BJS: Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Offenders demographics
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The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) asks victims of violent crimes and personal thefts to provide information about the demographic characteristics of the offender(s) including gender, age and race of offender(s). This information is based upon the perceptions of victims. In some situations the victim(s) may not have been able to see the offender(s) well enough to provide some or all of the information. It may be particularly difficult to identify the race and/or age of the offenders in some situations. 

Household respondents are not asked to provide information about the demographic characteristics of offender(s) of property crimes, since by definition the victims did not see the offenders.   

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Offender The perpetrator of a crime; this term usually applies to crimes involving contact between the victim and the offender.
 
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