ALLIANCE FOR
SAFETY AND JUSTICE

ALLIANCE FOR
SAFETY & JUSTICE

ALLIANCE FOR
SAFETY AND JUSTICE

ABOUT ALLIANCE FOR SAFETY
AND JUSTICE
Alliance for Safety and Justice (ASJ), a
project of the Tides Center, is a national
organization that aims to win new safety
priorities in states across the country.
ASJ partners with leaders and advocates
to advance state reform through networking, coalition
building, research, education and advocacy. ASJ also
brings together diverse crime survivors to advance
policies that help communities most harmed by crime and
violence. ASJ is the sister organization of Californians for
Safety and Justice, also a project of Tides Center.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report is made possible through the philanthropic
support provided to Alliance for Safety and Justice by:
Ford Foundation, Future Justice Fund, Open Philanthropy
Project, Public Welfare Foundation, Open Society
Foundations, and Rosenberg Foundation. Thank you for
making our work possible.
ASJ also leaned on the experience of its sister
organization, Californians for Safety and Justice (CSJ), in
producing this report. Many thanks are owed to CSJ staff
and team for their dedication and ongoing work to elevate
the voices of crime survivors in policy debates on criminal
justice and safety. Similarly, ASJ was able to learn from
CSJ’s extensive network of crime survivors and victims,
Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice and the Crime
Survivors for Safety and Justice Leadership Team. Thank
you for your leadership. Additionally, ASJ has learned
tremendously from our partners in VOCA advocacy,
Equal Justice USA and Common Justice. Thank you for
your partnership.
Many people played a role in developing and executing
this work. ASJ would like to especially thank Seiji
Carpenter at David Binder Research for his invaluable
contributions. ASJ would also like to thank attorney
and victims’ issues expert Heather Warnken for her
thoughtful feedback and constant support.
Finally, and most importantly, we would like to thank
all of the people who have told us their stories and
allowed us to learn from their experiences as survivors
of crime. We owe a great deal to those who have allowed
themselves to be profiled in this report and who speak out
with great courage and conviction. Thank you deeply.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

?
PAGE 4

PAGE 6

PAGE 7

Executive Summary

Introduction and
Background

Who Are Crime Victims?

PAGE 9

PAGE 11

PAGE 13

What Is the Impact of
Crime on Victims?

Is the Criminal Justice
System Meeting
Victims’ Needs?

What Are the Perspectives
of Victims on the Criminal
Justice System and Public
Safety Policies?

PAGE 24

PAGE 26

PAGE 29

What Are Victims’ Views
on the Role of Prosecutors?

Conclusion and
Recommendations

Data and
Methodology

?

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
There is no more important function of our safety and
justice systems than protecting crime victims and those
who are at-risk of becoming a victim of crime.
Despite this foundational goal, few safety and justice
policy debates are informed by a comprehensive
examination of the experiences and views of the nation’s
diverse crime survivors.
The United States is in the midst of a significant shift
in criminal justice policy. For the first time in decades,
criminal justice practitioners, lawmakers, and the general
public are rethinking sentencing laws, prison spending,
and the best ways to address crime and violence.
There has never been a more important time to investigate
and elevate the perspectives of those most commonly
victimized by violence and crime. If new approaches to
safety and justice do not incorporate the voices of crime
survivors, this new era of reform risks failing to deliver on
the breakthrough the country needs.

This changing landscape presents an important
opportunity to correct misperceptions that have driven
public policy in the past, and gather new information that
can help shape smarter approaches to safety and justice.
To begin filling the gap in available and representative
data on who crime victims are and their policy
priorities, in April of 2016, Alliance for Safety and Justice
commissioned the first-of-its-kind National Survey
of Victims’ Views. This report describes the findings
from this survey and points to opportunities for further
research and reform to advance polices that align with the
needs and perspectives of victims.
Perhaps to the surprise of some, victims overwhelmingly
prefer criminal justice approaches that prioritize
rehabilitation over punishment and strongly prefer
investments in crime prevention and treatment to more
spending on prisons and jails. These views are not always
accurately reflected in the media or in state capitols and
should be considered in policy debates.

KEY FINDINGS
VICTIMS’ EXPERIENCES
One in four people have
been a victim of crime in the
past 10 years, and roughly
half of those have been the
victim of a violent crime

Victims of crime are more likely to be: low-income,
young, people of color
Violent crime victims are four times as likely to be
repeat crime victims of four or more crimes

Victims of crime experience significant challenges
in recovery and healing — eight in 10 report
experiencing at least one symptom of trauma
More than four in 10 victims have worried for their
safety due to witnessing violence or another crime

Two out of three victims did
not receive help following the
incident, and those who did were
far more likely to receive it from
family and friends than the criminal
justice system

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VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON PUBLIC POLICY
REHAB

PUNISH

By a 2 to 1 margin, victims prefer
that the criminal justice system
focus more on rehabilitating
people who commit crimes than
punishing them

By a margin of 15 to 1, victims
prefer increased investments in
schools and education over more
investments in prisons and jails
By a margin of 10 to 1, victims
prefer increased investments in job
creation over more investments in
prisons and jails
By a margin of 7 to 1, victims
prefer increased investments in
mental health treatment over more
investments in prisons and jails

By a margin of nearly 3 to
1, victims believe that prison
makes people more likely
to commit crimes than to
rehabilitate them
By a margin of 7 to 1, victims
prefer increased investments
in crime prevention and
programs for at-risk youth over
more investments in prisons
and jails

6 IN 10
victims prefer shorter prison
sentences and more spending on
prevention and rehabilitation to
prison sentences that keep people
incarcerated for as long
as possible

VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON THE ROLE OF
PROSECUTORS
Seven in 10 victims prefer that
prosecutors focus on solving
neighborhood problems and
stopping repeat crimes through
rehabilitation, even if it means fewer
convictions and prison sentences

Six in 10 victims prefer that prosecutors consider
victims’ opinions on what would help them recover
from the crime, even when victims do not want long
prison sentences

BY A MARGIN OF

3 TO 1

victims prefer holding people
accountable through options
beyond prison, such as
rehabilitation, mental health
treatment, drug treatment,
community supervision, or
community service

By a margin of 4 to 1, victims
prefer increased investments
in drug treatment over more
investments in prisons and
jails
By a margin of 2 to 1, victims
prefer increased investments
in community supervision,
such as probation and parole,
over more investments in
prisons and jails

VICTIMS’ VIEWS CONSISTENT
ACROSS DEMOGRAPHICS
For each of the questions above, there is majority
or plurality support across demographic groups,
including age, gender, race and ethnicity, and
political party affiliation

YES!

