A crime of violence is when one person inflicts bodily harm on another. Different countries have different definitions, making comparisons difficult. In the US, the FBI considers four felonies as violent crimes. Violent crime rates have been declining in the US since the early 1990s. Comparing murder rates is possible, with Western and Central Europe having the lowest and Africa having the highest. Examining violent crime rates is important for government decisions, individual relocation, and insurance premiums.
A crime of violence is a violation of the law in which bodily harm is inflicted on one person by another. In some cases, the act of violence itself is the crime, such as assault. In other cases, however, violence, or its threat, is used to commit another crime, such as robbery. Different countries have different definitions and standards for defining a crime of violence, making comparisons of statistics across countries difficult.
In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considers four felonies to be violent crimes: aggravated assault, robbery, forcible rape, and murder (including manslaughter). Crimes of violence account for approximately 12½% of all crimes committed in the United States, but it should be noted that since the early 1990s the crime rate for all crimes in the United States has been steadily declining. In 1991, the crime rate was 5,897.8 (crimes per year per 100,000 population); of these, 758.1 were violent. By 2000, the overall crime rate had dropped to 4,124.8, of which 506.5 were violent. Indeed, despite a population increase of nearly 30 million, not only had the rate decreased, but the absolute number of crimes of all kinds had also decreased.
Crimes of violence often accompany other crimes as well. For example, kidnapping is not considered a crime of violence in the United States, but when kidnappers employ force to commit their crime, they are usually charged with that violent crime, as well as kidnapping. Furthermore, the threat of violence is often employed in the commission of a crime. Extortion, for example, is defined as the misappropriation of money or property services by coercion, often involving physical violence.
Approximately half of violent crime in the United States is “erased.” Authorization of a crime does not necessarily mean that the crime has been resolved and the offender found guilty in court, just that an arrest has been made. About 12% of confirmed violent crimes concerned only minors; in these cases arrests are generally not made, but the minor is summoned to appear in juvenile or family court.
The term “crime of violence” means different things in different countries. Canada, for example, recognizes American-defined violent crimes and also includes kidnapping, sexual offenses and attempted murder. England and Wales simply define any violence against a person as a violent crime. Some nations also recognize property damage as a crime of violence. This is why it is so difficult to compare rates of violent crime across different nations.
There is one type of comparison available – the murder rate. The basic definition of homicide – the killing of a human being by another human – is essentially the same around the world. Statistics show that the region with the lowest homicide rate is Western and Central Europe, with 1.5 per 100,000 inhabitants; the rate for the entire European continent is 5.4. The continent with the highest homicide rate is Africa, at 20, and Asia is the lowest at 3.2. The homicide rate in North America is 6.5.
Examining and analyzing violent crime rates is important for many reasons. Governments can make decisions about allocating law enforcement funds based on comparative crime statistics, and individuals can consider crime rates when relocating. Insurance companies also take crime rates into account when setting some premium rates.
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