NCJ Number
189395
Date Published
2001
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed rates and correlates of repeat criminal victimization in selected European cities.
Abstract
The study was part of a cross-national survey of victims' experiences of burglary and the response of police and other agencies. The initial research design was for a survey in six cities in four countries, with three countries drawn from Western Europe and three from Eastern Europe. In each city, researchers applied three approaches: semistructured interviews with key players; data from police files on burglary victims; and interviews with 200 victims in each city, half some 6 to 8 weeks after the offense and the remainder some 16 to 18 weeks after the crime. Rates of repeat victimization were lower outside the English cities surveyed; however, the extreme level of repeat victimization among dacha victims in Miskolc, Hungary, proved surprising, indicating the vulnerability of such property to burglary. There were marked differences between levels of repeat victimization in different cities and countries. In both Eastern and Western Europe, repeat victims were more likely than first-timers to leave the home unoccupied in the daytime for at least 6 hours. There was no convincing evidence that repeat victims were more likely to be affected by the burglary at the time it occurred. It was surprising to find that first-time victims were more likely than repeat victims to feel they had no need for victim assistance. A different pattern emerged, however, when the longer term implications of repeat victimization were considered. Repeat victims were less positive about their neighbors and neighborhood and more included to want to move; they were also more likely to report fear related to both the risk of a future burglary and street offenses. This suggests that both crime-prevention and community-safety initiatives should target repeat victims. 8 tables, 3 notes, and 20 references