NCJ Number
121393
Date Published
Unknown
Length
41 pages
Annotation
Recent evidence indicates that public information campaigns and promotional programs can have an impact on citizen involvement in crime prevention.
Abstract
The elderly may especially benefit from efforts which are carefully tailored to their own needs and circumstances. The promotion of more active citizen involvement in reducing crime has emerged as a major issue in the criminal justice arena over the past 20 years. While all public information campaigns and programs share common interests in informing and influencing the public, they often go about the job in widely diverse ways depending upon the type of problem or issue being addressed, the specific campaign objectives, the characteristics of their target audiences, and the time and money available for the effort. This study identifies media and non-media informational and support strategies that will be more effective in increasing the level of knowledge about crime and its prevention among elderly persons and in promoting their adoption of appropriate protective measures in order to reduce their risk of victimization. Also identified are effective strategies for reducing inappropriate levels of fear and dysfunctional attitudes and behaviors among the elderly with respect to crime. Recommendations are made regarding the most appropriate kinds of information and the most effective means of disseminating that information to promote increased crime prevention competence among the elderly. 32 references.