Criminal Injury Attorney
Criminal/intentional injuries are sustained by innocent victims of violent crimes. Criminal injuries are often, but not necessarily, inflicted on purpose (a happenstance injury occurring during the commission of a crime may still be considered a criminal injury).
According to the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics, in the U.S. there were 21 reports of violent crime per thousand people over the age of twelve. Fortunately, this number dropped from 51.2 reports of violent crime in 1994. But that is no solace for recent victims of violent crime or their families. And the number of violent crimes committed in the U.S. continues to occur at a shocking rate.
Following are the number of reports for selected violent crimes committed in the U.S. in 2005 (the latest available as of 2007):
- Rapes/sexual assaults 188,960
- Robberies 569,470
- Completed/property taken (with injury) 126,440
- Attempted to take property (with injury) 62,230
- Aggravated assaults 926,060
- Simple assaults 3,033,840
- Completed household burglaries (forcible entry) 1,068,430
- Completed household burglaries (unlawful entry without force) 1,832,030
- Attempted forcible entries 555,760
- Purse snatchings/pocket pickings 227,070
Some crimes, such as rapes, other sexual assaults, sexual abuse, and child abuse are considerably underreported. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that many of the perpetrators of these types of crime are family members or acquaintances of the victims, or the victims are afraid to confront their assailants.
It is certainly desirable that perpetrators of violent crimes be punished and prevented from committing further crimes. But there may also be civil recourse victims of these crimes can pursue.
Fortunately, most states offer violent crime victim counseling services, support groups, and criminal injury compensation programs. If you or a loved one is the victim of a violent crime, a personal injury attorney can advise you with regard to your rights and options.
