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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‍PRESS RELEASE

Statistics Institute asks government agencies

information stipulated by law

Statistical information was requested from 38 government agencies

San Juan, PR, August 5, 2020 — The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) reported that it recently requested in writing from 38 government agencies specific statistical information, as established in multiple laws in Puerto Rico. The initiative aims to ensure compliance with Article 13 of the Institute's Organic Law, Act No. 209 of August 28, 2003, as amended, which provides that all government agencies have the obligation to regularly and constantly send to the Institute any publication of statistical products they produce, in order to be incorporated into the Inventory of Statistics and to make them available to all citizens.

The Inventory of Statistics, specified by Article 5 (f) of the Institute's Organic Law, is where most of the statistical information collected by the Institute is kept and made available to the public, and is located online at: Inventory-of-statistics. It is the main source for those looking for official statistical information that describes, estimates or analyzes the characteristics of Puerto Rico and its society. The Inventory contains all important statistical activities carried out or planned to be carried out by government agencies, as well as information on how to obtain statistical reports for Puerto Rico that are prepared by government agencies and public corporations in Puerto Rico, municipalities and any other jurisdiction in the United States. Statistical reports from the private sector are also included in the Inventory.

The deadline given to agencies to respond is 20 calendar days, but agencies can request an extension, particularly if they receive multiple requests for statistical information. This is the case of agencies to which numerous laws that specify the generation of statistical information that is of great legislative interest apply, such as the Department of Education, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the Department of Health and the Department of Public Safety. However, most of the government agencies contacted will receive few requests for statistical information and are not considered less important by the Institute. It should be noted that the Institute has tried to make the process for submitting the requested statistical products as efficient as possible, making it one that can be carried out completely online.

“We urge all government agencies contacted to provide the requested statistical information. The collaboration of government agencies will help the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute expand and keep its Statistics Inventory up to date. In addition, since these are statistical products specified by legal provisions, the information requested is particularly relevant to the decision-making processes of the Government of Puerto Rico,” said Jacobo M. Orenstein-Cardona, special assistant to the Institute's executive director and coordinator of this initiative.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

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

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Data presented from the Report on Violent Deaths in Puerto Rico

639 homicides and 215 suicides were reported in Puerto Rico in 2021

The Puerto Rico Violent Death Notification System (PRVDRS) of the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute), presented data from the Puerto Rico Violent Deaths Report for 2021. The report reports that in 2021, 816 incidents of violent deaths occurred, with a total of 880 fatalities. Of the total number of violent deaths, 97% were distributed as 639 by homicides and 215 by suicides, with the remaining 26 violent deaths (3%) due to other causes.

In 2021, 72.6% of victims of violent deaths were incidents of single or multiple homicides and 24.4% were incidents of suicide. Two homicide-suicide incidents were reported, resulting in 4 fatalities. In addition, during this period, 2 violent deaths attributed to legal intervention (0.2%), three violent deaths from unintentional self-inflicted firearms (0.3%) and 21 violent deaths with undetermined intent (2.4%) were documented. In 2021, approximately 9 out of 10 victims of violent deaths (92.0%) were men. The crude rate of violent deaths for Puerto Rico in 2021 was 27.0 per 100,000 inhabitants, 52.5 in men and 4.0 in women.

Of the 880 violent deaths recorded in 2021, 639 were homicides (72.6%). The majority of homicides occurred between the ages of 15 and 39. In these age groups, 73.1% of all homicides occur among men and 59.5% among women. The primary mechanism of the homicides was firearms. In Puerto Rico, according to the report, 91.5% of homicides were committed with firearms, more than double the global average of 47.0%.

In 2021, the majority of homicides occurred in an environment of collective violence. In 358 of the 639 homicides (56.0%) recorded in 2021, they occurred in a context related to criminal groups, involved in the trafficking of illegal drugs.

In 2021, 31 fatal victims of family violence were reported. Family violence (violence between family members) includes child or adult abuse and violence against an intimate partner. The majority of these cases were related to violence in an intimate or former partner environment (20 cases, 64.5%). There were 11 fatal incidents among family members (35.5%). The majority of victims of intimate partner violence were women (18 cases, 90.0%). More than half of these women were victims of their current spouse or partner (61.1%), while 38.9% were victims of their ex-spouse or ex-partner. In addition, a firearm was used in 11 of the 18 femicides/femicides (61.1%).

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 (86.5%). In 2021, the crude suicide rate was 6.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, 12.0 in men (1 of 124 men) and 1.7 in women (1 of 774 women). The main mechanism was asphyxiation (64.5% in men and 55.2% in women).

Mariluz Bezares Salinas, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute 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 moment the incident occurs until the collection and review of the data is completed.

“This system for reporting violent deaths 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,” said Dr. Diego Zavala, epidemiologist and co-principal investigator of the PRVDRS.

For the Executive Director of the Institute, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, these statistics are one of the main tools to combat the phenomenon of violence in Puerto Rico. “These data, among others, serve as the basis for establishing effective measures for the prevention of violence in Puerto Rico, from multiple social, health and economic approaches. Our commitment at the Institute is to continue strengthening this statistical and epidemiological system, to continue improving the quality of this type of data,” argued Dr. Disdier.

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 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.

For more information you can visit the website: https://estadisticas.pr/en/prvdrs or write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr. They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), X (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

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