I. Purpose and Definitions

The purpose of this assessment is to educate the community of Austin and Travis County, Texas about the issue of victimization and to serve as a guide for planning in the area of victim services. This assessment will describe who is victimized, the level of victimization, and the types of violent victimization. In addition, this assessment is intended to assist victim services providers and advocates to improve the delivery of services for victims and their families and prioritize and implement recommendations for improvements. This document is intended to provide information to those who are unfamiliar with issues around victimization as well as to those who work with victims.

For the purpose of the assessment:

• A victim is a person who has suffered physical, sexual, emotional or financial harm as a result of criminal conduct, abuse, neglect or exploitation. A victim may experience secondary victimization when he/she experiences trauma resulting from the initial victimization. Examples include media exposure, lack of support in the criminal justice system, inadequate representation for children, testifying in court, duration of case processing and disposition, and lack of a support network (APD 1999).
• A secondary victim is an individual who is negatively impacted by the victimization of another individual, such as the surviving spouse of a homicide victim.
• A hidden victim is a victim of unreported crime. Hidden victims are often not connected with services to address their needs. This group is excluded from the most widely used public reports on crime and victimization. Excluding hidden victims results in underestimating not only the number of victims, but also the amount of funding required to provide the appropriate level of services in our community.

This assessment focuses primarily on victims of violent crimes, rather than crimes against property or society as a whole. Categories of victimization covered here include intimate partner violence, homicide, sexual assault, rape, and driving while intoxicated. Other topics covered are child victimization, victimization of elderly and persons with disabilities, hate crimes and hidden victims.