Could burglary be an act of domestic violence? Single females with children victimized most.

Burglaries are often committed by someone known to the victim.

Crime in America.Net

The question by many within criminal justice circles is whether burglary can be a form of domestic or intimate violence against women. We take several findings from a new report from the US Department of Justice (see below for link and description) and conclude that the observation could have merit. Our observations

Observations:

28 percent of burglaries involve people at home.

When the person at home was involved in a violent crime during a burglary, offenders known to their victims accounted for 65 percent of these crimes.

Residents present during a burglary were equally likely to be victimized by an intimate (current or former) as they were by a stranger.

Households composed of single females with children had the highest rates of burglary while someone was present (22.3 percent). With single women without children, the two combined count for over 30 percent of burglaries with a household member present.

But even in nonviolent burglaries, household members knew the offender in 30 percent of the burglaries taking place while someone was at home.

Previous research/conclusion:

In a previous post, see Crime Prevention Tips, we document that most attacks on women victims are by someone known to the victim and after taking a look at the data above, it seems that burglary “could” be a form of domestic violence where the offender “may” be aware of the premises (and it’s weakness to attack).

It now seems that we have limited (not conclusive) documentation for what many in the crime prevention community have speculated about for years; some burglaries may be a crime of violence or potential violence directed towards women.

Previous post on new Department of Justice burglary report:

Title: 28 percent of burglaries involve people at home: good doors and windows can prevent violent crime

An estimated 3.7 million household burglaries occurred each year on average from 2003 to 2007.

In about 28% of these burglaries, a household member was present during the burglary.

In 7% of all household burglaries, a household member experienced some form of violent victimization (see below for press release and link)

Crime Prevention

One of the warnings from crime prevention specialists is for homeowners and renters to lock their windows and doors.

This is what one of us wrote on this site a year ago, “Most burglaries take place through open doors and open windows. In a third of the completed burglaries, the burglar forced entry into the home; in two thirds, the burglar gained entry through an unlocked door or open window.” See Crime Prevention Tips.

This observation was based on Bureau of Justice Statistics data (BJS-of the US Department of Justice) and is many years old.

Now we find that a new document from the Bureau of Justice Statistics repeats this warning– the issue of unlocked doors and windows remains with us. In the category of unlawful entry (versus forcible entry) we find that overwhelmingly, the principle method of entry was through an open door or open window.

As to forcible entry, the obvious points of entry are doors and windows.

This is what we wrote in our crime prevention overview (link above) “When force is used, burglars kick in a door. Have solid wood or metal doors. Higher quality windows with multiple panes of glass are better than single pane windows.

Use high-quality door frames, deadbolt locks, screw plates and screws. Have certified locksmiths (contact your local police for advice) install your locks if uncertain. They are not that expensive and the job is done right.

There are many additional suggestions, and once again, you will find them all at http://www.ncjrs.gov/celebrate_safe_communities/sfhasp.html . See “Home Security Checklist” from the National Sheriff’s Association.”

So it seems that the timeless issue in the prevention of burglaries and lessening the potential for violent crime is locking doors and windows and having doors and windows that can withstand attack.

Burglars we Know and Female Victims

Many of the attacks are, interestingly enough, by people we know and households composed of single females with children had the highest rates of burglary when someone was present.

More on this in an upcoming post.

New Study from the Bureau of Justice Statistics

 HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS EXPERIENCED VIOLENCE IN ABOUT SEVEN PERCENT OF HOUSEHOLD BURGLARIES FROM 2003 THROUGH 2007

WASHINGTON – An estimated 3.7 million household burglaries occurred each year from 2003 through 2007, and about seven percent (266,560) involved some form of violent victimization, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, announced today.

Victims said they knew the offender in 65 percent of violent household burglaries, and in 28 percent of such burglaries victims said the offender was a stranger. Residents in all of these households were equally likely to be victimized by a current or former intimate partner as they were by a stranger.

Offenders were unarmed in 61 percent of the violent household burglaries that occurred between 2003 and 2007. In 12 percent of violent household burglaries offender possessed a firearm. About 23 percent of these firearm-related burglaries were committed by a stranger.

Between 2000 and 2007, the rate of burglary of unoccupied households declined from 26 to 21 victimizations per 1,000 households. The rate of household burglary when someone was home remained stable between 2000 (9 per 1,000 households) and 2007 (8 per 1,000 households).

Households composed of married couples without children experienced the lowest rate of burglary both when no one was home (14 per 1,000 households) and while a household member was present (four per 1,000 households). Single females with children experienced the highest rate of burglary while someone was present in the household (22 victimizations per 1,000 households).

Higher income households experienced lower rates of burglary regardless of whether the residence was occupied or not. Single family units (eight per 1,000 households) and higher density structures of 10 or more units (eight per 1,000 households) generally experienced lower rates of burglary while someone was home.

Damaging or removing a door was the most common type of entry in forcible and attempted forcible entry burglaries. Residents who were present in 18 percent of unlawful entry burglaries stated that someone inside the home let the offender in. Twelve percent stated that someone inside opened the door and the offender pushed their way in. Nearly four percent stated that the offender had a key to the residence and used the key to gain access.

Police were more likely to be contacted when an unoccupied household experienced a forcible entry burglary (73 percent) than an unlawful (41 percent) or attempted forcible (41 percent) entry burglary. In contrast, when household members were present during a household burglary, police were equally likely to be contacted regardless of the type of burglary.

These findings are drawn from BJS’s National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the nation’s primary source for information on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimization. Conducted since 1973, the NCVS is one of the largest continuous surveys conducted by the federal government. On average between 2003 and 2007, 40,320 households and 71,460 individuals age 12 or older were interviewed twice during the year for the NCVS. The average annual response rate during this period was 91 percent for households and 86 percent for individuals.

Estimates from the NCVS, which includes offenses both reported and unreported to police, complement those from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR), which measures crimes reported to law enforcement agencies across the nation. Unlike the NCVS, the UCR includes crimes against persons of all ages and businesses, as well as fatal crimes.

The report, Victimization During Household Burglary (NCJ 227379), was written by BJS statistician Shannan Catalano. Following publication, the report can be found at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/.

For additional information about the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ statistical reports and programs, please visit the BJS Web site at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/.