FOR SURE

YES!

For each of the questions above, there is majority
or plurality support among both crime
victims overall and victims of violent crimes,
including the most serious crimes such as rape or
murder of a family member

The following report includes more findings and supplemental data from national sources to illuminate who is impacted
by crime, how they are experiencing the criminal justice system, and what their views are on safety and justice policy.

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 5

AND

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

Advancing safety and justice for crime victims involves
holding individuals who commit crimes accountable, as
well as stopping cycles of crime and repeat victimization.
Victims also need pathways to recovery, including
support to overcome the physical, emotional and financial
consequences of crime.
Currently, the most comprehensive information available
about crime victims is the National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau
and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice
Statistics.
The NCVS is an annual data collection from a nationally
representative sample of more than 90,000 U.S.
households and nearly 160,000 people age 12 and older.
The annual NCVS report is invaluable for understanding
many facets of victimization, including unreported crime.

We also hope this survey contributes to a greater
understanding of crime victim issues and perspectives.
None of the nation’s 50 states regularly conduct statelevel analyses of victimization or victims’ experiences
and perspectives. This is a profound gap, particularly
considering that the majority of criminal justice policymaking occurs at the state level.1
The National Survey of Victims’ Views was conducted
by David Binder Research2, which contacted a nationally
representative sample of 3,165 people across the country,
and, from that pool, identified and interviewed over 800
victims. Unless otherwise cited, the data contained in this
report reflect findings from the survey and the responses
of this broad cross section of crime survivors from around
the country.

The April 2016 National Survey of Victims’ Views helps fill
some of the gaps in knowledge that remain, in particular,
victims’ views on safety and justice policy and the ways in
which victims experience the criminal justice system.

6 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

?

WHO ARE

?

?

?

?

CRIME
VICTIMS?

Crime in the United States impacts large numbers of
people every year.
In 2014 alone, there were more than 20 million
victimizations affecting more than 13 million people in
the United States.3 In other words, eight percent of all
households experienced a property crime and more
than 3 million people were the victim of at least one
violent crime.4
To go beyond a one-year snapshot, our National Survey of
Victims’ Views utilized a longer 10-year reference period
to incorporate people who are repeatedly victimized, as
well as a broader cross-section of those who occasionally
experience crime.

Survey findings indicate that ONE IN
FOUR people have been crime victims
in the past 10 years, and half of those
were victims of a violent crime.

However, according to national data, the strongest
predictor of victimization is having previously been a
victim of crime.5 This is known as repeat victimization.
According to the survey, repeat crime victims bear a
sharply disproportionate share of the impact of crime
and violence. People who have been the victim of a
violent crime are more than four times as likely to
have been victimized four or more times. More than
one-third (35%) of victims of a violent crime have been
repeatedly victimized.

VICTIMS OF

4X

VIOLENT CRIME
ARE

AS LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE

Survivors of violent crime are the most likely to
experience repeat victimization
The group of people that experiences crime is as diverse
as the United States itself, and violence impacts people of
all walks of life.

REPEAT
VICTIMIZATION

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 7

Nearly everyone who reports being the victim of a violent
crime also reports being the victim of a property crime.
Fewer than four percent of victims report experiencing only
violent crime.

7

OUT OF

10

VICTIMS SURVEYED
REPORT BEING THE
VICTIM OF MULTIPLE
CRIMES

People of color experience the most crime
Both the NCVS and our survey show higher rates of
victimization for people of color. The survey results
indicate that people of color6 are 15 percent more likely
to be victims of crime. This finding is supported by the
NCVS — in 2014, black people were nearly one-third
more likely to have been victims of violent crime than
white people.7
Young people experience the most crime
The largest disparities in victimization relate to a person’s
age. According to NCVS, young people are the most
common victims, with 18–24 year-olds experiencing
crime at nearly twice the rate of any other age group.8
These young people are also most likely to live in an
urban area, where residents are 50 percent more likely to
experience crime than their peers in rural or suburban
areas.9 These findings align with survey results showing
that people under the age of 40 and people living in urban
areas are more likely to be victims of crime.
People in low-income communities experience the
most crime
There are also large disparities across economic
groups. The results of one study found that the rate of
victimization among individuals with family incomes of
less than $15,000 was over three times the rate of those
with family incomes of $75,000 or more.10 This study
aligns with survey findings that people who report making
less than $50,000 or describe themselves as poor are more
likely to be victims of crime.

ASWAD, CALIFORNIA
On Aug. 24, 2009, I had finished college and was
offered a contract to play professional basketball
in Europe. My dreams were coming true. That
evening, as I was leaving a convenience store,
two men tried to rob me. Before I knew it, I was
lying on the ground, shot twice in my back. I
nearly died. Weeks in the hospital turned into
months of rehabilitation. Those bullets ended my
basketball career.
I didn’t know what I needed to heal from the
trauma: how to access the physical and emotional
support necessary to fully recover. It was
overwhelming just to pay medical bills, handle
inquiries from law enforcement and return to work.
At times, I have asked, “Why me?” But five out
of 10 men in my family had been shot, and I’ve
lost 40 friends to gun violence, including my best
friend when we were only 10.
While recovering, I decided to replace despair
and resentment with action. I made a commitment
to stop cycles of violence that for decades have
plagued too many communities of color, even
while spending on prisons skyrocketed.
There’s no shortage of resources; it’s that too little
is invested in helping victims or our hardest hit
communities. I’m committed to changing that. I
went back to school for my masters in social work
and now work to ensure that community groups
best positioned to serve our most vulnerable
communities can access the resources they need.
When I see the scars on my body from that night
in 2009, I often think I should not be here. But
when I look at the faces of survivors I now work
with, I am reminded of what I am here to do.

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WHAT IS

THE IMPACT OF ?

