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1 Christopher A. Innes & Lawrence A. Greenfeld, Violent State Prisoners and Their Victims 1 (1990)

handle is hein.death/vsprv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report Violent State Prisoners and Their Victims By Christopher A. Innes, Ph.D. and Lawrence A. Greenfeld BJS Statisticians The, 11986 Survey of linmates In State C'or- rectional Facilities, in interviews with a na- tionally representative sample of Inmates, collected Information from the violent of- fenders about their victims. The 245,562 offenders serving time :lin. State prisons for crimes of violence had victimized an esti- mated 409,000 persons: About 79,300 victims killed, 51,100 victims sexually as- saulted, 201,200 victims robbed, 56,400 assaulted, and 20,400 victims suffering other types of violence. While nearly a third of violent male off end- ers reported that they were serving a sen- tence for robbing a stranger, more than a quarter of the violent female offenders were in prison for killing a relative or intimate. Among white offenders 89% said that they ,had victimized another white, compared to 49% of black inmates who reported having victi mized; another black. Other findings from the survey include - • Violent offenders did not differ significantly from nonviolent offenders In sex, ethnicity, age, marital status, or education. However, violent offenders were more likely to be black (51%) than were nonviolent offenders (42% black). 9 About 1 in 4 violent offenders (27%) was Imprisoned for an offense that had, led to a victim's death. Nearly half of the violent female Inmates had killed their victim. o Of all violent offenders, 59% reported not knowing their victim, 24% said they knew the victim very well or as an acquaintance, 10% said the victim was a relative, and 7% described the victim as an intimate, (ex- spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend). 9 More than 5 out of 10 violent offenders re- ported that the victim or victims were male, almost 4 out of 10 had only female victims, and nearly 1 out of 10 reported, both male and female victims. Three-quarters of the violent victimizations involving both sexes were robberies. o Almost 65% of violent prisoners reported that the victim was white, 28% reported having black victims only, and 3% Identified their victims as Native American or Asian. Another 5% said their crimes involved multi- pie victims of differing races: 76% of these multiple-race victimizations were robberies. o Imprisoned violent offenders reported having victimized more than, 40,000 per- sons under age 18. Of these young: vic- tims, 71% were raped, or sexually assaulted. * Violent offenders with the most extensive criminal histories were the most likely to have victimized: a stranger. Conversely, first-time offenders were the most likely to have victimized a relative or intimate. 0 About a quarter lof the women serving time for a violent offense said that a spouse or relative was their victim. Nearly 35% of the women without a prior criminal history July 1990 Victims of violence and violent offenders are topics of Increasing importance to policymakers and the public. This Spe- cial Report provides the first detailed examination of the characteristics of per- sons victimized by violent offenders in State prisons. Analysis of the responses from a nationally representative sample of State prisoners furthers our under- standing of victim risks and helps to de- fine more precisely the nature of violent cdime. Data obtainedr from the 1986 Survey of Inmates In State Correctional Facilities are available through the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data at the University of Michigan. We: gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of State prison officials who made this survey possible and look forward to their contin- ued participation in the next survey to be conducted in 1991. Steven D. Dillingham, Ph.D. Director reported victimizing a spouse or relative, compared to 13% of the female inmates with a prior criminal history. 9 Over two-thirds of the violent inmates reported that either they or their victims were using alcohol or drugs at the time of the crime. 0.

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