NCJ Number
89707
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1983) Pages: 8-15
Date Published
1983
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Findings show that persons under 30 years-old who have attended college are the least likely to report crimes to the police, suggesting that norms and values related to historical experiences and cultural perspectives may influence attitudes toward the police.
Abstract
The data were obtained from a sample of 502 persons in Charlottesville, Va., who were selected randomly from a list of occupied dwelling units. The sample population was about 40 percent male and 85 percent white, with about 32 percent having completed college. About 80 percent of the subjects reported having urban or suburban backgrounds. In interviews in each subject's home, 16 offenses, including both property and person crimes that did not vary in monetary loss or bodily injury, were presented, and respondents were asked how likely they would be to report these crimes to the police; each response of 'definitely would report' was scored as one. The finding that age and education are highly correlated with the likelihood of reporting crime is similar to the results obtained in other studies of the willingness of victims to report crimes. A sense of civic duty or a general sense of alienation from the community and government officials seem crucial in determining crime reporting. The fact that in the current study those under 30 who have gone to college show the lowest likelihood of reporting a crime may be a legacy of the social and political turmoil of the 1960's and early 1970's, and the fact that older, less educated persons show the highest likelihood of crime reporting may be an expression of a traditional regard for law and order. Interview questions are appended, and tabular data are provided, along with 11 references.