CRIME ON VICTIMS?
Crime affects feelings of safety for victims
Survey findings reveal that victims are more likely than
non-victims to feel unsafe in their communities. While
five in 10 people who have not experienced crime feel
very safe in the area where they live, only three in
10 victims of crime report feeling very safe in their
community. For victims of violent crime, the rate of
feeling unsafe is even higher. One in four victims of
violent crime feel unsafe in their neighborhood — nearly
2.5 times the number of non-victims.
In addition to feeling less safe, victims also experience
a diminished quality of life as a result of crime. Four in
10 victims report that their lives are affected by crime in
the area where they live. Among those who have been
victims of a violent crime, more than half feel the impact
of neighborhood crime on their lives.
Women, people of color, and residents of urban areas
feel most impacted by crime
There are notable differences in individuals’ experience
of safety among people of different racial backgrounds or
income levels. Low-income people are nearly half as likely

ONLY
VICTIMS
OF CRIME

REPORT FEELING
VERY SAFE

IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

(38%) than high-income people (71%) to feel very safe.
Black and Latino people are less likely than white people
to feel very safe (38 and 40%, respectively, compared to
50%), and people from urban areas are less likely (37%)
than people living in suburban (45%) or rural (56%) areas.
These differences are magnified for women, who across
the board feel less safe than their male counterparts. For
example, whereas only 34 percent of Latina women and 35
percent of black women feel very safe in their community,
more than half (54%) of white men feel very safe. Men
from rural areas are the most likely to feel very safe (60%)
and women from urban areas are the least likely to feel
very safe (31%).
White victims surveyed are less likely to report that their
lives are impacted by crime (23%) than Latino victims
(38%) or African American victims (43%). People from
urban areas, people in low-income communities and
people with less educational attainment are all also more
likely to report feeling affected by crime than their rural or
higher-income or higher-educational-attainment peers.

PG 9

VICTIMS
REPORT

THAT THEIR LIVES

ARE AFFECTED

BY CRIME IN THE AREA
WHERE THEY LIVE.

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 9

Crime is a traumatic experience for victims
Crime is a traumatic experience for nearly everyone who
has been a victim. Sixty-three percent of crime survivors
overall and eight out of 10 victims of violent crime
describe their experience as traumatic.

8 IN 10

EXPERIENCED AT
LEAST ONE SYMPTOM
OF TRAUMA.

Below are some of the ways in which crime harms the
physical and mental well-being of those surveyed:
•	 8 in 10 experienced at least one symptom of trauma
•	 2 in 10 victims were injured or experienced medical
problems from the incident
•	 6 in 10 experienced stress (65%)
•	 More than half experienced anxiety (51%) or feelings
of fear (51%)
•	 4 in 10 experienced difficulty sleeping (41%) after
the incident
This is especially true for repeat crime victims. According
to national data, people who are repeatedly victimized
are more likely than other crime victims to suffer mental
health problems, such as higher levels of depression,
anxiety and symptoms related to Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD).11

Victims experience additional trauma from witnessing
other crime incidents
For many victims, the harmful impacts of crime and
violence are compounded by experiences they have
witnessing crime and violence against others. The
majority of crime victims, in particular victims of violent
crime, have witnessed other crime incidents, beyond their
own victimization.
Six out of 10 victims surveyed have witnessed someone
else being hit or assaulted in the past 10 years. For victims
of violent crime, three out of four victims surveyed have
witnessed someone else being hit or assaulted.

6 IN 10

HAVE WITNESSED
SOMEONE ELSE BEING
HIT OR ASSAULTED IN
THE PAST 10 YEARS.

The compounded traumatic impacts of both being a direct
victim of crime and being exposed to crime and violence
against others indicates that victims living in communities
experiencing concentrated crime suffer greater levels of
chronic trauma than victims who do not. Four in 10 crime
victims who have witnessed violence have feared for their
safety as a result.

JOHN, CONNECTICUT
Over the course of three years, I was robbed once and burglarized
twice at my apartment. I was physically assaulted during the
robbery. The physical wounds didn’t take long to heal, but the
mental and emotional scars stayed with me for many years. I
avoided using the front door where I was accosted, and I was
skittish of people hanging out in my neighborhood.
The police never caught the men who robbed me. They drove me around and tried to pin the crime on an innocent person.
I refused to identify the wrong person. Instead, I channeled my feeling of helplessness into creating an environment of
safety where I lived. I formed a safety committee in my building. We installed handlebars to quickly close the doors behind
us, trimmed the bushes and built community among each other.
Other than talking with friends and family, I didn’t receive support to deal with the aftermath. These incidents occurred
more than a dozen years ago, but when I think about them, they still trigger traumatic memories and feelings. I don’t wish
for retribution, but I do want to help come up with solutions that can provide support services for victims to help them heal.

10 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

IS THE

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

MEETING VICTIMS’ NEEDS?

The traumatic impacts of being a victim of violence
and crime extend to individuals’ personal, familial and
professional lives, and, left unaddressed, can have severe
and long-term impacts on the well-being and stability
of victims.

Two out of three victims
surveyed received no help
following the incident

When crime is reported to law enforcement, the criminal
justice system plays a critical role in facilitating medical,
economic, and emotional recovery for the crime victim.

Only one in 10 victims received assistance from a district
attorney or prosecutor’s office, and one in four received
help from a law enforcement agency.

Despite this important role, few crime survivors indicate
that the criminal justice system provided assistance in
addressing their victimization.

National data indicates that victims frequently do not
report crime to the authorities. According to NCVS,
more than half of violent crimes go unreported (54%).
Other research suggests that bystanders, relatives or
acquaintances, not the victims, report a substantial
portion of reported violent crime.12

Most victims do not receive help to recover
from crime
Two out of three victims surveyed received no help
following the incident.
Of those that receive help, it is not through the
criminal justice system
Of the victims that do report receiving help, the majority
received it from family and friends or the hospital, not the
criminal justice system.
•	 40 percent received recovery help from family
and friends
•	 35 percent received recovery help from hospitals

People are even less likely to report certain property
crimes (e.g., motor vehicle theft, burglary and theft), and
nationally about three-fifths (63%) of these crimes go
unreported.13
The survey indicates that many of these crimes are
unreported due to a belief that the criminal justice system
won’t help. The number one and two reasons for not
reporting cited by respondents, respectively, were feeling
that the police wouldn’t do anything and prosecution and
courts wouldn’t do anything.

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 11

For young people, a lack of support can have
particularly acute impacts
The lack of access to recovery supports has a negative
impact on victims’ future stability, and this is particularly
acute for those at most risk of being a victim of crime:
young people.

