Many of us have heard an older person, perhaps a grandparent, pine for the "good old days" when life was simpler and crime was nonexistent. In reality, there has always been crime, although it has undoubtedly been more prevalent in recent decades than in earlier times. Crime victimization has dropped overall in recent years for both men and women, although men's numbers have dipped more dramatically.
Would you expect more women or more men to report being the victim of a violent crime? Some might say women, due to crimes such as domestic violence and rape. Men, however, are more likely to self-report that they were the victims of violent crimes. Numbers for males are consistently higher, although women may underreport certain types of victimization.
According to the United States Department of Justice, about 68 of every 1,000 males over the age of 12 reported being the victim of a crime - a staggering figure. Meanwhile, females' rates of victimization were less than half of that number. Victimization rates for both sexes peaked in 1982, reflecting the troubled times. The numbers through the rest of that decade are consistently around 35 for women and 56 for men, plateau-like through the Reagan years. Starting in about 1989, there is a short, but steady, increase each year until another peak in 1993. That year saw about 40 women per 1,000 reporting violent crime victimization, the highest level ever. Men held constant at about 60. Thereafter, through the 1990s, the figures took a sharp downward turn, which correlates with the economic good times of those years. The most recent figures available, for the year 2006, show that the trend continued all the way through that year, registering the lowest levels since the survey began for both sexes: 15 for women and 25 for men.
If you have been accused of a crime in Florida, contact the criminal defense attorneys of Musca Law as soon as possible.
