NCJ Number
218336
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2006 Pages: 235-253
Date Published
2006
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study attempted to assess and better understand some of the widely accepted predictors and conclusions of fear of crime found in developed nations on the urbanized capital city of Botswana.
Abstract
The findings from the study suggest that gender, victimization, and environment are useful in explaining fear of crime in the urbanized capital city of Botswana. In particular, it appears that gender itself is a genuinely powerful predictor of fear of crime in Gaborone. Initial findings indicate that women are more likely to fear crime than men. However, victimization is only a partial predictor of fear of crime. Also, like gender and victimization, community characteristics contribute to the overall explanation of fear in Botswana. In particular, the results on community status are consistent with previous Western conceptions and literature that suggest that there is a high level of fear among individuals who constitute the lower classes of society. While it is clear that the findings provided only mixed support for gender, victimization, incivility, and fear of crime in particular, the results nonetheless provide some insight into some of the predictors and conclusions commonly associated with the western literature. As a result, it appears that social characteristics, victimization rates, and community characteristics are all critical to providing insight into fear of crime in Gaborone with gender providing the strongest effects, as well as appearing to be a genuinely powerful predictor of fear of crime. Tables, references, and appendix