LUZ, NEW YORK
I am an adult survivor of multiple sexual assaults as
a child and adolescent, incest and rape, by a family
member and family friend, with the first assault
taking place when I was six. At 10 years old, I began
to engage in risky behavior that lasted for more than
a decade as a way to cope. I became a truant, ran
away from home and turned to drugs and sex to
disassociate myself from my traumatic experiences.
Fortunately, at the same time, I had some people
who loved, cared for and protected me. One brother
mothered me in a way our own mother couldn’t. A
cousin mentored me and helped me get summer
jobs and introduced me to a program where I
developed youth leadership skills with other young
people throughout NYC.
After leaving my hometown of Harlem, New York, at
19, I began my road to healing and stopped taking
drugs. Several years later, through working with an
agency that advocates an end to sexual violence, I
began to realize that I was a survivor. This motivated
me to seek support for my experiences. I received
culturally appropriate therapy for about 15 years,
which helped me become the person I am today
at 49 - a mom of three, a wife, an advocate to end
violence against women, especially child sexual
abuse, and a movement leader.
As a youth, I never called Child Protective Services
or law enforcement to deal with the perpetrators. I
don’t think knowing the perpetrators are in prison
would have helped me heal and it might have added
more trauma in my life because I would have had
to testify against them, leaving me with the burden
of breaking up my family unit. What I do want is for
them to receive the help they need to see the impact
of their actions and to value women and children,
and to learn to love and be loved in healthy and
appropriate ways.

Youth and young adults between the ages of 18–24 are
particularly vulnerable following victimization and can
suffer from the long-term impacts of unaddressed trauma,
such as difficulty with school, work, relationships and
poor physical health. They are also the most at-risk for
later becoming involved in criminal activity if their needs
go unmet.14

HOW ARE MOST VICTIM SERVICES
FUNDED?
The largest source of funding for victim services is a
federal block grant program authorized by the Victims
of Crime Act (VOCA). VOCA funding, which states
allocate to programs that provide direct services for
victims, increased from $745 million in 2014 to $2.3
billion in 2015.15
Other programs that help victims recover from
the physical and emotional toll of crime — grief
counseling, clinical therapy, trauma support — are
provided by state and local governments, but no
reliable data on the scale of those investments is
readily available for analysis.

VOCA FUNDING

$745

MILLION

2014

$2.3

BILLION
2015

12 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

WHAT ARE THE

PERSPECTIVES OF VICTIMS
ON THE CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM

In addition to interviewing crime victims about their
experiences with crime and the criminal justice system,
the National Survey on Victims’ Views also collected
data about victims’ views on criminal justice and public
safety policy.
After decades of unprecedented growth in incarceration
rates and prison spending across the United States, the
nation is in the midst of a transition. For the first time,
lawmakers of all stripes and the general public agree
that the nation needs a new direction. Concerns about
waste in the justice system, depleted state budgets, the
racially disparate impacts of incarceration and the lack of
effectiveness of over-incarceration have led many to seek
new approaches to safety and justice.
In this era of change, it is important to re-examine
the underlying assumptions that contributed to
unprecedented growth in incarceration and prison
spending. Many of the shifts toward increased
incarceration were accompanied by a highly politicized
debate about the best way to protect public safety. In
many state capitols and in the media, victims of crime are
at times portrayed as strongly favoring tough sentencing
policies and maintaining high prison rates.

AND PUBLIC SAFETY
POLICIES?

Given the large impact of anecdotal representations of
victims’ views on public safety debates, this survey sought
to discern the perspectives of a more comprehensive and
representative group of crime victims.

Perhaps to the surprise of some, the
National Survey on Victims’ Views
found that the OVERWHELMING
MAJORITY of crime victims believe
that the criminal justice system relies
too heavily on incarceration, and
strongly PREFER INVESTMENTS IN
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT to
more spending on prisons and jails.

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 13

These findings, described in more detail below, hold true
across all demographic groups, including race, gender, age,
income and political party affiliation.16 They also hold true
for victims of violent crime as well as nonviolent crime.17

BY A MARGIN OF NEARLY

3 TO 1

victims believe that prison is more likely
to make people commit crimes than to
rehabilitate them. Victims are also more likely
to believe that the U.S. sends too many people
to prison (38%) than too few (29%).

GROWTH IN U.S. INCARCERATION
AND PRISON SPENDING
The U.S. prison population grew nearly 700% between
1972 and 2014. More than 2.2 million people are now
incarcerated at a cost to taxpayers of more than
$80 billion each year.18 Over the last three decades,
lawmakers in all 50 states have adopted stringent
mandatory sentencing laws and policies that limit
parole eligibility. These changes have increased the
number of people sent to prison and the length of time
they spend there.
But criminal justice experts now agree that today’s
levels of incarceration are not making us safer.19 In
2014, the National Academies of Sciences summarized
the research on the causes and consequences of mass
incarceration and found that “long prison sentences
are ineffective as a crime control measure.”20 Changes
to justice policy are starting to emerge. The state
prison population has declined slightly in recent
years. Many states took steps toward revising their
sentencing or corrections laws in 2014 and 2015, and
voters have even gone to the ballot to reverse some of
the harshest policies adopted in the 1980s and ‘90s.21

LINDSEY, TEXAS
It took days before my family and I found out that
my sister was killed by her husband. At first, we
thought she died in a car accident. It took even
longer — throughout the trial — to get the full
picture of what happened that day.
We now know that my sister and her husband
were arguing. In the heat of the moment, he shot
and killed her.
My family received no information, support, or
a sense of collaboration with officials handling
my sister’s case. In the immediate aftermath of
her death, we had to struggle just to get custody
of my nephew. We didn’t know who to go to for
information or how to get help. To this day, no one
in my family, except my nephew, has received
counseling. But the trauma has affected us all.
Victims and families need help recovering from
crime. I’ve also come to realize that focusing
too much on punishment can cause us to lose
sight of the big picture. Initially, I was very angry
at my brother-in-law and wanted retribution.
But with time, I began to think about how the
system had failed us all. My brother-in-law had
substance abuse addiction issues and had
been incarcerated. Did his drug addiction and
experience in prison play a role in his loss of
control? He’s not a bad person.
Public safety must be the top priority. But I believe
we can best achieve that by helping those with
substance abuse and mental health problems.
Our criminal justice system should do more to
help rehabilitate people like my brother-in-law
instead of making them worse off and more likely
to commit crimes.

