OLR Report 2013-R-0329 provides information on violent crimes against children under age 12.
Most of the available data grouped all crimes against individuals under age 18 together. The FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) appears to be the only national database to provide detailed information on the age of child violent crime victims. The most recent NIBRS data was compiled in 2008. This report includes information about child victims under age 18 as well as those age 12 and under.
According to NIBRS data analyses, (1) approximately 1.3 million crimes known to the police in 2008 were committed against children under age 18, representing 9% of all known crime victims and (2) approximately 25% of these victims were under age 12. These numbers include children who were direct victims of crimes as well as those who were indirectly victimized by witnessing criminal acts.
The University of New Hampshire's (UNH) Crimes Against Children Research Center has examined data states submitted to NIBRS and reported on characteristics of perpetrators and victims of crimes committed against children. While some of the analyses address children under age 12, they show that most victims were over age 12.
In 2008, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) developed the Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), which measured both past year and lifetime exposure of children age 17 and younger in seven victimization categories, all of which had some direct or indirect connection to violent crime. The data and subsequent analyses revealed trends in victimization reporting and the types of victimizations that occurred at each developmental stage. These analyses reinforce the notion that (1) young children can be victims of violent crime simply by witnessing them and (2) it is difficult to get a complete and accurate assessment of the degree to which victimization occurs.
For more information, read the full report.
