500 7

Age

Under 18 1,577,000 14% 1,972,500 3%

18–34 5,275,900 13 3,705,300 3

35 or older 4,338,500 15 2,253,100 7

Race/Hispanic origin

White* 6,692,500 15% 4,880,700 5%

Black* 2,315,900 14 1,452,600 2!

Hispanic 1,642,500 10 1,176,900 1!

American Indian/Alaska native* 125,500 17! 95,500 7!

Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander* 276,900 7! 149,400 5!

Two or more races 138,200 24 175,700 11!

Location of residence

Urban 4,939,300 12% 3,412,700 4%

Suburban 4,763,800 15 3,364,100 4

Rural 1,488,300 18 1,154,100 6

Household income

Less than $25,000 3,616,600 15% 2,666,800 4%

$25,000–$49,999 2,742,200 13 1,807,200 6

$50,000 or more 2,630,500 14 1,975,400 4

unknown 2,202,100 13 1,481,500 3

Note: Numbers rounded to the nearest hundred. See appendix table 2 for standard errors.

*Excludes persons of Hispanic/Latino origin.

! Interpret data with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer cases or coeffiecient of variation is greater than 50%.
8 Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of serious violent crime, 1993-2009

Appendix table 2

Standard errors for appendix table 1: Serious violent crime victims who received direct assistance from victim service 

agencies, by crime and victim characteristics and whether victimiztion was reported to police, 2000–2009

Victimization was reported to police Victimization was not reported to police

Crime and victim characteristics

Number of

victimizations

Percent of victims who 

received assistance 

Number of 

victimizations

Percent of victims who 

received assistance 

All 355,791 0.91% 289,395 0.58%

Type of crime

Rape/sexual assault 87,828 4.00% 102,894 2.02%

Robbery 185,617 1.35 144,430 1.03

Aggravated assault 256,556 1.09 199,139 0.68

Victim- offender relationship

Intimates 99,213 3.37% 78,782 3.21%

Nonintimates 331,611 0.89 271,367 0.53

Sex

Male 246,550 0.98% 214,549 0.52%

Female 223,855 1.51 168,545 1.18

Age

Under 18 113,731 2.27% 128,995 0.98%

18–34 227,372 1.24 185,025 0.72

35 or older 202,786 1.45 139,093 1.39

Race/Hispanic origin

White 261,650 1.18% 217,225 0.82%

Black 141,283 1.89 108,620 0.93

Hispanic 116,357 1.91 96,612 0.73

American Indian/Alaska native 29,090 8.43 25,234 6.53

Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 44,110 3.86 31,865 4.46

Two or more races 30,592 9.16 34,693 5.94

Location of residence

Urban 218,774 1.23% 176,429 0.87%

Suburban 214,165 1.39 174,975 0.87

Rural 110,104 2.59 95,570 1.78

Household income

Less than $25,000 182,447 1.58% 153,119 0.98%

$25,000–$49,999 155,581 1.69 122,780 1.43

$50,000 or more 151,924 1.78 129,103 1.13

Unknown 137,296 1.87 109,822 1.13
august 2011 9

Appendix table 3

Number of serious violent crime victimizations and percent of victims who received direct assistance from a victim service 

agency, by victim characteristics and location of residence, 2000–2009

All areas Urban areas Suburban areas Rural areas

Victim and household 

charactertistics

Number of 

victimizations

Percent of 

victims who 

received 

assistance

Number of 

victimizations

Percent of 

victims who 

received 

assistance

Number of 

victimizations

Percent of 

victims who 

received 

assistance

Number of 

victimizations

Percent of 

victims who 

received 

assistance

All 19,361,100 10% 8,446,200 9% 8,230,900 10% 2,683,900 12%

Sex

Male 10,971,400 6% 4,839,700 6% 4,705,400 6% 1,426,300 7%

Female 8,389,600 15 3,606,500 13 3,525,500 16 1,257,600 18

Age

Under 18 3,592,500 8% 1,319,300 10% 1,753,600 7% 519,700 6% !

18–34 9,079,100 9 4,329,000 8 3,634,800 9 1,115,300 11

35 or older 6,689,400 12 2,797,900 9 2,842,600 14 1,048,900 17

Race/Hispanic origin

White* 11,734,400 11% 3,807,800 10% 5,723,000 11% 2,203,600 12%

Black* 3,816,100 9 2,555,000 9 1,064,500 11 196,700 10

Hispanic 2,849,400 6 1,641,800 6 1,060,500 5 147,100 10!

American Indian/Alaska

 Native* 221,000 13! 78,600 4! 75,100 9! 67,300 26!

Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific 

 Islander* 426,300 6! 231,600 3! 194,600 10! :! ~!

Two or more races 313,900 17 131,400 24! 113,300 14! 69,200 8!

Household income

Less than $25,000 6,331,200 10% 3,384,100 9% 1,921,000 9% 1,026,200 16%

$25,000–$49,999 4,616,400 10 1,893,000 10 2,094,700 11 628,600 9

$50,000 or more 4,685,100 10 1,352,400 8 2,862,000 10 470,600 13

Unknown 3,728,400 9 1,816,700 7 1,353,200 10 558,500 9

Note: Numbers rounded to nearest hundred. See appendix table 4 for standard errors. 