14 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

VICTIMS PREFER A JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT FOCUSES
MORE ON REHABILITATION THAN PUNISHMENT
By a 2 to 1 margin, victims prefer that the criminal justice system focus more on rehabilitating
people who commit crimes than punishing them.

For every victim who prefers the
criminal justice system focus on
punishment…

…there are two victims who prefer
it focus on rehabilitation.

FOCUS ON
REHAB

FOCUS ON
PUNISHMENT

DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE MORE FOCUSED ON...
Punishing people who commit crimes
Rehabilitating people who commit crimes
66%

63%

58%

55%
38%

34%

32%

25%

Female

68%

24%

Male

White

Latino

Black

69%
60%

61%

60%

52%
41%
32%

33%

25%

Democrat

Republican

Independent

Violent Crime
Victim

30%

Property Crime
Victim Only

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 15

VICTIMS PREFER SHORTER PRISON SENTENCES AND
MORE SPENDING ON PREVENTION TO LONGER
PRISON SENTENCES
Six in 10 victims prefer
shorter prison sentences
and more spending
on prevention and
rehabilitation to prison
sentences that keep
people in prison for as
long as possible.

61%

SHORTER SENTENCES
SPENDING ON PREVENTION

WHICH DO YOU PREFER...
Prison sentences that keep people in prison for as long as possible
Shorter prison sentences and spending more on prevention and rehabilitation programs

62%

59%

59%

28%

23%

Female

54%

28%

Male

61%

White

23%

Rural

Suburb

24%

23%

Urban

20%

Latino

66%

31%

67%

62%

Black

63%

61%

27%

Violent Crime
Victim

25%

Property Crime
Victim Only

16 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

VICTIMS PREFER INVESTMENTS IN SCHOOLS AND
EDUCATION TO PRISONS AND JAILS
By a margin of 15 to 1, victims prefer more investment in schools and education to more investments
in prisons and jails.

89%

INVEST IN EDUCATION

6%

INVEST IN PRISONS

DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD...
Invest more in prisons and jails
Invest more in schools and education
90%

93%

88%

7%

5%
Female

9%

6%

Male

87%

Rural

Democrat

Suburb

9%

4%
Urban

5%

Republican

93%

86%

7%

90%

84%

Independent

90%

6%
Violent Crime
Victim

87%

7%
Property Crime
Victim Only

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 17

VICTIMS PREFER INCREASED INVESTMENTS IN JOB
CREATION AND CRIME PREVENTION TO PRISONS
AND JAILS
By a margin of 10 to 1, victims prefer more
investment in job creation to more investment in
prisons and jails.

10

By a margin of 7 to 1, victims prefer more investment
in crime prevention and programs for at-risk youth to
more investment in prisons and jails.

7

1

JOB
CREATION

PRISONS
AND JAILS

1

CRIME
PREVENTION

DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD...

PRISONS
AND JAILS

DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD...

Invest more in prisons and jails

Invest more in prisons and jails

Invest more in creating jobs

Invest more in programs for at-risk youth
and other crime prevention programs

88%

86%

11%

10%

9%
Female

8%

91%

7%
Democrat

Property Crime
Victim Only

Black

Republican

Female

88%

Democrat

Rural

Property Crime
Victim Only

86%

75%

10%

Republican

Independent

88%

83%

79%

16%

9%

Violent Crime
Victim

17%

4%
Independent

14%

Male

91%

80%

16%

14%

9%

86%

82%

80%

9%

2%

Latino

87%

98%

87%

84%

White

6%

Violent Crime
Victim

Male

11%

89%

85%

11%
Suburb

18 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

9%
Urban

VICTIMS PREFER INCREASED INVESTMENTS IN
TREATMENT TO PRISONS AND JAILS
By a margin of 7 to 1, victims prefer more
investment in mental health treatment to more
investment in prisons and jails.

By a margin of nearly 4 to 1, victims prefer
more investment in drug treatment to more
investment in prisons and jails.

73%

83%

INVEST MORE
IN DRUG
TREATMENT

INVEST MORE
IN MENTAL
HEALTH TREATMENT

DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD...

DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD...

Invest more in prisons and jails

Invest more in prisons and jails

Invest more in mental health treatment

Invest more in drug treatment

88%

83%

78%

14%

8%
Female

12%

82%

White

87%

9%
Democrat

11%

Violent Crime
Victim

Male

13%

83%

Latino

Republican

22%

18%
Female

23%

Black

White

81%

12%
Latino

88%
69%

23%
7%
Independent

Rural

20%

Violent Crime
Victim

Male

6%

73%

20%

69%

77%

16%

73%

71%

90%

81%

13%

Property Crime
Victim Only

74%

71%

20%
Suburb

Property Crime
Victim Only

80%

16%
Black

77%

17%
Urban

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 19

VICTIMS PREFER ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION
AND OPTIONS BEYOND PRISON TO HOLD PEOPLE
ACCOUNTABLE
By a margin of 2 to 1, victims prefer more
investment in community supervision, such as
probation and parole, to more investment in
prisons and jails.
PRISONS
AND JAILS

COMMUNITY
SUPERVISION

By a margin of 3 to 1, victims prefer holding people
accountable through options beyond just prison, such as
rehabilitation, mental health treatment, drug treatment,
community supervision, or community service.

DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD...

WHICH DO YOU PREFER…

Invest more in prisons and jails

Holding people who commit crimes accountable
by putting them in prison

Invest more in community supervision
such as probation and parole

63%

26%

Female

Violent Crime
Victim

Male

58%
30%

61%
29%

Rural

Property Crime
Victim Only

Latino

60%

25%

Suburb

27%

18%
Female

25%

20%

Violent Crime
Victim

Male

76%

67%

24%

White

25%

72%

69%

66%

62%

27%

26%

Holding people who commit crimes accountable
through different options beyond just prison

75%

63%

62%

PRISONS
AND JAILS

OPTIONS BEYOND
PRISON

76%

Property Crime
Victim Only

72%

62%
31%
15%
Black

66%

24%

Urban

19%

19%
Democrat

69%

22%

Rural

Republican

71%

23%

Suburb

20 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

Independent

70%

23%

Urban

Victims of Violent Crime Share the Views of Crime
Victims Overall
The vast majority of crime survivors believe we rely too
heavily on incarceration and want policymakers to invest
in new safety priorities that better protect victims and
help them recover from the crimes committed against
them. Victims of property and violent crime alike share
these views, and the nature of the crime incident matters
less than one might expect.

