Violent Crime Victimization

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities

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Q:	When is violent crime victimization of adults and juveniles most likely to occur?
A:	The violent victimization of juveniles is greatest between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., while adult victimizations are most common between 9 p.m. and midnight.

Distribution of 1,000 victimizations by time of day, within offense and age

Note: Serious violent crime includes the crimes of murder, violent sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Data are from 22 states (AR, CO, CT, DC, DE, ID, IA, KS, KY, MA, MI, NE, ND, OH, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, and WV).

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The daily timing of violent crimes differed for juvenile and adult victims. The number of violent crimes with adult victims increased hourly from morning through the evening hours, peaking between 9 p.m. and midnight.
In contrast, violent crimes with juvenile victims peaked between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., fell to a lower level in the early evening, and declined substantially after 9 p.m.
Robbery victimizations for persons under age 18 reach their highest levels between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. For adult victims ages 18 and over, robbery victimizations typically occur between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Aggravated assault victimizations of juveniles peak between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., while adult victimizations are most common between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/victims/qa02602.asp?qaDate=2001. Released on March 27, 2006.

Adapted from Snyder, H. & Sickmund, M. (2006). Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2006 National Report, Chapter 2. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Data Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation. National Incident-Based Reporting System Master Files for the years 2000–2001 [machine-readable data files]. Washington, D.C.: FBI.