Data presented from the Report on Violent Deaths in Puerto Rico

631 homicides and 229 suicides were reported in Puerto Rico in 2019

The Puerto Rico Violent Death Notification System (PRVDRS) established at the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, presented data from the 2019 Report on Violent Deaths in Puerto Rico. The report reports that in 2019 there were 828 incidents of violent deaths, with a total of 894 fatalities. Of the total number of violent deaths, 631 were homicides and 229 were suicides. According to the PRVDRS, violent deaths occur primarily by suicide or homicide.

In 2019, 70.6% of victims of violent deaths were reported in single or multiple homicide incidents and 25.6% were suicide incidents. Five homicide-suicide incidents were reported, resulting in 10 fatalities. In addition, during this period, 10 (1.1%) violent deaths attributed to legal intervention (death in which a person is killed or killed by a law enforcement officer acting in the line of duty) and 20 violent deaths with undetermined intent (2.2%) were documented. Deaths with undetermined intent are those that result from the use of force or power, against oneself or another person, in which evidence indicates that one way of death is no more convincing than another form of death, according to the judgment of medico-legal researchers.

In 2019, approximately 9 out of 10 victims of violent deaths (89.7%) were men. The crude homicide rate was 19.8 per 100,000 inhabitants, 38.9 in men and 2.4 in women. The primary mechanism of the homicides was firearms. 91.7% of the 631 homicides are documented as related to the context of community violence. The victims of these incidents are mainly men (n=558, 96.4%), between 15 and 49 years of age (n=497, 89.1%). The most common criminal circumstances of homicides in Puerto Rico are related to illegal drug trafficking and organized crime (53.5%). In Puerto Rico, according to the report, 91.0% of homicides are committed with firearms, more than double the global average of 42.7%.

In 2019, 29 fatal victims of family violence were reported. Most of these cases were related to violence in an intimate or former partner environment (17 cases, 58.6%). While violence between family members (12 cases, 41.4%), occurred mainly during an argument (63.6%). The vast majority of victims of intimate partner violence were women (n= 15, 88.2%). The two main mechanisms of all homicides of intimate partners were firearms (41.2%) and a sharp instrument (35.3%). More than half of these women were victims of their current spouse or partner (53.3%), while 46.7% were victims of their former spouse or former partner. In addition, 5 of the 17 fatal cases of intimate partner violence were homicide-suicide incidents (29.4%).

As for suicides in Puerto Rico, the report highlights that the frequency is lower than that of homicides. However, as in homicides, suicides are more frequent in men (80.8%). In 2019, the crude suicide rate was 7.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, 12.2 in men (1 of 112 men) and 2.6 in women (1 of 494 women). The main mechanism was asphyxiation.

Mariluz Bezares Salinas, manager of statistical projects at the Institute of Statistics and co-principal investigator of the Report on Violent Deaths in Puerto Rico, explained that the collection of this type of data could involve fieldwork that takes more than two years from the time the incident occurs until the collection and review of the data is completed. For his part, Dr. Diego Zavala, epidemiologist and co-principal investigator of the PRVDRS, said that “this system is a reliable, complete and unique reference source that helps describe the context of violent deaths in the victim-aggressor relationship and the magnitude, trend and characteristics of violent deaths in Puerto Rico.”

The PRVDRS is an epidemiological surveillance system affiliated with the Institute of Statistics and designed to obtain a complete and standardized census of violent deaths in Puerto Rico. The PRVDRS began its participation in the National Violent Death Notification System (National Violent Death Reporting System, NVDRS) in September 2016, through a collaborative agreement granted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The 2019 Report on Violent Deaths in Puerto Rico is available through the following link: Puerto Rico Violent Death Notification System.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with coordinating the government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and accessible quickly and universally.

For technical questions about this report, you can send an email to: preguntas@estadisticas.pr.

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

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They request collaboration to complete a survey on parenting experiences

ESCAPE and the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute join efforts to develop the First Survey on the Parenting Experience in Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico — February 27, 2025. ESCAPE, Center for Family Strengthening, in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute), are developing the Survey on the Parenting Experience in Puerto Rico. This initiative seeks to gather valuable information about the experiences of mothers, fathers and guardians (people who are responsible for the upbringing of children) with the objective of strengthening efforts for the prevention of child abuse and developing more effective programs to serve families according to their needs

The executive director of ESCAPE, Yadira Pizarro Quiles, requested citizen collaboration by completing and sharing a survey and highlighted the importance of this tool for designing more precise, relevant and relevant intervention strategies. “Every family in Puerto Rico faces unique challenges, and with this survey we will be able to better understand their realities. The data collected will allow us to evaluate existing programs and develop more effective initiatives to support parents and caregivers in parenting, thus strengthening efforts to prevent child abuse,” said Pizarro.

Participation in the Puerto Rico Parenting Experience Survey is completely voluntary and is intended for those who are responsible for raising one or more children under 18 years of age in Puerto Rico. The questionnaire, which lasts approximately 20 to 30 minutes, guarantees the confidentiality of the answers, which will be anonymous and securely stored by the Institute.

