many researchers report that
40 to 50 percent of the population express a fear of crime.
survey results find that
40% of public report that there are areas near their home where they would be afraid to walk alone at night.
Questions asking about perceived changes in crime in the US or a respondents are often result in
greater fear levels (+67%)
fear
exceeds the actual levels of crime
Despite the fact that there is a reduction in crime in both offical and victimization figures
62 percent of the respondents to a gallup poll in 02 believe there was more crime in the US
another way to look at fear and crime is to
examine the link between fear and past victimization of respondents
it is principally an
urban problem that affects the elderly and women to a great extent than other groups
Greater than
60 percent of those persons living in urban areas express fear of crime. conversely, only 30 percent of rural residents voice the same fear
Women and the elderly
are the most fearful
numerous studies report that fearful people tend to be...
black, lower ses, and live in large communities.
explanations of high fear of crime
vicarious victimization, perceived risk and harm, incivility, methodological factors, and crime and fear (independent of each other)
fear is
freedom of movement and $ gone
vicarious victimization
knowing someone who has been the victim of a crime, or simply being told by a friend of a harmful act against a third party can elicit a sympathetic reaction and empathetic fear of crime. Can also come from real or dramatic perceptions of crime in media.
The American Bar Association speculates that
part of the reason for continued high levels of fear despite declining crime may be the increases in television news coverage of murder.
perceived risk and harm
some individuals may perceive themselves to be at a greater risk of victimization and harm. As noted above, the elderly and women are often found to be most fearful but are the least victimized. Vulnerability can appear in the form of social isolation. Vi
incivility
refers to physical and social factors involved in disorder and community decline.
Physical incivility
deterioration of buildings, litter, graffiti, vandalism, and abandoned buildings and cars
Social incivility
public drunkenness, vagrancy, loitering youths, harassment (begging or panhandling) and visible drug and sex sales
methodological factors
varying fear measures can contribute to divergent findings. It is not improbable that the same respondents could provide two different views of fear when asked different questions. Operationalizing fear in different ways produces greatly different results
crime and fear (independent of each other)
while the fear of crime varies independently from actual victimization and crime, it would be naive to claim that changes in the crime rates have no influence on reported fear. media reports of increasing crime and spectacular offenses undoubtedly hold so
Jackson and Gray
note that there is such a thing as functional fear
Fear can motivate individuals to
have precautions that can lead to avoiding risky places, utilizing safety devices, and pairing up with others.
fearing subject
person is someone who becomes responsible for the safety of himself and property
problematic is the
inordinate levels of fear of crime. Fear far exceeds the actual amount of crime and affects many individuals who never have been, and may never be, crime victims.
Crime prevention
must be cognizant of both the real and perceived levels of crime and must be prepared to attack crime in all its aspects