Survivors of violent crime — including victims of the
most serious crimes such as rape or murder of a family
member — widely support reducing incarceration to
invest in prevention and rehabilitation and strongly
believe that prison does more harm than good.

VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME WIDELY SUPPORT

REDUCING INCARCERATION TO
INVEST IN PREVENTION AND REHABILITATION

Do you prefer prison sentences that keep
people in prison for as long as possible OR
shorter prison sentences and spending more
on prevention and rehabilitation programs?

27%

LONGER

61%

SHORTER

Do you think that prison helps rehabilitate
people into better citizens OR makes them
more likely to commit crimes?

19%

REHABILITATES

52%

MORE LIKELY

Do you prefer holding people that commit
crimes accountable by putting them
in prison OR through different options
beyond just prison?

25%

PUT THEM

69%

SENTENCES
SENTENCES

PEOPLE

TO COMMIT CRIMES

IN PRISON

DIFFERENT

OPTIONS

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 21

MOTHERS OF MURDER VICTIMS ORGANIZING FOR
NEW SAFETY PRIORITIES

DORIS, ILLINOIS

DOROTHY, PENNSYLVANIA

Three days after my son was killed, I publicly forgave
the perpetrator. I didn’t know who did it, but I knew
many of my son’s friends would be at the vigil where
I declared my forgiveness, young people who
were angry and in pain. I did not want to provoke
vengeance or retribution. More violence would not
bring my beloved son back. I also thought about the
mother of the person who killed my son. She was
suffering, too; her child took someone’s life. I didn’t
want to add to that pain.

On December 6, 2001, at 2 a.m., I got a call. My
24-year-old son, Khaaliq, was in the hospital — shot
seven times by a neighbor over an argument about a
parking spot. By the time I arrived at the hospital, he
was already gone.

There isn’t a lot of support for mothers who’ve lost
their kids to violence. So, in 2013, I decided to form
an organization to meet that need. Padres Angeles
(Parents of Angels) conducts street outreach,
supports parents who’ve lost their children, and holds
workshops to strengthen family communication and
relationships. We also organize vigils and marches
to respond to community violence. By helping other
families, I found healing for myself.
I believe that violence is a complex issue that requires
a varied and coordinated response — much like
treating a cancer patient with surgery, chemotherapy
and radiation. The current criminal justice system’s
one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for low-income
communities of color. Instead of jails and prisons, we
need more emphasis on rehabilitation to help people
turn their lives around.

After Khaaliq died, I didn’t want to live. I was
overwhelmed by the pain, despair and anger.
Eventually, I received counseling to deal with my grief.
Two years after Khaaliq’s death, I formed Mothers in
Charge as another vehicle to channel my pain and find
healing. It is a lifeline for me and for others who have
lost loved ones.
What started as two dozen women meeting in our
homes has turned into a national support network of
more than 1,000 in cities in Pennsylvania, Delaware,
New York, New Jersey, Missouri, and California. Today,
we have expanded our work to advocate for safe
communities and prevent violence, and we go into jails
and prisons to work with children and women, many of
whom are survivors themselves.
We know hurt people hurt people. To truly stem violent
behavior, we have to address the root problems facing
people who commit crimes so they can come back into
our communities ready to make positive contributions.
We need to revamp the current criminal justice system
to provide treatment, education and other alternatives.

22 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

JUDY, OHIO
My son, Chris, was sitting with his friend in the parking
lot of a gym when he was shot and killed. He was only
24 years old. It was all for some car rims.
Three years after Chris’s murder, I formed Survivors/
Victims of Tragedy. I needed to be around a group of
people who intimately understood my struggles. We
regularly share meals together and hold meetings.
We organize memorial remembrances, vigils, and
rallies for those who have lost a loved one to
violence. Members of our group have also spoken at
schools and prisons about their experiences, which I
believe has helped people steer away from violence
themselves.
On the 13th anniversary of Chris’s death, I went to
prison to visit the man who murdered my son. He told
me that he wished he listened to the inner voice that
told him not to do it that day. He was recently denied
parole, but I do believe he should have a chance to
come out, be with his child and change his life.
The way our criminal justice system is set up currently
doesn’t allow for redemption. People in prison should
have access to education, anger management and
other programs so they have a real chance to heal
themselves and contribute to society when they’re
released. We must treat each other, even those
among us who have made serious mistakes, with more
humanity. It’s the only way forward.

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 23

WHAT ARE
THE

VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON

ROLE OF PROSECUTORS?

In addition to supporting rehabilitation over punishment,
shorter sentences and more spending on prevention, and
alternative options beyond prison, victims also support
prosecution approaches that emphasize stopping the cycle
of crime over a focus on tough sentences.

7in
10

victims prefer that prosecutors
focus on solving neighborhood
problems and stopping
repeat crimes through
rehabilitation, even if it means
fewer convictions and prison
sentences

Victims prefer prosecutors focus on solving
neighborhood problems
Seven in 10 victims prefer that prosecutors focus on
solving neighborhood problems and stopping repeat
crimes through rehabilitation, even if it means fewer
convictions and prison sentences.
Victims prefer prosecutors consider victims’ opinions
even when victims do not support long prison
sentences
Six in 10 victims prefer that prosecutors consider
victims’ opinions on what would help them recover from
the crime, even when victims do not want long prison
sentences.
For each of the findings on the role of prosecutors, victims
of violent crime demonstrate equal or stronger support
for reform than crime victims overall. These are especially
noteworthy findings given the experiences of violent
crime victims, who often have more contact with law
enforcement and prosecutors’ offices than those who have
been victims of property crime.

24 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

61%

WHICH SHOULD BE PROSECUTORS’ PRIMARY GOAL?
Getting as many convictions and prison sentences as possible OR solving
neighborhood problems and stopping repeat crimes through rehabilitation,
even if it means fewer convictions?
Crime victims overall

19%
74%

Violent crime victims

18%
77%

Serious violent
crime victims*

19%
77%

Convictions and long sentences

Solving neighborhood problems

* Serious violent crimes include rape, assault, sexual assault, or murder of a family member

HOW DO WE MEASURE AND DEFINE VIOLENT CRIME
To better understand the ways in which
people are most commonly victimized,
the survey asked interviewees whether
they had been the victim of rape, assault,
sexual assault, stalking, robbery, burglary,
theft, vandalism, identity theft, or the
murder of a family member.
These crimes represent the vast majority
of crimes reported to law enforcement
and collected by the FBI for the UCR.22
Crimes defined as violent for the
purposes of this survey include rape,
assault, sexual assault, stalking, robbery,
and the murder of a family member.

