Review the categories of Victims, Known Offenders, Victim-to-Offender Relationships and Arrestees found in the online FBI press release "FBI Releases 2019 NIBRS Crime Data"

In your assignment, answer the following questions about the NIBRS Crime Data:

1.     Is there anything about the percentages of Known Victims and Arrestees that surprised you? If so, what? Is this the picture of victimization and offender status that you commonly see in the media? Give some examples of what you do see.

2.     As you can see in the Victim-to-Offender relationships section, only 25% of the victims were strangers to the suspects. If 75% of the victims and suspects know each other, what does that tell us about what we should be doing with our crime prevention efforts?

Answer:

Q1. 

The percentages of known victims and arrestees in the 2019 NIBRS Crime Data did not surprise the reader. The reader was expecting these numbers because they have seen them before in the media. The media often portrays victims as being helpless and offenders as being evil. However, the reality is that most victims know their offenders. 
Q2

The fact that most victims know their offenders tells us that we should be focusing our crime prevention efforts on building strong relationships within our communities. We need to create an environment where people feel comfortable talking to each other and looking out for each other.

Step-by-step explanation

• Some people may not be surprised by the percentages of known victims and arrestees since the media frequently presents victims as being helpless and criminals as being wicked. This is one reason why the percentages of known victims and arrestees may not surprise some people. However, the fact of the matter is that the majority of victims are familiar with their perpetrators. According to the data provided by the NIBRS in 2019, just 25 percent of the victims were unrelated to the suspects in the crimes that were committed. This indicates that seventy-five percent of the suspects and victims are connected to one another in some way.
• The question then becomes: why does the media represent victims and perpetrators in this way? One of the reasons could be that it increases the number of individuals who buy newspapers or watch the news. It's possible that there is another reason why people do it: it makes them feel better about themselves. If we can convince ourselves that all of the perpetrators are bad and that all of the victims are blameless, then we will feel better about ourselves. We can reassure ourselves that we will never victimize another person or commit a crime by saying that we would never do either of those things.
• Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is that each one of us is capable, in principle, of victimizing another person or of doing an unlawful act. Everyone has the potential to act in an unwise manner. Because of this, it is critically necessary that the emphasis of our efforts to prevent crime be placed on cultivating healthy relationships within our communities. It is necessary for us to cultivate an atmosphere in which individuals are at ease engaging in conversation with one another and in which they watch out for one another.
• The following are some of the ways that we can create strong relationships within our communities:
  • Getting to know our immediate surroundings
  •  Participating in community groups as a member
  • Participating in community service as a volunteer
  •  Participating in events held by the community
  •  Giving support to the local business community
  • Engaging in conversation with passersby on the street
  • Paying visits to our neighbors who are either elderly or disabled
  • Maintaining vigilance for any unusual or suspicious behavior in the area we live
• Informing law enforcement about criminal conduct or behavior that seems suspicious
  These are merely some suggestions to consider. There are a variety of different approaches that can be taken to cultivate robust relationships within our communities. It is essential that we put in an effort to complete the task at hand.