Building Knowledge About Victim Services

Victims received assistance from a victim service provider in 9% of violent victimizations[1] in 2021, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey. Victim service providers (VSPs) are a diverse set of public and private organizations, including nonprofit and faith-based, governmental, health care, tribal, for-profit, educational, and other organizations that serve victims of crime or abuse. They offer counseling, referrals, compensation assistance, and emergency safety planning to victims, among other supports.

Historically, most research on victim services draws from the perspective of the victim. This includes the National Crime Victimization Survey, which gathers information from victims of crime on whether they received any services and whether those services were from a government or private agency. Examining data from the survey can show use of services over time by victim demographics (such as victim sex) and by type of crime experienced (such as rape or sexual assault). Victims are in the best position to report if they needed and received services and whether the services helped them.

It is also important to obtain information from organizations that help victims of crime. To that end, BJS’s Victim Services Statistical Research Program (VSSRP) is building knowledge about victim services by collecting and analyzing national data from the diverse entities that serve victims in all states in addition to victims (see exhibit 1). These efforts include a broad redesign of the National Crime Victimization Survey and the development of two new data collections to help address gaps in understanding and create a more complete picture of how victim services are provided.

Exhibit 1. The Victim Services Statistical Research Program.

Current Trends for Receiving Victim Services

The National Crime Victimization Survey is the nation’s primary source of information on criminal victimization.[2] Each year, the survey obtains data from a nationally representative sample of approximately 240,000 people in about 150,000 households. The survey collects information on nonfatal personal crimes (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault, and personal larceny) and household property crimes (burglary/trespassing, motor vehicle theft, and other types of household theft) both reported and not reported to the police. For each victimization incident, the survey collects information about characteristics of the crime, including information about the individual(s) perpetrating the offense, use of weapons, nature of injury, and whether the victim received victim services.

Using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey, we can examine assistance from VSPs over time and by characteristics such as victim demographics or crime type.

Use of Victim Services Over Time

During the 29-year period from 1993 to 2021, the percentage of violent victimizations reported to the police ranged from 40% to 51% (see exhibit 2). The percentage of violent victimizations reported to the police in 1993 (42%) was not significantly different from the percentage in 2021 (46%). Examining more recent years, data from the National Crime Victimization Survey show that the percentage of violent victimizations reported to the police did not change significantly from 2018 to 2020, although it increased from 2020 (40%) to 2021 (46%). In 2021, reporting to the police ranged from 22% to 61% based on the type of violent crime. About 22% of rape or sexual assaults were reported to the police, while about 61% of aggravated assaults were reported to the police in 2021.

Exhibit 2. Percentage of violent victimizations for which victims received assistance from a victim service provider or reported to police, 1993-2021.

In comparison, the percentage of violent victimizations in which the victim received victim services remained between 6% and 12%. This percentage was higher in 2021 (9%) compared to the percentage in 1993 (7%). More recently, assistance from a VSP declined from 11% of violent victimizations in 2018 to 6% in 2020, before increasing to 9% in 2021. In 2021, victim services assistance ranged from 7% to 15% based on the type of violent crime (see exhibit 3 for more detail).

By Type of Crime

Assistance received from a VSP varied by crime type between 2017 and 2021. Rape or sexual assault victimizations had the highest use of victim services (15%) compared to those who experienced other types of violent crime (see exhibit 3). The victim accessed services from a VSP in about 1 in 10 violent victimizations, excluding simple assault (rape or sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault).

Exhibit 3. Percentage of violent victimizations for which victims received assistance from a victim service provider, by crime type, 2017-2021.

* Comparison group.
† Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.
^a Includes rape or sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017-2021.

For standard errors, see appendix table 2.

By Victim Demographics

Victim service use varied by victim demographic during 2017-2021. The percentage of violent victimizations involving female victims who received assistance from a VSP (11%) was higher compared to male victims (6%) (see exhibit 4). During this period, victims ages 12-17 received assistance from a VSP in 14% of violent victimizations, which was higher than any other age group. When analyzing by marital status, data from the National Crime Victimization Survey show that a larger percentage of violent victimizations involving separated individuals received services from a VSP (16%) compared to victims who were never married (8%). A lower percentage of violent victimizations involving victims who live in a household with an annual income of $50,000-$99,999 (7%) or a household with an annual income of $200,000 or more (6%) received victim services from a VSP compared to victims who live in a household with an annual income of less than $25,000 (9%). There were no significant differences in the percentage of violent victimizations for which victims received services by victim race or Hispanic origin.

Exhibit 4. Percentage of violent victimizations for which victims received assistance from a victim service provider, by demographic characteristics of victims, 2017-2021.

