Topical
Crime Studies Released with Crime in the United
States, 2003
With the release of Crime in the United States,
2003, on Monday, October 25, the FBI also made
public two topical crime analyses using Uniform
Crime Reporting (UCR) data. The subject matter of
these two studies—family and intimate partner
violence and homicide as a community problem—are
topics that have consistently held the attention
of those who monitor crime in our Nation.
The first study, Violence Among Family Members
and Intimate Partners, is based on data collected
through the UCR Program’s National Incident-Based
Reporting System (NIBRS) for the years 1996 through
2001. An examination of the familial or intimate
partner relationship data within violent incidents
revealed that spousal relationships (i.e., spouse,
common-law spouse, and ex-spouse) accounted for
53 percent of violent incidents wherein a family
or intimate relationship was recorded. Additionally,
44 percent of violent incidents with a family relationship
present involved a child, and elderly relatives
represented 3 percent of violent offense victims
when familial or intimate associations were a factor.
Regarding all familial and intimate partner relationships,
NIBRS data demonstrate that the most common violent
offense encountered was assault, with simple assault
(an assault with no serious injury involved) the
most prevalent type. When a child was involved,
the second most common violent offense category
in the family setting after assaults was sex offenses.
Robbery was the second most common offense among
victims who were elderly relatives. The most common
weapon used to commit violence within a familial
or intimate partner relationship was personal weapons
(hands, fists, feet, etc.).
The second study, The Importance of Homicide
as a Community Problem in the United States for
the years 1981 through 2001, clusters homicides
based on the characteristics of the offenders. The
study is a spatial analysis of UCR data with maps
that examine the pattern of homicide as a jurisdictional
and regional phenomenon. This report finds that
homicide in the Nation can be divided into two basic
constituencies. The first, murders in which little
is known about the offender, accounts for approximately
30 percent of homicides reported to the FBI. The
remaining homicides are those where the victim and
offender typically had some prior relationship.
The result of this study clearly shows that the
occurrence of homicide cannot be summed up by a
region’s or jurisdiction’s murder rate
alone. It is a complex function of other factors
that affect the community that goes beyond population
and its fluctuations. A better understanding of
the nature of homicide within the various communities
in the United States can help law enforcement to
design better strategies and policies to combat
crime.
Further
analysis of family and intimate partner violence
and homicide patterns can be found in the complete
reports in Section V of Crime in the United
States, 2003. Crime in the United States,
2003, can be accessed at www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm.
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