25th Anniversary of National Crime Victims' Rights Week

25th Anniversary of National Crime Victims' Rights Week

April 10-16, 2005, marks the 25th year of the National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW) presented by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). The theme of the silver anniversary is "Justice Isn't Served Until Crime Victims Are." This simple yet powerful message focuses attention on victims' need for justice, on comprehensive services to help them cope in the aftermath of crime, and on their right to be treated with dignity and compassion.

National Crime Victims' Rights Week provides a time of nationwide remembrance, reflection, and recommitment for crime victims, survivors, and those who serve them and to raise individual and public awareness about the rights and needs of crime victims, the challenges that victims face in seeking help and hope in the aftermath of crime, and the positive impact that individuals and communities can have by providing services and support to victims and survivors of crime. 

The study of crime victims, or victimology, began to appear in America during the late 1960s and early 1970s. continued to gain power, not just from social forces but also from great leadership. Crime was also increasing and this led to the formation of the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Surveys were conducted and showed that victimization rates were far higher than previous reports indicated. The women's movement and demands for victim's compensation brought further attention to victims' rights. The leaders of the women's movement saw a lack of concern from the justice system for victims of rape and sexual assault. By the late 1970s the results of victim activism could be seen in centers for victims of rape and domestic violence, along with organizations such as Families and Friends of Missing Persons and Parents of Murdered Children. By the 1990s, the OVC was providing funding, leadership, and guidance for the entire field. The OVC created many tools, trainings, and projects that led to advancement of ideas and the progression of the importance of victims' rights. Today, the rights of victims are now commonly protected and viewed as important.

For more information on NCVRW, visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ncvrw/2005/welcome.html. 

National Crime Victimization Statistics

These statistics and more are available at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ncvrw/2005/.

•  The National Crime Victimization Survey reports that in 2003, U.S. residents age 12 and older experienced an estimated 24.2 million violent and property crime victimizations.
• The direct tangible costs to crime victims annually are estimated to be $105 billion in medical expenses, lost earnings, and public program costs related to victim assistance. Pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life increase the cost to $450 billion annually.
• A 2003 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculates the annual health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking, and homicide by intimate partners to exceed $5.8 billion each year.
• Almost $1.4 billion a year is spent on direct medical and mental healthcare services in the United States as a result of intimate partner violence.
• Each year, victims of intimate partner violence lose nearly eight million days of paid work because of the violence, the equivalent of over 32,000 full-time jobs.
• Youth between the ages of 16 and 19 experienced the highest rate of overall violent victimization in the 2002-2003 period at a rate of 55.6 per 1,000 persons.
• During 2004, 48 percent of all violent crimes were reported and 38 percent of all property crimes were reported.
• The direct cost of hospitalization for child abuse victims is estimated at $6.2 billion a year. The direct cost of mental health services is over $425 million a year.