Note: Violent crime includes rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault.
* Comparison group.
† Difference with comparison year is significant at the 95% confidence level.
‡ Difference with comparison year is significant at the 90% confidence level.
^a Excludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic white persons and “Black” refers to non-Hispanic Black persons).
^b Includes persons who identified as Asian only or as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander only. Categories are not shown separately due to small numbers of sample cases.
^c Includes persons who identified as American Indian or Alaska Native only or as two or more races. Categories are not shown separately due to small numbers of sample cases.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017-2021.

For standard errors, see appendix table 3.

By Relationship Between Victim and Person Who Perpetrated the Crime

Between 2017-2021, assistance from a VSP varied depending on the relationship between the victim and the person who perpetrated the crime.[3] Victims received assistance from a VSP in a larger percentage of violent victimizations that were committed by someone the victim knew (that is, an intimate partner, other relative, or well-known person or acquaintance) (12%),[4] compared to violent victimizations where the individual was a stranger to the victim (4%) (see exhibit 5). More specifically, victims received services from a VSP in a larger percentage of violent victimizations that were committed by an intimate partner (19%) or another relative (16%) compared to any other type of relationship between the victim and the person who perpetrated the crime.

Exhibit 5. Percentage of violent victimizations for which victims received assistance from a victim service provider, by relationship between victim and person who perpetrated the crime, 2017-2021.

Note: Violent crime includes rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault.
* Comparison group.
† Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.
^a Includes the subset of violent victimizations that were committed by current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017-2021.

For standard errors, see appendix table 4.

Victim Services and Reporting to the Police

After a crime, victims may receive victim services, report the crime to the police, do both, or do neither. During the five-year aggregate period from 2017 to 2021, victims of crime:

• Received victim services and reported the victimization to the police in 5% of violent victimizations (see exhibit 6).
• Received victim services but did not report the victimization to the police in 3% of violent victimizations.
• Did not receive victim services but reported the victimization to the police in 38% of violent victimizations.
• Did not receive victim services or report the victimization to the police in 53% of violent victimizations.

During this period, whether the victim received assistance from a VSP or reported the victimization to the police varied by crime type. Victims received victim services and reported the victimization to the police in 10% of rape or sexual assault victimizations, which was higher than the percentages of robbery (6%), aggravated assault (7%), and simple assault (4%) victimizations. The percentage of victimizations where the victim only accessed victim services was also higher for rape or sexual assault (6%) compared to robbery (1%) or aggravated assault victimizations (2%). In contrast, the percentage of victimizations where the victim only reported the crime to the police was higher for robbery (48%), aggravated assault (51%), and simple assault victimizations (36%) compared to the percentage of rape or sexual assault victimizations (19%).

Exhibit 6. Percentage of victimizations for which victims accessed victim services or reported to police, by crime type, 2017-2021.

Note: Does not include cases where the victim did not know if they received assistance from a victim service provider or did not know whether the victimization was reported to police. These cases represented about 2.7% of all violent victimizations in 2017-2021.
*Comparison group.
† Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.
‡ Difference with comparison group is significant at the 90% confidence level.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017-2021.
For estimates and standard errors, see appendix table 5.

Ongoing Work

BJS is currently redesigning the National Crime Victimization Survey to improve measurement for certain types of crime and introduce content on police performance and community safety. As part of this work, BJS is examining ways to expand information collected about victim services. Currently, the survey asks respondents two questions related to victim services: whether they received any help from an office or agency that deals with victims of crime, and if it was a government or private agency. BJS is currently testing additional questions on:

• Informal help seeking (such as from friends or family).
• Whether victims received formal services.
• Types of services received (for example, hotline, legal services, or housing).
• How satisfied victims were with services received.
• If victims who did not receive services wanted services.
• Why those who wanted services did not receive them.

In addition, BJS — with funding assistance from the Office for Victims of Crime — developed two data collections as a part of the VSSRP: the National Census of Victim Service Providers (NCVSP) and the National Survey of Victim Service Providers (NSVSP). In 2017, the NCVSP was the first nationwide data collection on VSPs; it produced a count of all VSPs operating across the United States and provided additional details on their organizational characteristics. Using these data, BJS mapped locations of VSPs with county population data from the U.S. Census Bureau to produce interactive maps showcasing VSP coverage across the country.[5] Two years after the NCVSP, the NSVSP surveyed a representative sample of VSPs and collected more in-depth information about both the organizations that serve victims and the victims who receive services. Data collection for the 2023 NCVSP began in September 2023. Once data collection for the NCVSP has concluded, planning will begin for the next NSVSP.

Other BJS-sponsored surveys — including the Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities, National Survey of Tribal Court Systems, Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices, and Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies — all contain questions related to victim services. BJS also has ongoing research and development efforts to strengthen information collected on victim services from VSPs and crime victims. Through these different projects, BJS hopes to continue strengthening the knowledge and data available about victim services and their providers.

For More Information

Visit the VSSRP program page.

About This Article

This article was published as part of NIJ Journal issue number 286.

Appendix Tables