*Excludes persons of Hispanic/Latino origin.

! Interpret data with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer cases or coeffiecient of variation is greater than 50%.

:Less than 0.5 victimizations.

~Not applicable.
10 Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of serious violent crime, 1993-2009

Appendix table 4

Standard errors for appendix table 3: Number of serious violent crime victimizations and percent of victims who received direct 

assistance from a victim service agency, by victim characteristics and location of residence, 2000–2009

All areas Urban areas Suburban areas Rural areas

Victim and household 

charactertistics

Number of serious 

violent crime 

victimizations

Percent who 

received 

assistance

Number of serious 

violent crime 

victimizations

Percent who 

received 

assistance

Number of serious 

violent crime 

victimizations

Percent who 

received 

assistance

Number of serious 

violent crime 

victimizations

Percent who 

received 

assistance

All 496,562 0.60% 300,475 0.83% 295,877 0.90% 153,680 1.66%

Sex

Male 351,608 0.60% 216,155 0.87% 212,626 0.89% 107,517 1.74%

Female 299,270 1.07 182,152 1.47 179,775 1.64 100,235 2.82

Age

Under 18 181,743 1.18% 102,942 2.08% 120,716 1.60% 61,783 2.59%

18–34 313,750 0.80 202,527 1.10 182,978 1.23 93,777 2.43

35 or older 261,545 1.08 157,383 1.41 158,819 1.69 90,648 2.96

Race/Hispanic origin

White 366,170 0.79% 187,974 1.27% 238,543 1.11% 137,349 1.83%

Black 188,211 1.23 149,418 1.44 91,390 2.42 36,815 5.35

Hispanic 159,037 1.14 116,329 1.50 91,200 1.68 31,607 6.27

American Indian/

Alaskan Native 39,147 5.61 22,811 5.80 22,280 8.22 21,052 13.41

Asian/Hawaiian/

other Pacific Islander 55,533 2.95 40,128 2.93 36,608 5.34 ~ ~

Two or more races 47,151 5.34 29,796 9.40 27,580 8.15 21,357 7.92

Household income

Less than $25,000 253,163 1.02% 175,574 1.31% 127,082 1.71% 89,565 2.92%

$25,000–$49,999 210,267 1.18 126,033 1.75 133,458 1.77 68,486 2.96

$50,000 or more 212,090 1.14 104,373 1.85 159,440 1.48 58,564 3.89

Unknown 185,692 1.22 123,143 1.59 104,407 2.14 64,235 3.10

~Not applicable.
august 2011 11

Appendix table 5

Serious violent crime victims who received direct assistance 

from victim service agencies, by whether the victim 

experienced criminal justice system action pertaining to the 

case, 2000–2009

Percent of serious violent crime victims 

who received assistance when—

Criminal justice system action Action occurred Action did not occur

Police notified 14% 4%

Complaint signed 22 9

Arrest made 23 10

Contact made with other 

 criminal justice authorities 34 9

All four actions 39 8

Note: See appendix table 6 for standard errors.

Appendix table 6 

Standard errors for appendix table 5: Serious violent crime 

victims who received direct assistance from victim service 

agencies, by whether the victim experienced criminal justice 

system action pertaining to the case, 2000–2009

Percent of serious violent crime victims 

who received assistance when—

Criminal justice system action

Action 

occurred

Action did 

not occur

Police notified 0.90% 0.60%

Complaint signed 1.74 0.92

Arrest made 1.94 0.96

Contact made with other criminal 

 justice authorities 2.74 0.81

All four actions 3.74 0.56

Appendix table 7

Base population numbers and standard errors for serious 

violent crime rate per persons 12 or older and percentage of 

serious violent crime victims who received assistance from 

victim service agencies, 1993–2009

Year

U.S. resident 

population age 

12 or older

Rate of serious 

violent crime 

Percent of victims who 

received assistance

1993 210,906,900 0.90 0.82

1994 213,136,000 0.70 0.68

1995 215,080,700 0.61 0.84

1996 217,234,300 0.60 0.83

1997 219,839,100 0.61 0.93

1998 221,881,000 0.65 1.05

1999 224,568,400 0.60 1.02

2000 226,804,600 0.55 1.09

2001 229,215,300 0.51 1.25

2002 231,589,300 0.44 1.33

2003 239,306,000 0.44 1.45

2004 241,703,700 0.42 1.54

2005 244,505,300 0.48 1.63

2006 247,233,100 0.51 1.37

2007 250,344,900 0.42 1.43

2008 252,242,500 0.42 1.64

2009 254,105,600 0.40 1.51
12 Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of serious violent crime, 1993-2009