The questionnaire is structured in seven sections: Sociodemographic data of the child, Experiences and Expectations, Discipline and Communication, Technology and Quality Time, Support Needs and Future, Socio-Demographic Data on the Respondent and a Closure and Feedback.

The executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, highlighted the value of data and statistics in the formulation of prevention strategies. “Access to up-to-date and reliable information is key to making informed decisions. With this survey, we will be able to generate data that will not only help us better understand the dynamics of parenting in Puerto Rico, but also serve as a basis for the creation of public policies that reinforce the protection and well-being of children. That's why it's important to have the support of all sectors helping to share and complete this survey,” he said.

The survey can be accessed at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/crianzamenores

To coordinate collaborative efforts, you can contact Mrs. Lourdes Burgos at 787-562-2932.

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Contact: Lourdes Burgos, R-27 - Cell. 787-562-2932

About ESCAPE:

ESCAPE, Family Strengthening Center, was the first non-profit organization created on the Island (1983) with the mission of preventing child abuse. The organization is dedicated to supporting and educating families, parents and the community in general about healthy and positive ways to relate, communicate and above all to raise, care for and protect children and adolescents from violence and abuse.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access.

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PRESS RELEASE

RED STATE DATA CENTER OF PUERTO RICO

December 6, 2018

THREE MUNICIPALITIES HAVE 70% OR MORE OF THEIR HOMES WITH INTERNET ACCESS

San Juan, PR — El U.S. Census Bureau released today the most recent data from the Puerto Rico Community Survey known as Puerto Rico Community Survey at the municipal level. These statistics refer to information collected from 2013 to 2017, a period of 5 years. The new publication provides data on social, economic and housing characteristics for Puerto Rico and municipalities, as well as for specific geographical levels such as neighborhoods, census tracts and block groups. As the leading entity of the Network State Data Center Of U.S. Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presents this summary with several interesting results:

1. During the 5-year period (2013-2017), Guaynabo, Carolina and Gurabo were found to have the highest percentage of households (70%-71%), with internet connection, among all municipalities. With 60% to 69% of households with internet access, the municipalities of Juana Diaz and Villalba stand out outside the metropolitan area and east of Puerto Rico. On the other hand, some 38 municipalities had less than 50% of their homes with internet connection, mostly municipalities in the central and southwestern areas. In Puerto Rico, estimates indicate that about 54% of households had internet access.

2. As for households with one or more computer devices (laptop, desktop, tablets), the geographical distribution indicates that the highest percentages (60%-78%) are concentrated in the metropolitan area and coastal municipalities from Dorado, in the northeastern area, and to Humacao in the east. It is worth highlighting several municipalities with the same characteristics such as Aguadilla, Moca, Añasco, Mayagüez and Hormigueros in the west as well as Morovis, Jayuya, Villalba in the center. For Puerto Rico, it is estimated that about 62% of households had a computer device.

3. As for the median family income, comparing the two five-year periods (2008-12 vs. 2013-17), at the level of Puerto Rico it showed a reduction of -2.5% from $24,398 to $23,793.

At the municipal level:

• In 44 municipalities, there was a decrease in the median family income, and in 13 of these municipalities the change was statistically significant, with a confidence level of 90%.
• The 6 municipalities that showed the highest decrease according to the percentage change in family income were: Adjuntas, Guánica, Cidra, Loíza, Guayama and Ceiba.
• On the other hand, the 6 municipalities that showed the highest increase according to the percentage change in family income were: Culebra, Villalba, Morovis, Barceloneta, Vega Baja and Coamo. Of all these, Culebra appears to be the municipality with the greatest change, but its difference is not statistically significant.

As highlighted by Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Acting Executive Director of the Institute, in this new report the U.S. Census Bureau data are integrated on the use of computers and internet in homes in Puerto Rico, by municipality. “This is the first time, since this information began to be collected in the Survey in 2013, that we can know the estimates at a more detailed geographical level, as are all municipalities.”

For his part, Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute, added: “Information related to internet access and computers expands the areas of research and analysis. For example, looking at the geographical pattern of fewer homes with computers and internet access in municipalities in the southwestern area of Puerto Rico, it alerts us to a possible association between the elderly population and computer and internet access. On the other hand, the reduction in family income at the Puerto Rico level translates to about $600 less during the most recent five-year period 2013-2017 compared to the previous 2008-2012. In other words, during the most recent period, there was less money in the family nucleus, complicating the socio-economic scenario faced by most families and their members in Puerto Rico.”

More statistics on the Community Survey estimates can be obtained at: http://factfinder2.census.gov/. If you need assistance using this tool to obtain data, you may find the self-study guide for using this available tool useful: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/fact-finder . Information on the methodology used to produce the estimates can be accessed hither.

In addition, as the leading entity of the Puerto Rico SDC, the IEPR manages the SDC portal, where you can find the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau on Puerto Rico, specifically those that are most in demand, such as annual population estimates; the Puerto Rico Community Survey (Puerto Rico Community Survey) and official statistics on Puerto Rico's 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access. The Institute has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, over 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a custodian and provides access to over 100 data sets or “data sets” through www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr.

For more information you can visit our website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. In addition, you can follow us on social networks through Facebook (estadisticas.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes (787) 688-0401

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