Revictimization: Reducing the Heat on Hot Victims. Research in Action

摘要

Highly prized is the truly productive crime prevention strategy, one that lightens the load on an overworked criminal justice system and, more importantly, reduces the number of victims. But to prevent crimes-especially in hot spots (high-crime areas)-police must determine where and when crimes are likely to occur. Drawing primarily on data collected in the United Kingdom, this Research in Action underscores why a focal point for effective crime prevention is the hot dot, the victim who repeatedly suffers crime. Illustrative of hot dots, two studies indicated that about 4 percent of surveyed victims suffered approximately 44 percent of the offenses. In one locality, other research found that 43 percent of domestic violence incidents occurring over a 25-month period involved only about 7 percent of 1,450 households.