Executive Summary

The Victim Services Assessment is intended to educate the Travis County community about violent victimization – the causes, the impact, the remedies, and the services available to victims. This is a project of the Travis County Victim Services Task Force, a multi-agency, volunteer collaboration focused on improving conditions for victims in our community. This Task Force serves as the official planning body of the Community Action Network and the Community Justice Council of Travis County, Texas.

Key Findings

Victims of violent crime tend to be under age 20
Violent crimes are drastically underreported. The number of reported violent victimizations is approximately half of all that actually occur
The needs of victims vary widely depending on the type of victimization
Victimization is very costly to individuals and the community
After declining throughout the 1990s, violent crime rates are rising
Agencies and service providers do not have the capacity to meet the needs of all victims
Prevention is key to decreasing the number of people victimized

Victimization impacts individuals, families and the community as a whole. The costs of victimization can be high. Victims may have an increased risk for: violent behavior or future victimization, health and mental health problems, living in constant fear or financial burden. Children who are victimized are at greater risk for a number of poor outcomes including low academic achievement, juvenile delinquency and adult criminal behavior. Abuse and neglect can cause physical injury, brain damage, developmental delays and learning disorders. All aspects of a victim’s life are impacted: physical, emotional, psychological, social, financial and spiritual.

Whether victimized directly or not, every individual pays the cost of victimization. It is estimated nationally that, on average, victimization cost $2,468 per resident in 2001.

Costs include services such as those provided by first responders such as fire and police departments as well as lost productivity and lost future income. Other, less tangible, costs include social isolation and dissolution of the social fabric that holds a community together.

Preventing violent behavior is key to reducing costs and minimizing victimization. Children who are victimized or exposed to violence are more likely to commit violence than children who are not victimized. Behaviors associated with violent behavior include bullying, being the target of bullies, demonstrating aggressive behavior, and belonging to delinquent or violent peer groups, for example. The most effective prevention activities focus on the youngest children and youth and address multiple risk factors for developing violent tendencies or becoming a victim of violent behavior.

After declining throughout the 1990s, violent crime rates have started to rise which is quite possibly linked to the decline in the economy. The number of victims of violent crime exceeds the number of reported violent index crimes. In 2002 in Austin, the police department reported 3,131 violent index crimes (homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault). This assessment considered the following types of violent victimization:

Homicides (28 in 2002 in Travis County)
Reported rapes and sexual assaults (810 in 2002 to Austin Police Dept., 68 to Travis County Sheriff’s Office)
Domestic violence incidents responded to (14,303 in 2001 Austin Police Dept., 1,275 to Travis County Sheriff’s Office)
Hate Crimes (32 in 2000 in Travis County)
DWI fatalities and injuries (1,170 in 2000 in Travis County)
Cases of child abuse/neglect (1,476 in 2002 in Travis County)
Victimization of the Elderly (1,291 in 2002 in Travis County)
Victimization of Persons with Disabilities (estimate not available)

Possibly the most shocking aspect of these numbers is that they do not tell the complete story. As much as one-half of all violent crime is never reported to authorities and is therefore never counted in official statistics. This means that the community has an inaccurate picture of how many individuals are victimized and that some victims in the community are unlikely to receive services. Victims who do not report crimes are not eligible for compensation through the Crime Victims Compensation fund or court-ordered restitution payments from the offender. Without an accurate number, sufficient resources will never be allocated to meet the need. This is one of the greatest challenges facing our community: creating an environment in which all victims feel safe to report crimes and receive treatment.

Victims of violent crime tend to be young. Domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse/neglect, Internet crime, assault, and aggravated assault each affect younger people at higher rates than older people. Depending on the type of victimization, men and women are impacted differently. For example, women are much more likely than men to be victims of rape or sexual assault. However, men are 60% more likely than women to be violently victimized in Austin. Vulnerable populations such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, and immigrants tend to be victimized at higher rates than the general population. The elderly are vulnerable to neglect, abuse, and exploitation. Individuals with physical and mental disabilities are vulnerable to sexual violence, neglect, and domestic violence. Immigrants are vulnerable to violent and property crime. Crimes against immigrants often remain unreported because of a fear of deportation. Three homicide victims last year were Mexican Nationals.

In 1989, victims in Texas gained legally mandated rights to receive services and participate in the criminal justice system. These mandated services by no means meet the complete needs of victims. Victims need services that help them navigate the criminal justice system without being re-traumatized as well as a broad continuum of support services to address recovery from victimization. For example, victims may need medical treatment, mental health counseling, financial assistance, temporary shelter, or legal services to address civil suits. The Travis County community currently has in place many of the services that victims need. Additionally, a significant number of best practice programs and models are currently in place here, such as Travis County Court at Law #4 (domestic violence) and Travis County Children’s Advocacy Center. However, agencies and service providers do not have the capacity to address the needs of all victims.

This assessment has noted insufficient capacity to meet the needs of victims in the following areas:

Mental health treatment and counseling – including emergency psychiatric services
Legal services to address civil cases
Financial Assistance
Shelter/Safe Housing
Victim services counselors and detectives in law enforcement agencies
Emergency placement for child abuse victims
Trained medical personnel to conduct sexual assault exams on adults and children
Child protective services
Victim-Witness counselors in prosecutors’ offices
Continuous support of victim as they move through phases of the criminal justice process

Victims need a service system that is designed to meet their needs, rather than a system that is designed to deal primarily with offenders. Using this document, victims, service providers, and advocates have an opportunity to come together and strengthen the ability of this community to meet the needs of victims in Travis County. Recommendations for improvements are focused on reporting and accessibility of information, resources and funding, training and quality of services, compensation, and improving the service delivery system. The immediate next step will be to prioritize the recommendations and identify a manageable number to address in the next year.