Native

The following was excerpted from: Greenfield, Lawrence A. and Steven K. Smith, GJS Statisticians. American Indians and Crime. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, February 1999: NCJ-173386.)

American Indians in the Report cited include Alaska Natives and Aleuts. (Hawaiian Natives and Pacific Islanders were included under the Asians category of the statistics cited in the Report):

Population estimates from the Bureau of the Census for July 1, 1998, indicated that American Indians account for just under 1% of the U.S. population.
American Indians experience per capita rates of violence which are more than twice those of the U.S. resident population. (120 per 1000 persons age 12 or older--or about 2-1/2 times the national rate, compared to less than 50 per 1000 persons for Asian/Pacific-Islanders.)
The murder rate among American Indians is 7 per 100,000, a rate similar to that found among the general population. (The rate of murder among blacks is more than 5 times that among American Indians, however.)
Rates of violence in every age group are higher among American Indians than that of all races. The violent crime rate among American Indian males was 153 per 1,000 males age 12 or older, more than double that found among all males (60 per 1,000 age 12 or older). The violent crime rate for American Indian females during this period was 98 per 1,000 females, a rate higher than that found among white females (40 per 1,000) or black females (56 per 1,000). Rates of violent victimization for both males and females are higher among American Indians than for all races. The rate of violent crime experienced by American Indian women is nearly 50% higher than that reported by black males.
The aggravated assault rate among American Indians (35 per 1,000) was more than 3 times the national rate (11 per 1,000) and twice that for blacks. The rate of robbery experienced by American Indians (12 per 1,000) was similar to that of black residents (13 per 1,000). The most common type of violent crime experienced by American Indian victims was simple assault (56%).
Among all the violent crimes reported by American Indians, 28% were aggravated assault, 10% robbery, and 6% rape/sexual assault. Asian and black victims of violence were more likely than American Indian or white victims to have reported a robbery.
Nearly a third of all American Indian victims of violence are between ages 18 and 24. This group of American Indians experienced the highest per capita rate of violence of any racial group considered by age--about 1 violent crime for every 4 persons of this age.
At least 70% of the violent victimizations experienced by American Indians are committed by persons not of the same race--a substantially higher rate of interracial violence than experienced by white or black victims. (The rate was comparable to that experienced by Asian/Pacific-Islanders, who also experienced a substantially higher rate of interracial violence than that experienced by white or black victims.)
For American Indians who also described themselves as Hispanic, the rate of violent victimization was 4 times the rate found among all Hispanics and twice the rate found among non-Hispanic American Indians.
Overall, strangers were reported to have committed 46% of the violent crimes against American Indians. Of the remainder, more than half of the violent victimizations of American Indians involved offenders with whom the victim had a prior relationship. When victimized by violence, American Indians and Asian/Pacific Islanders were the most likely to report that the offender was from a different race (10% were described by the victim as black, 30% were described as American Indians, and the majority (60%) were described as white.) In almost 70% of the violent crime incidents, the American Indian victim resisted the offender, most frequently through the use of physical force.
Among violence victims of all races, about 11% of intimate victims and 5% of family victims report the offender to have been of a different race. However, among American Indian victims of violence, 75% of the intimate victimizations and 25% of the family victimizations involved an offender of a different race.
American Indian victims of intimate and family violence are more likely than victims of other racial groups to be seriously injured and require hospital care. (Also, according to the 6/2001 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) on "Injuries from Violent Crime, 1992-1998"), persons victimized by an intimate partner were more likely than those victimized by acquaintances or strangers to be injured (48% intimate partner, 32% family member, 20% stranger). About 1 in 4 victims of violence, according to the NCVS, reported sustaining some type of injury. Of those injured, 82% reported such injuries as bruises, black eyes, cuts, scratches, swelling, chipped teeth or other injuries requiring less than 2 days hospitalization. Approximately 13% of injured crime victims described severe injuries, including gunshot wounds, knife wounds, broken bones, loss of teeth, internal injuries, loss of consciousness, or other injuries requiring 2 or more days of hospitalization.)
About 1 in 4 employed American Indian victims of violence said that the incident occurred in the workplace.
More than 40% of American Indian murder victims were killed by an offender who was not an American Indian; in 33% of the cases the offender was white. In American Indian murder cases in which the victim offender-relationship was known, strangers accounted for approximately 16% of the murders. Acquaintances accounted for about half the murders. (According to the NCVS on "Injuries from Violent Crime, 1992-1998", homicide is among the top 5 causes of death for persons younger than 35.)
American Indian victims of violence were the most likely of all races of victims to indicate that the offender committed the offense while drinking. Overall, in 55% of American Indian violent victimizations, the victim said the offender was under the influence of alcohol, drugs or both.
More than 10% of American Indian non-lethal violent victimizations involved a firearm. American Indian murder victims were less likely to have been murdered by a handgun than victims of all races. According to the 6/2001 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) on "Injuries from Violent Crime, 1992-1998", about 14% of violent victimizations nationwide in the general population which result in severe non-fatal injuries involve a firearm. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics System, indicate that 72% of the 148,625 homicide victims, age 12 or older, between 1992 and 1998 died from firearm-related injuries. Most non-fatal violent crimes (66%) did not involve a weapon. However, 58% of severely injured victims reported the offender(s) having a weapon, usually a knife or other sharp object--such as scissors, an ice pick or an ax--or a blunt object such as a rock or a club (44% altogether), rather than a firearm (14%).
American Indian arrest rates for violence among youth were about the same as the rates among white youth in 1996.
Violent crime arrest rates for American Indian adults were similar to those for youth. Among other racial groups, arrest rates for adults are lower than for youth.
The 1997 arrest rate among American Indians for alcohol-related offenses (driving under the influence, liquor law violations and public drunkenness) was more than double that found among all races. Drug arrest rates for American Indians were lower than average.
The violent crime rate for American Indians was highest for those in urban areas (207 per 1,000) and lowest for those in rural areas (89 per 1,000). However, this rural crime rate for American Indians is more than double that found among rural whites (37 per 1,000) or blacks (33 per 1,000). The urban crime rate for American Indians is more than 3 times that found among urban whites. (Also, according to the 6/2001 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) on "Injuries from Violent Crime, 1992-1998", persons with the lowest household incomes had the highest violent victimization rates, and a higher proportion of these victimizations resulted in physical injuries. Compared to persons with annual household incomes of $50,000 or more, persons with incomes of less than $20,000 were about 1.5 times more likely to become a victim of a violent crime, about 2.5 times more likely to be injured during the course of the violent victimization, and about 3.5 times more likely to sustain a severe injury.)
Finally, according to the 6/2001 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) on "Injuries from Violent Crime, 1992-1998", victims (all races) who experience violence between midnight and 6:00 a.m. were more likely than persons victimized at other hours to sustain an injury (35%) or to suffer a severe injury (6%). Among those victimized during the day (6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.), 22% were injured, including 2% with severe injuries. Victimizations occurring between midnight and 6:00 a.m. were about 2.5 times as likely as victimizations occurring during the day to result in severe injuries.

