District of Columbia Crime Victimization - Study Implementation

• NCJ Number: 98595
• Author(s): Brenda G. Cox, Research Triangle Institute; Danny R. Allen, Research Triangle Institute; Jane W. Bergsten, Research Triangle Institute; James J. Collins, Research Triangle Institute; Dale S. DeWitt, Research Triangle Institute
• Date Published: December 1983
• Publication Type: Publication

Annotation

This report describes the procedures used to carry out a study of crime victimization in the District of Columbia.

Abstract

Under contract to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina designed and conducted two surveys. The first was to determine the extent of crime in the District of Columbia Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area and the impact of crime on the quality of life in the District. The second survey focused on Capitol Hill employees, their victimization, and the extent to which victimization and fear of victimization have decreased work productivity. Both surveys used telephone interviewing based on random digit dialing. Subjects were chosen through procedures similar to those used by the National Crime Survey and through the use of employee lists of agencies on Capitol Hill. The surveys used the same questionnaire. The questions focused on personal crime victimizations since January 1982, details about each crime, and demographic and housing information. The data analysis focused on the types of individuals victimized, the percentage of crime victimizations resulting in injury, economic losses, and frequency of workplace victimizations. A discussion of the analytical techniques used; comparisons with national data; and appendixes presenting the study specifications, interviewers' instructions, and study tasks are included.