Reporting violence to the police: predictors through the life course

Citation

(2013), "Reporting violence to the police: predictors through the life course", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 36 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm.2013.18136aaa.003

Reporting violence to the police: predictors through the life course

Reporting violence to the police: predictors through the life course

Article Type: Perspectives on policing From: Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Volume 36, Issue 1.

Stacey J. Bosick, Callie Marie Rennison, Angela R. Gover and Mary DodgeJournal of Criminal Justice2012Vol. 40No. 6pp. 441-451

There is an exhaustive literature on the influences of reporting incidents to police officers. Studies on underreporting indicate that gender and socio-economic status influence the likelihood of reporting crimes to police. The authors suggest large disparities across certain (underreporting) populations can actually undermine the capacity of the criminal justice system. Bosick et al. (2012) suggest that the factors that differentiate between age and police reporting enhance our understanding of the effects of underreporting.

This study examined the influence of age and crime type on reporting violent crimes to police. The authors used data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), a survey of approximately 90,000 households across the USA. The sample assessed 44,619 violent victimizations from 1992 to 2010, in which reporting to police was examined. Two analytic strategies were used to assess the victim and offender characteristics that influence reporting across the life course. Sampling error tests (SIGMA) required for NCVS data, and logistic regression analyses were used to categorically assess the dependent variable (violence reporting; yes/no).

Bostick et al. (2012) provide results on three distinct life-course predictors for reporting violence to the police. First, with regards to reporting by victim age and type of crime, a measure of overall violence indicates that victim age and percentage of victimization are positively related. Simple assault and robbery follow similar patterns to overall violence. Aggravated assault decreases reporting after the age of 50, while rape/sexual assault decrease from ages 12-15 to 16-19. Results for predictors (age, race, crime type) of reporting violent crime to police across the life-course suggest that for both victim and offender characteristics, inconsistent patterns are found. Rape/sexual assault (crime type) and minor injury (victim) were the only significant predictors of reporting to police across the life course. Lastly, crime victims are more likely to report to violent crimes police, and self-reporting increases with the age of the victim.

The authors suggest that the findings are “not clearly organized” and while patterns seem to align with previous research, questions still remain. Future research should explore the few significant predictors of crime reporting across the life course. Bosick et al. (2012) conclude that the nuanced predictors of reporting violent crime to police can be greatly informed by the unique relationship with age.