The Department of Justice recently ran a press release noting “the rate of family violence fell by more than one-half between 1993 and 2002, from an estimated 5.4 victims to 2.1 victims per 1,000 U.S. residents 12 years old and older.” But violence overall is declining as well, as are property crimes.

• The 2003 rate of reported violent victimization (homicide, rape, robbery, and assault) is half the 1995 rate.
• The 2003 rate of reported property victimization is half the 1992 rate and one-third the 1982 rate.

The report and the rates cited above are all based on high quality data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (the 1993 start date is important because the NCVS had a major redesign in ’93 that clearly affected reporting of family violence).