by Susan M. Szymusiak

The following information was gathered from a variety of sources including the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. It is intended to provide an overview of the subject of violent crime and self defense. We train to be able to defend ourselves in the event that we are attacked. We should know who among us is in the greatest danger and how effective self defense efforts can be expected to be.

VIOLENT CRIME - Who is at risk?

If you are young, if you are black, if you are male, you are at the greatest risk for becoming a victim of violent crime, according to 1996 statistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The reports Victim Characteristics dated November 15, 1997 and Criminal Victimization 1996 dated November 1997 indicate that the rate of victimization in 1996 was:

--1 in 11 persons age 12 to 15 versus 1 in 200 persons age 65 or more
--1 in 19 blacks versus 1 in 25 whites
--1 in 20 males versus 1 in 29 females.
-- For murder victims,
-- 77% were male
-- 64% were under age 35
-- about 12% were under age 18
-- about 48% were black, 48% were white and 3% were Asians, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans.

In 1996, about a third of all victims of violent crime were ages 12 to 19. Almost half of all victims of violence were under age 25. For the crime of aggravated assault, individuals between ages 16 and 19 had a higher rate of victimization than any other age group.

Males experienced higher rates of victimization than females in every category of violent crime except rape/sexual assault. Men were twice as likely as women to experience aggravated assault and robbery. Women were 10 times more likely than men to be a victim of rape or sexual assault.

Persons from households with incomes of less than $15,000 had significantly higher violent crime rates for all categories of violent crime (except simple assault) than those from households with incomes over $15,000.

Individuals who had never married or who had separated or divorced experienced higher rates of violent crime than those who were married or widowed. Those who had never married were 4 times more likely than married persons to be victimized.

Persons living in cities were significantly more likely to experience all types of violent crime than were suburbanites or rural residents.

Half of the victims of nonfatal violent crime knew the offender. If the victim knew the offender, a violent crime was more likely to be completed rather than left as a threat or attempt. The greatest likelihood of the victim's knowing the offender occurred with rape - 68% of the rape victims. The least likelihood was with robbery - 23% of robbery victims knew the offender.

The violent crime rate for 1996, as measured by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, was down compared to previous years. The violent crime rate for 1996 decreased by 10% compared to 1995. The rate of property crime went down 8%. Overall, these rates have been declining for the past three years.

SELF DEFENSE - Is it effective?

The decision to use self defense techniques during an attack is a purely personal one. It is based upon the physical and mental characteristics of the victim, his or her knowledge and expertise as well as the type of attack experienced. Some people will choose to defend themselves. Some will not.

Statistics regarding the effectiveness of self defense techniques in real violent crime situations are available. They may help you to make that decision.

In the study Highlights from 20 Years of Surveying Crime Victims published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, it was reported that:

"Victims take some type of measure to protect themselves in nearly-

-- 71% of all violent victimizations
-- 82% of rapes
-- 58% of robberies
-- 73% of assaults."

This study found that the types of self protective measures taken by victims of violent crime ranged from running and hiding to persuading or appeasing the attacker, screaming, scaring the offender, threatening the attacker, and physically resisting or attacking the offender. The study also found that men and women both used self protective measures equally. However, men were more likely to attack an offender or to resist physically while women were more likely to get help by giving an alarm such as screaming.

Victims who used self-protective measures reported that the measures -

-- helped in 60% of the victimizations
-- hurt in 7%
-- both helped and hurt in 6%
-- neither helped nor hurt in 11%.

Victims indicated that the most common reason the self-protective actions helped was that "the actions allowed the victim to avoid injury altogether or to prevent greater injury." When the victims felt that the actions hurt, they reported most often that "the action made the offender angrier or more aggressive".

With regard to specific crimes of violence, this study reported that when the crime was simple assault, the victims used self defense in 75% of all assaults. Seventy-two percent of victims felt that defending themselves helped the situation while 7% thought it hurt the situation. When rape was the crime being reported, "of female rape victims who took some type of self-protective action such as fighting back and yelling and screaming, most reported that it helped the situation rather than made it worse".

Again, the decision to defend yourself when attacked is a personal one. However, as the above-reported data demonstrates, even such simple defensive techniques as screaming and running away can be highly effective when it comes to defending yourself.

References:

Criminal Victimization 1996: Changes 1995-1996 with Trends 1993-1996, Cheryl Ringel, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, November 1997.

Victim Characteristics: Summary Findings, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, November 15, 1997.

Highlights from 20 Years of Surveying Crime Victims: The National Crime Victimization Survey, 1973-92, Marianne W. Zawitz, et. al., Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1993.