Victim/Offender Relationships

The focus in crime pattern analysis is generally on stranger-on-stranger crimes, but there are crime patterns that involve other relationships. These relationships are part of the crime pattern.

Relationship Examples

Stranger Crimes:

Random Stranger: Neither the victim nor the offender has any prior knowledge of the other.

Non-Random Stranger: The offender targets a particular type of victim (e.g., based on appearance, routine, or lifestyle) but has no personal connection to them.

Acquaintance Crimes:

Casual Acquaintance: The victim and offender have met before but have a superficial relationship.

Known Acquaintance: The victim and offender have some level of familiarity with each other but are not close.

Friend or Neighbor: The victim and the offender are friends, colleagues, or neighbors, with a relatively established relationship.

Intimate Partner Crimes:

Current Partner: The victim and offender are in a current romantic relationship.

Former Partner: The victim and offender were previously in a romantic relationship.

Familial Crimes:

Parent-Child: The victim or offender is a parent or guardian of the other.

Sibling: The victim and offender are siblings.

Extended Family: The victim and offender are related but not part of the immediate family (cousins, uncles, aunts, etc.).

Professional Relationships:

Employee-Employer: The victim and offender are connected through a work environment.

Client-Service Provider: The victim is a client of a service provided by the offender, or vice versa (such as doctor-patient).

Authority Relationships:

Teacher-Student: The victim and offender are connected through an educational setting.

Law Enforcement-Civilian: The victim or offender is a law enforcement officer.

Online Relationships:

Anonymous Online Interaction: Victim and offender have interacted only online and never met in person.

Known Online Interaction: The victim and offender have an online relationship and may have shared personal details but have not met in person.

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The circumstances of victimization often play a role in the stranger-on-stranger crime pattern.

 Circumstances of Victimization:

random victim (victim chosen without specific targeting)

targeted victim (victim selected intentionally due to specific characteristics or circumstances)

opportunistic victim (victim who becomes a target due to a crime opportunity arising)

repeat victim (victim who has experienced multiple incidents of victimization)

serial victim (victim targeted by a serial offender)

Non-Person Victims

NIBRS categorizes these victims in the following categories: business, financial institutions, government, religious organizations, and society/public. 

 Offenders may have relationships with those entities.