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Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
Justice Cabinet releases 2008 Kentucky Victimization study
FRANKFORT, KY – Although there have been no large-scale acts of domestic terror in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001, most Kentuckians are fearful and expectant that terrorism will occur in this country, but far fewer worry that a terrorist attack will actually occur in their communities, according to a statewide study on victimization released by the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. The report is believed to be the first time that the impact of terrorism on the lives of Kentucky residents has been examined.
Looking also for the first time at the statewide prevalence of identity theft, the study found that fewer than 1 in 10 respondents had been victimized by any form of the crime. When it did occur, most cases cost the victim $1000 or less.
Those findings and others were include in the report, Criminal Victimization Experiences, Fear of Crime, Perceptions of Risk, and Opinion of Criminal Justice Agents among a Sample of Kentucky Residents. The report was prepared by the Kentucky Statistical Analysis Center, through a grant administered by the Justice Cabinet, and is one of several annual reports developed as resources for criminal justice agencies.
The study asked respondents in a self-report survey about their opinion of law enforcement and safety in the communities; their fear of becoming a victim of crime; and their experiences as victims of property, violent, or sexual crime.
Among other key findings:
• Even though a majority of respondents didn't think crime had decreased over the past three years, most Kentucky adults were satisfied with the protection they were receiving from law enforcement in their community;
• While the vast majority of respondents had not been victimized by crime in the past 12 years, those who had were far more likely to be victimized by property crime than by violent crime;
• Most respondents do not let fear of criminal victimization prevent them from doing the things they like to do;
• Although a substantial number of robbery, assault and property victims reported the crimes to police, victims of identity theft and sexual crimes were generally unlikely to report those experiences; and
• The majority of respondents reported keeping a firearm in their home.
This study is the third of its kind conducted in the last decade. Statewide victimization studies were previously conducted in 1999 and 2003.
To view a full copy of the report, please visit the Kentucky SAC website, http://www.justice.ky.gov/departments/gmb/Statistical+Analysis+Center.htm. For further information about the report or the Kentucky SAC, contact Emily Raine Koyagi at 502-564-7554 or Emily.Koyagi@ky.gov.
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