PERCENT OF CRIME SURVIVORS VICTIMIZED BY OFFENSE

VIOLENT CRIMES
Robbery

25%

Assault

25%

Rape

9%

Sexual assault

11%

Stalking

29%

Murder of a family member

12%

At least one violent crime

52%

PROPERTY CRIMES
Theft

79%

Burglary

38%

Vandalism

50%

Identity theft

53%

At least one property crime

93%

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 25

CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS:
NEW SAFETY

PRIORITIES
TO SUPPORT

CRIME SURVIVORS

AND STOP THE CYCLE OF CRIME
The National Survey of Victims’ Views is an important
step forward in understanding who victims are and
what they need to recover from the crimes committed
against them.
These results paint a different picture than some common
assumptions about victims, their views and what they
want from the criminal justice system.
One in four people have been a victim of crime in the
past 10 years. While crime impacts people from all
walks of life, the impact of crime is not evenly felt across
demographic groups. Young, low-income people of color
are more likely to experience victimization. Victims of
violent crime are nearly always also victims of property
crime and experience much higher rates of repeat
victimization.
Crime is a traumatic experience for most crime victims,
yet few are supported by the criminal justice system.
Two out of three victims received no help following

the incident and those who did were far more likely to
receive it from family and friends than law enforcement or
prosecutor offices.
Victims believe we send too many people to prison, for
too long, and that our current incarceration policies
make people more — not less — likely to commit another
crime. Instead of more spending on prisons and jails,
victims prefer a wide range of investments and new
safety priorities including more spending on education,
job creation programs, and mental health treatment.
Importantly, victims support reducing sentence lengths to
pay for these investments.
These beliefs cut across demographic groups, with a
majority of Republicans and Democrats supporting
reform regardless of how the question is asked. Perhaps to
the surprise of some, victims of violent crime also share
these views and demonstrate strong support for shifting
the focus of the criminal justice system from punishment
to rehabilitation.

26 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

Collectively, these findings point to several policy recommendations:

1

2

CONDUCT ANNUAL
VICTIMIZATION STUDIES AT
THE STATE LEVEL.

TARGET VICTIM SERVICES
FUNDING FOR THE
COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE
BEEN MOST HARMED
BY REPEAT CRIME AND
LEAST SUPPORTED BY THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

Use this information to inform justice policy and
develop solutions to crime that are responsive to
victims’ experiences and reflect their safety priorities.
More research and data are critical to identify the
policies and practices that best protect victims, stop
the cycle of crime and help victims recover. States
should invest in collecting more information on who
crime victims are and their experiences with the
justice system, crime reporting, the impact of repeat
victimization and trauma, and access to services and
treatment for victims.

3
INVEST IN EVIDENCE-BASED
SERVICES THAT PROTECT
CRIME SURVIVORS AND
STOP THE CYCLE OF
VICTIMIZATION, SUCH
AS THOSE PROVIDED
BY TRAUMA RECOVERY
CENTERS.
One of the key elements to improving public safety
and community health is helping victims recover
from the long-lasting impacts of crime. A growing
body of research demonstrates that untreated
trauma, especially among those who experience
repeat victimization, can contribute to substance
abuse, mental health issues, housing instability,
or other problems that increase the risk of being
a victim again in the future or even engaging in
crime.25 Model programs to help survivors access
trauma recovery support are developing across the
country and should be brought to scale.

Last year, the U.S. Congress increased the funding
cap of the 1984 Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) from
$745 million to $2.3 billion.23 The funding increase of
over 200% provides an unprecedented opportunity
for states to provide services to vulnerable victims
and communities experiencing concentrated crime
and violence.24

4
SUPPORT INNOVATIONS IN
PROSECUTION.
Despite strong support among crime survivors
for prosecution approaches that focus on
neighborhood problem solving, rehabilitation and
alternatives to incarceration, too few prosecutor
offices focus on these strategies or have support
to innovate and end the practice of overincarceration. Prosecutor offices should expand
new problem-solving approaches to stop the
cycle of crime, and states should expand support
for innovations in prosecution and elevate best
practices and models to be replicated and brought
to scale.

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 27

5
ADVANCE SENTENCING AND CORRECTIONS POLICIES THAT
MORE CLOSELY ALIGN WITH SURVIVORS’ PRIORITIES.
The “tough on crime era” was bolstered by a perception that mandatory sentencing and tough incarceration
policies were both popular with the public and supported by crime victims. Across the country, prisons budgets
have exploded and incarceration rates have skyrocketed. Now is the time for bold new approaches to sentencing
and investments in new safety priorities. A diverse group of states from California to Georgia to Maryland
have advanced sentencing reforms that have started to reduce incarceration rates and expand options beyond
prison, including rehabilitation, restorative justice, community supervision, mental health and drug treatment
and more. Victims support these types of reform. This report points to a strong new vision for safety. States
should take action to rethink tough mandatory sentencing, reduce over-incarceration, and reallocate from costly
prisons to crime prevention, education, job creation, treatment and alternatives, community health, and trauma
recovery. Crime survivors across demographic groups widely support these approaches to stop the cycle of
crime and protect future generations from falling through the cracks.

MICHELLE, CALIFORNIA
In my early 20s, someone I knew and trusted
sexually assaulted me. To make matters worse,
afterward, I was blamed and shamed on social
media. The trauma was so overwhelming that I
thought I would end up hospitalized. I had panic
attacks, had trouble focusing and concentrating and didn’t go out in public. I ended up quitting college
and losing my job.
I didn’t know how to ask for support, what I even needed, and who I could trust. I felt like I had to support
myself. So, I sought out classes on sexual violence and trauma, and found others who went through
similar experiences. I found teachers who understood my situation and could help explain what I felt. And
I found validation from others who suffered from PTSD and panic attacks.
But I needed more — I needed comfort. I didn’t want to go anywhere, and, yet, I had to go search for help in
all these different places. I wanted somewhere centralized where I could get the support I needed all in one
place and also have an advocate who could help me work through the process. My mom, who works for
the city, told me about Trauma Recovery Center in San Francisco, which provides wrap-around care to adult
survivors of trauma and violence. They provided me with regular therapy, referred me to a peer support
group and helped with transportation costs. I not only found support for myself, but I also got involved in
educating others about sexual violence and sexual health. It was life changing. My involvement in this
community and hearing others’ stories of hope and healing helped with my own trauma.
So many victims suffer in silence, and it impacts everything from our health to our ability to hold jobs —
trauma is like suffocating. If we can invest in trauma recovery, we can stop the cycle. I will always be in
the process of healing, but I’m thankful to be where I am today. I’m optimistic that more people will grow
aware of trauma and mental health issues, and that there will be more places to turn for women who go
through similarly traumatic experiences.

