Measuring Adult Criminal Victimization: Findings from the Anchorage Adult Criminal Victimization Survey

Abstract

Since 1973, the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) has been administered annually to a national sample of households. The survey captures unreported or underreported criminal events that are not available using official crime data such as the Uniform Crime Reports. However, the data collected are most useful in identifying crime trends nationwide. The national scope of the survey makes it impossible to extract crime data for smaller geographic areas, thus limiting its utility for Anchorage residents and policymakers with criminal justice concerns. To compensate for this limitation, the Justice Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage administered a local version of the NCVS during second quarter 2002. By surveying adult residents of Anchorage, the project, titled the Anchorage Adult Criminal Victimization Survey (AACVS), generated a wealth of information on crime victimization, neighborhood conditions, fear, and policing in Anchorage. This report presents the results of the AACVS.