FEDERAL |
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| Two sources of victimization data are available at the Federal level - official data, and self-report data. First, official statistics are available through the Uniform Crime Reports or UCR, collected by the FBI. The Crime Index (Part I) of the UCR includes police reports on homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. It is important to note that intimate partner violence and child abuse statistics are not compiled by the UCR, except as included in other Part I categories (such as forcible rape or aggravated assault). In addition, the UCR includes only crimes that are reported to police, and reporting is voluntary by the police agency. The UCR also collects detailed information about homicides, through the Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR). In 1991, the FBI began implementing a new federal reporting system known as the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This system is gradually replacing the UCR. Whereas the UCR counted incidents and arrests for only eight offenses, NIBRS provides detailed incident information on 46 Group A offenses representing 22 categories of crimes. NIBRS also makes a distinction between attempted and completed crimes. Further, NIBRS definitions of certain offenses are more inclusive than the UCR definitions. For example, the NIBRS definition of rape has been expanded to include male victims. Published reports from NIBRS are available on the BJS web page www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs. Like the UCR, participation in NIBRS is voluntary. As of December 2002, seven states were reporting for 100% of their population: Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The second source of victimization data is self-report data. At the national level, these data are compiled from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The NCVS is a national household-based survey that samples households using a stratified multistage cluster random sample, and the same is drawn from census data. The NCVS interviews all members of the household age 12 and older. Approximately 90,000 individuals living in about 45,000 housing units are included. The NCVS uses a panel design by which all eligible household members are interviewed every six months for three years. The NCVS is conducted for the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) by the Census Bureau. The NCVS attempts to capture the "dark figure" of crime, crimes that are not reported to the police. One limitation of the NCVS is that it does not capture homeless individuals or those living in institutional settings such as prisons, detention centers. The NCVS also does not capture the experiences of a person who has left a household to escape violence (shelters or group homes). Further, the NCVS does not count homicides (as the victim is unavailable.)
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STATE & LOCAL |
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| Intimate Partner Violence Data The Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence (MCADV) collects monthly service reports from all domestic violence service providers in the State of Missouri. These are published annually, with both statewide and regional reports. To review the annual reports, click on www.mocadv.org go to Resources go to Important Documents. Arrest Data The St. Louis County Police Department/Bureau of Crimes Against Persons/Domestic Violence Unit collects arrest data on intimate assault. The main number is 314-615-5400. Adult and Child Orders of Protection These are gathered by the Circuit Clerk's Office of the Circuit Court of St. Louis County and issued by the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Council. The reports can be found at www.stlouiscodvcouncil.com. Child Maltreatment The Missouri Department of Social Services issues annual reports on child abuse and neglect. Data are aggregated at the state and county level (or city and county level in the case of St. Louis). The reports are available at www.dss.mo.gov/re/. |