Appendix table 8

Standard errors for serious violent crime victims 

who received assistance from victim service agencies, 

by type of agency, 1993–2009

Serious violent crime victims who received assistance

Year

All victim service 

agencies

Government 

service agency

Private service 

agency

1993 0.82% 0.52% 0.51%

1994 0.68 0.52 0.41

1995 0.84 0.62 0.46

1996 0.83 0.59 0.51

1997 0.93 0.69 0.56

1998 1.05 0.77 0.60

1999 1.02 0.79 0.44

2000 1.09 0.75 0.73

2001 1.25 0.85 0.67

2002 1.30 0.93 0.77

2003 1.39 1.06 0.84

2004 1.54 1.21 0.77

2005 1.63 1.16 1.07

2006 1.37 1.10 0.70

2007 1.43 1.08 0.76

2008 1.64 1.33 0.83

2009 1.51 1.23 0.76

Appendix table 9

Standard errors for serious violent crime victims who 

received direct assistance from victim service agencies, by 

whether victimization was reported to the police, 2000–2009

Percent of serious violent crime victims who received 

direct assistance from victim service agencies when 

victimization was—

Year Reported to the police Not reported to the police

Total 0.90% 0.59%

2000 1.68% 1.06%

2001 1.97 0.90

2002 1.99 1.07

2003 1.96 1.92

2004 2.26 1.48

2005 2.47 1.64

2006 2.15 1.28

2007 2.18 1.30

2008 2.40 1.80

2009 2.25 1.39

Appendix table 10

Standard errors for serious violent crime victims who 

received follow-up criminal justice system action, 

by type of action, 2000–2009

Criminal justice follow-up action

Victim received 

assistance

Victim did not 

receive assistance

Police not notificed 2.24% 1.08%

Police notified 2.30 1.09

Complaint signed 2.95 0.80

Arrest made 2.90 0.74

Contact made with other criminal 

 justice authorities 2.86 0.55

All follow-up actions 2.50 0.40
august 2011 13

Appendix table 11

Standard errors for victims who received assistance from victim service agencies, by type of offense, 2000–2009

Serious violent crime victims

Year All Rape /sexual assault Robbery Aggravated assault Simple assault Property crime

Total 0.60% 2.22% 0.92% 0.73% 0.38% 0.09%

2000 0.93% 4.76% 1.74% 1.11% 0.88% 0.17%

2001 1.25 4.60 1.85 1.45 0.81 0.18

2002 1.33 4.41 2.37 1.46 0.77 0.21

2003 1.44 5.43 2.28 1.73 0.93 0.19

2004 1.53 5.61 2.49 1.84 0.83 0.19

2005 1.63 6.32 1.77 2.28 0.96 0.22

2006 1.37 4.68 2.13 1.72 0.89 0.19

2007 1.43 5.21 2.15 1.55 1.00 0.19

2008 1.64 5.43 2.62 2.05 0.88 0.19

2009 1.51 5.69 2.31 1.93 0.91 0.18

Appendix table 12 

Standard errors for percentage of serious violent crime 

victims who received assistance from victim service 

agencies, by victim-offender relationship, 2000–2009

Year Intimate partners Non-intimates

Total 2.46% 0.58%

2000 6.42% 1.01%

2001 4.57 1.23

2002 5.69 1.28

2003 5.67 1.36

2004 5.94 1.49

2005 7.34 1.58

2006 4.96 1.33

2007 5.47 1.38

2008 6.26 1.60

2009 6.23 1.39

Appendix table 13

Percentage of serious violent crime victims who received 

direct assistance from victim service agencies, by extent of 

injury experienced, 2000–2009

Extent of injury Percent of victims who received assistance

No injury 0.61%

Any injury 1.17

Minor injury 1.41

Serious injury 2.04

Rape without other injury 4.56
14 Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of serious violent crime, 1993-2009

Appendix table 14

Standard errors for percentage of serious violent crime 

victims who received direct assistance from victim service 

agencies, by victim characteristics, 2000–2009

Victim charactertistic Percent of victims who received assistance

Sex

Male 0.61%

Female 1.07

Age

12–17 3.59%

18–34 0.80

35 or older 1.08

Race/Hispanic origin

White 0.79%

Black 1.23

Hispanic 1.13

American Indian/Alaska native 5.61

Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 2.95

Two or more races 5.34

Appendix table 15

Standard errors for percentage of serious violent crime 

victims who received direct assistance from victim service 

agencies, by household characteristics, 2000–2009 

Household characteristic Percent of victims who received assistance 

Income

Less than $25,000 1.02%

$25,000–$49,999 1.18

$50,000 or more 1.15

Unknown 1.22

Location of residence

Urban 0.83%

Suburban 0.90

Rural 1.66

Household members under age 12

None 0.72%

One 1.27

Two or more 1.54
august 2011 15
PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/BJS

Permit No. G-91

U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

ncj234212

Office of Justice Programs • Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods • http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of 

Justice. James P. Lynch is the director.

This special report was written by Lynn Langton. Michael Planty verified the 

report.

Jill Thomas edited the report, Tina Dorsey produced the report, and Jayne 

Robinson prepared the report for final printing, under the supervision of Doris J. 

James.

August 2011, NCJ 234212

This report in portable document format and in ASCII and its related 

statistical data and tables are available at the website: http://www.bjs.gov/index.

cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2432.