Victimizations that occurred at or near the victim's home or at the home of a friend, relative or neighbor, were more likely to result in injury (32% and 34% respectively) than victimizations that occurred elsewhere, including open areas or public transportation (23%). The majority of injured victims in the NCVS either did not receive medical treatment or received treatment somewhere other than a hospital or emergency department. Among victims of incidents that resulted in severe injuries, 37% were not treated in a hospital or emergency department, 25% were not reported to police, and 18% were neither treated nor reported.

1999 Bureau of Justice Statistics on American Indians and Crime

In Indian country, the collection of accurate data on violence against Native persons is often hindered by simple, seemingly easy-to-overcome circumstances like environment or geographical location. For example, domestic violence that occurs in rural locations, where many Native people continue to make their homes, is often an "invisible" crime that goes unreported, unseen and unheard by any witnesses.

A survey conducted in 1998 by the Oklahoma Regional Community Policing Institute in cooperation with the University of Oklahoma concluded that:

"The lack of reporting on domestic violence as a community problem or crime concern, and the pattern of what was reported, supports the need for more education and information. Chiefs of Police in smaller towns, towns under 50,000, report that domestic violence is a community problem and a crime concern. Chiefs in smaller towns, in more rural settings, are in closer contact with their people and disruptions of violence, even domestic violence are more likely noted. It seems that domestic violence is a hidden practice not drawing much attention in the larger cities, those with over 50,000 population. Not one individual from the community leaders [participating in the survey], mostly with cities over 10,000, reported domestic violence as either a community problem or a crime concern. Either the community leaders are unaware of the extent of domestic violence going on around them, or they are not completely aware of what constitutes domestic violence."
Victims of violence commonly describe feelings of isolation or of being "cut off" from relatives, friends and society as a whole. Victims of violence in rural areas are in reality often physically isolated, heightening the sense of emotional isolation. In turn, this heightened sense of emotional isolation may increase the victim's reluctance to report the violent incident, even if the opportunity to report the incident is available.

