National Violent Death Reporting System
Violence takes its toll on individuals, families, and communities throughout the United States. No one is immune
to violence. It affects people across the lifespan-from infants to the elderly. Each year, about 50,000 violent deaths occur in this country. Violent deaths, including homicides and suicides, cost the
United States more than $52 billion in medical care and lost productivity every year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is committed to preventing violent deaths in the United States. Unfortunately, achieving this goal has been hampered by fragmented and incomplete information on the circumstances surrounding homicides and suicides. Currently available data do not always provide the information needed to accurately assess the factors associated with violent death. For example, death certificates provide data on the victim but do not provide information on the perpetrator. This information is more commonly found in police reports.
In 2002 CDC received
funding to establish the National Violent Death Reporting System
(NVDRS). NVDRS collects data on violent deaths from a variety of
sources, including death certificates, police reports, medical examiner
and coroner reports, and crime laboratories. Individually, these sources
provide fragmented data that explain violence only in a narrow context.
Together, these sources offer a more comprehensive picture of the
circumstances surrounding a homicide or suicide. As a result, NVDRS
provides insight into the optimal points for intervention, thus
improving violence prevention efforts.
NVDRS Goals and Objectives
The ultimate goal of NVDRS is to provide communities with a clearer understanding of violent deaths so they can be prevented. NVDRS accomplishes this goal by:
- informing decision makers and program planners about the magnitude, trends, and characteristics of violent deaths so appropriate prevention efforts can be put into place; and
- evaluating state-based prevention programs and strategies.
NVDRS has four main objectives:
- to link records on violent deaths that occurred in the same
incident to help identify risk factors for multiple homicides or
homicides-suicides;
- to provide timely preliminary information on violent deaths
(e.g., basic counts of murders and suicides) through faster data
retrieval-currently, vital statistics data are not available
until two years after a death;
- to describe in detail the circumstances that may have
contributed to a violent death; and
- to better characterize perpetrators, including their
relationships to victim(s).
Additional Information
Profiles of States Currently Funded by NVDRS
Frequently Asked Questions About NVDRS
NVDRS Training and Technical Assistance
NVDRS Data Collection and Access
NVDRS Publications
NVDRS Partners
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Content Source: National Center for Injury Prevention
and Control, Division of Violence Preventions
Page last modified:April 11, 2008