NCJ Number
161817
Date Published
1996
Length
179 pages
Annotation
This study identifies the distinctiveness of rural and small-town crime compared to urban crime and examines the styles and effectiveness of policing in rural and small-town settings.
Abstract
A chapter on the rural setting for crime and justice identifies and discusses particular characteristics of rural and small-town life. These include geographic isolation, the availability of guns, economic factors, race and ethnicity, and the social climate. Topics addressed in the discussion of social climate are informal control, mistrust of government, and a reluctance to share internal problems. A chapter on rural and small-town crime first considers fear of crime, rural compared to urban crime, and trends in rural crime. Particular crime categories reviewed are gangs, alcohol and drugs, rural schools, vice and organized crime, violence, hate crimes, satanic cults, arson, agricultural crimes, and wildlife crimes. Another chapter addresses the characteristics of rural police, their cooperation with Federal and State law enforcement officials, departmental size, and their effectiveness in dealing with various types of rural crime. Other topics discussed pertain to police response to violence, excessive force, police corruption, and community policing. Findings are also presented from a survey of rural police needs. A chapter on other parts of the rural justice system focus on the practice of law, rural courts, rural jails, and prisons. Directions for the future in rural and small-town justice are discussed in the concluding chapter. 273 references and a subject index