Indian victims of violence may also feel that judicial, law enforcement or medical personnel will not be sympathetic to them because of misperceptions that problems in Indian country are the jurisdiction of federal agencies or tribes, or because of racial prejudices or stereotypes of Indian people, thus creating greater reluctance on the part of the victim to report violent incidents. Indian Nation citizens often refuse to report due to fear that their needs cannot or will not be met by service providers having access to Indian country. Certain law enforcement professionals, for example, may feel that Indian people are naturally violent or that "Indian men always beat their wives/children/relatives". These mistaken beliefs may be noticeably apparent in the officer's manner, demeanor or behavior, further discouraging the victim from relating the details of a violent incident.

When Indian victims must rely on non-Indian service providers for services, assistance is sometimes denied or slow in coming because of a mistaken, erroneous perception, rooted in prejudice, that Indians receive all the assistance they need from the Bureau of Indian Affairs or Indian Health Service.

Suspicion or unwillingness to trust persons of other races or cultural groups may prevent an Indian victim of violence from reporting episodes of abuse. Reluctance to expose one's people or culture to the criticism or censure of other races is a strong deterrent to reporting violent crimes against Native people. Since most Native people attain a strong bond from their sense of "connectedness" with their relatives, extended families and larger tribal groups, reporting abuse can be regarded as a threat to irreplaceable relationships.

Shame, guilt, victim-blaming, fear of reprisal by the batterer or the batterer's friends and family, and a misplaced fear of "betraying" not only the batterer, but the batterer's (or the victim's) relatives or tribal group may prevent the abused from seeking outside assistance. All of these factors, together with others, contribute to the almost overwhelming obstacles against compiling accurate data and statistics on the actual impact domestic violence has upon Native communities or persons of Native heritage.

Statistics reveal that at least half of the 1.8 million American Indians in the U.S. today are under the age of 25, with the highest risk group for violence among American Indian people being persons between the ages of 18 and 24. The same statistics reflect that 1 in 4 Native Americans of that age group will become the victim of violence each year. Indeed, between the years 1992 and 1998, assaults on Indian children were perpetrated at twice the rate for all other children in the national population. An estimated 40-70% of Indian youth are high school drop-outs and the suicide rate for Indian children is two-to-six times the national average (Flynn, Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics as reported in Oklahoma Indian Times, 3/1999 issue).

The same report reflects that American Indians of any age group are more likely than any other race in the United States to become a target for violence in the upcoming year. The five-year study prepared by the Bureau on American Indians and their relationship to violent crimes indicates that Indian people are victimized by interracial violence more than any other minority group in America. At least 70% of the violence perpetrated on American Indian people is committed by non-Indian persons, a substantially higher rate of interracial violence than that experienced by white or African-American victims.

In fact, American Indians are victimized by violent crimes at a rate more than twice that of the general population. Indian women, particularly, are more likely to be victimized than women of any other race, including black males. However, other studies state that African-American women are more likely than women of other races to be victimized, as are women who live in urban areas (Crowell, Nancy, and Ann Burgess, eds.(1996), Understanding Violence Against Women, pg. 27, Washington, DC.: National Academy Press).

Native American women are twice as likely to be raped than women of any other race (Flynn, Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics as reported in Oklahoma Indian Times, 3/1999 issue). American Indians suffered seven rapes or sexual assaults per 1,000 compared to three per 1,000 among African-Americans, two per 1,000 among whites, and one per 1,000 among Asians. In addition, the Department of Justice has concluded that American Indian women are at a significantly higher risk for being stalked (Stalking and Domestic Violence, The Third Annual Report to Congress under the Violence Against Women Act, 1998).

One Native Woman's Story...
I once owned a lot of beautiful jewelry. I wore it all the time. Rings on all fingers, gold necklaces, silver bracelets--always on show. When told how beautiful my jewelry was, I'd quietly say, "My husband buys these for me." But I didn't wear the jewelry because I was proud of it.
An envious person once said, "Oh, how I wish my husband would surprise me and buy such beautiful gifts." So I began to strip off pieces of the jewelry I was wearing. I held each item out to her. I offered her a ring, a bracelet--whatever she wanted. She couldn't imagine why I would so freely give away the precious jewelry that my husband had given me. She asked, "Won't your husband be upset that you're giving his gifts away?"

I replied, "No. I have so much, you see, that he'll never miss it."

I didn't tell her the personal price I'd paid for the finery which decorated my hands, arms, and neck. I didn't say that I'd bought every meaningless bauble myself with pain, terror and sadness. But then, how could I explain that I had so much jewelry because each time my husband hit, slapped or beat me, he would apologize--try to appease me and win me back--with jewelry?

--Anonymous