Who Bears the Burden of Crime in Colombia

Abstract: This paper investigates the distribution of crime and violence across victims in Colombia. Property and violent crimes as well as incidents of domestic violence are considered. The paper shows that rich households bear a disproportionate share of the burden of property crime: they are more likely to be victimized, to modify their behavior because of fear of crime, to feel unsafe in their cities, and to invest in crime avoidance. Homicides are borne disproportionately by the poor and kidnappings by the rich. Finally, poor, and in particular uneducated, individuals bear a disproportionate share of domestic violence.