28 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

AND

DATA METHODOLOGY
Alliance for Safety and Justice commissioned the National
Survey of Victims’ Views to fill in gaps in knowledge about
who crime victims are, what their experiences are with the
criminal justice system, and their views on public policy.
Some of the questions were informed by the largest and
most comprehensive source of data on victimization —
the annual National Crime Victimization Survey,
administered by the U.S. Census Bureau and the
Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. This
survey expands on questions related to the prevalence of
victimization by deeply exploring victims’ experience with
the criminal justice system, their views on sentencing and
corrections policy, and their preferences related to law
enforcement, prosecution, and incarceration.
David Binder Research conducted the survey in English
and Spanish in April 2016. The poll was administered
both by telephone — landlines and mobile phones — and
online. This research methodology was designed to ensure
the inclusion of harder-to-reach demographic groups,
such as young people and people with less housing
stability.
Furthermore, David Binder Research oversampled people
who identify as black or Latino to ensure that their voices
would be adequately represented in the survey. As a

result, these findings reflect the opinions of a broad and
diverse America: All ages 18+, all racial and ethnic groups,
and all geographic locations are represented.
A common challenge in victimization research is the
reluctance of people to discuss their victimization with
a researcher. For reasons relating to the social stigma
of being a crime victim and associated data collection
challenges, it can be difficult to identify sufficient
respondents in victimization research. For this reason,
the National Survey of Victims’ Views used a 10-year
reference period. However, just as many crimes are not
reported to the police, some crime is not reported to
researchers. Like NCVS and other victim surveys, the
National Survey of Victims Views likely does not capture
the total number of crimes experienced by those surveyed.
While David Binder Research informed people that their
personal information is kept confidential and used for
research purposes only, we anticipate that respondents
may have under-reported their victimization in this
survey.
The overall margin of error for the National Survey of
Victims’ Views is 1.7 percent, while the margin of error for
crime victims is 3.5 percent.

CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE // 29

ENDNOTES
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) have recognized the need for additional
data related to victimization and victim assistance. Under the leadership of BJS and OVC, the Department of Justice
is currently engaged in a multi-year effort to fill long-standing gaps in information. This includes a redesign of the
NCVS to expand the information collected about formal and informal help-seeking behavior, issues related to fear of
crime, and perceptions of neighborhood disorder and police performance; the development of subnational estimates of
victimization at the state and local level, and the first-ever national survey of victim service providers.
1

David Binder Research is a public opinion research firm with more than 20 years of experience in all types of research,
from focus groups to surveys to online research, on behalf of clients ranging from businesses to government agencies to
nonprofit organizations.
2

Truman, Jennifer L., Ph.D.; Langton, Lynn. “Criminal Victimization, 2014,” Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department
of Justice, August 2015 (National Crime Victimization Survey).
3

4

Ibid.

5

Weisel, Deborah Lamm. “Analyzing Repeat Victimization,” Center for Problem Oriented Policing, 2005.

Includes Black or African American; Latino, Hispanic, or Mexican American; Asian or Pacific Islander; Native
American; and mixed race.
6

7

Truman and Langton, 2015.

8

Ibid.

9

Ibid.

Kearney, Melissa S.; Harris, Benjamin H.; Jácome, Elisa; Parker, Lucie. “Ten Economic Facts about Crime and
Incarceration in the United States,” The Hamilton Project, May 2014.
10

Kilpatrick, Dean G.; Acierno, Ron. “Mental Health Needs of Crime Victims: Epidemiology and Outcomes.” Journal of
Traumatic Stress, Vol. 16, No. 2, 2003.
11

Californians for Safety and Justice. “California Crime Victims’ Voices: Findings from the First-Ever Survey of California
Crime Victims and Survivors,” June 2013.
12

13

Truman and Langton, 2015.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center. “Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Young
Adults in the Juvenile and Adult Criminal Justice Systems,” November 2015.
14

15

Californians for Safety and Justice. “Victims of Crime Act and the Need for Advocacy,” April 2016.

Due to a small sample size, data on the views and beliefs of Asian Americans are not reported in demographic
breakdowns. Alliance for Safety and Justice is engaged in other methods of research to better understand the needs of
Asian American victims.
16

Importantly, none of these questions distinguished between crime types (i.e., violent or nonviolent), indicating that
victims are open to reconsidering long sentences for a wide range of crimes.
17

30 // CRIME SURVIVORS SPEAK: THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SURVEY OF VICTIMS’ VIEWS ON SAFETY AND JUSTICE

18

Kearney et al.

Roeder, Oliver; Eisen, Lauren-Brooke; Bowling, Julia. “What Caused the Crime Decline,” Brennan Center for Justice at
New York University School of Law, February 2015.
19

National Research Council. The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences,”
Committee on Causes and Consequences of High Rates of Incarceration, J. Travis, B. Western, and S. Redburn,
Committee on Law and Justice, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, April 2014.
20

Silber, Rebecca; Subramanian, Ram; Spotts, Maia. “Justice in Review: New Trends in State Sentencing and Corrections
2014–2015,” Vera Institute of Justice, May 2016.
21

We asked specifically about six of the eight “Part I” crimes reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of
its Uniform Crime Reports. Instead of asking about motor vehicle thefts and arson, respondents were asked about their
experience with sexual assault, stalking, vandalism, and identity theft.
22

23

Californians for Safety and Justice. “Victims of Crime Act and the Need for Advocacy,” April 2016.

24

Ibid.

Warnken, Heather. “Untold Stories of California Crime Victims: Research and Recommendations on Repeat
Victimization and Rebuilding Lives,” Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy, University of
California, Berkeley School of Law, April 2014.
25

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ALLIANCE FOR
SAFETY & JUSTICE

ALLIANCE FOR
SAFETY AND JUSTICE
ALLIANCE FOR