Estimating the Financial Costs of Victimization, United States, 2017-2018

Despite reductions in U.S. crime rates in recent decades, crime victimization continues to be a pressing problem with enormous societal costs. This project, conducted by the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) in partnership with the Urban Institute (Urban) and the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC), is an assessment of the field of cost of victimization research. The product is a menu of recommendations for future research studies and practitioner tools to advance the field. One objective of the project was to keep the focus squarely on the victims, and consider what information is most needed by those who serve them. Relatedly, another objective was to recognize that even if the proximate victim is a business, the government, or non-profit organization, individuals still suffer. Given the victim-centered focus, the project team conducted several primary data collections designed to obtain input from practitioners and victims about their experiences and needs. Focus groups were conducted with three practitioner groups: Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) compensation and assistance administrators, State Administering Agency (SAA) and state Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) directors, and civil attorneys who pursue tort claims for damages for crime victims. As well, the project team conducted a nationwide survey of victim service providers and a smaller survey of victimization survivors. The project team also re-framed the taxonomy of victimization costs pioneered and revised by Cohen over the years (Cohen, 2005, e.g.) from the perspective of various practitioner users - based on who covers different costs - and adds factors that may increase or decrease costs they may be estimating. The project team also conducted a literature review that consists of two major sections: one focused on how costs of victimization are estimated and the other on estimation methods and data sources concerning the incidence, prevalence, and concentration of victimization. The data collection activities and literature reviews, combined with extensive input from an advisory board of experts throughout the project, inform the menu of recommendations proposed in Volume III. These focus on topical areas where more information is needed; methodological recommendations to improve estimates; and practitioner resources and tools to help disseminate research developments, assist in calculating local estimates, and better equip practitioners to communicate and use victimization cost estimates effectively in the field.

尽管近年来美国犯罪率有所下降，但犯罪受害者问题依然严峻，对社会造成巨大的经济损失。由司法研究与统计协会（JRSA）、都市研究所（Urban）和犯罪受害者国家中心（NCVC）共同开展的本项目，旨在对受害者损失成本研究领域的现状进行评估。项目成果为未来研究项目和从业者工具提供了建议清单，以推动该领域的发展。项目的一个目标是将焦点集中在受害者身上，并考虑服务他们的相关人员最需要哪些信息。与此相关，另一个目标是认识到，即使直接受害者是商业机构、政府或非营利组织，个人仍会遭受损失。鉴于以受害者为中心的焦点，项目团队进行了多项原始数据收集工作，旨在从从业者和受害者那里获取他们的经历和需求。项目团队与三个从业者群体进行了焦点小组讨论：犯罪受害者法（VOCA）赔偿和援助管理员、州管理机关（SAA）和州统计分析中心（SAC）的负责人，以及追索犯罪受害者损害赔偿的民事律师。此外，项目团队还对受害者服务提供者进行了全国性调查，并对受害者幸存者进行了较小规模的调查。项目团队还根据不同从业者用户——基于谁承担不同成本——的视角，重新构建了由Cohen（2005年，例如）开创并修订的受害者损失成本分类法，并增加了可能增加或减少他们估算的成本的因素。项目团队还进行了一项文献综述，包括两个主要部分：一部分关注受害者损失成本的估算方法，另一部分关注与受害者发生的频率、普遍性和集中度相关的估算方法和数据来源。数据收集活动和文献综述，结合项目期间专家顾问委员会的广泛意见，为第三卷中提出的建议清单提供了信息。这些建议集中于需要更多信息的主题领域；改进估算的方法论建议；以及帮助从业者传播研究成果、协助计算本地估算、以及更好地在领域内沟通和使用受害者损失成本估算的有效资源与工具。