ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some issues involved in measuring victimization, paying particular attention to the development and use of victimization surveys. It also examines the level of crime and victimization presented by official police reports of crime and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). Victim surveys provide a wealth of data that is quite useful for studying victims and related issues. The chapter describes major data sources for measuring crime, outlines advantages and disadvantages of the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and focuses on National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). It also outlines the four generations of victimization surveys and discusses methodological issues in conducting victimization surveys. The chapter provides the goals and objectives behind the NCVS, and discusses the relationship between victims and offenders in official and victimization data. It also focuses on fear of crime and repeat victimization.
