NCJ Number
170265
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 14 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1997) Pages: 479-500
Date Published
1997
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Variables from three distinct but related models of fear of crime were used to develop an overall model, which was then analyzed using data from a random sample of residents of Spokane, Wash.
Abstract
The three perspectives were the victimization model, the disorder model and the community concern/community control model; the community concern/community control model was the least-developed model. The research combined several distinct dimensions of the community concerns model with variables taken from the victimization and disorder frameworks to develop the overall model of fear of crime. The analysis revealed that the inclusion of variables from all three perspectives results in a model that accounts for a substantial amount of the variance in fear of crime. Further analysis tested the model for three subsamples of participants taken from low-disorder, medium-disorder, and high-disorder neighborhoods. The findings from this subsample analysis suggested that responsiveness by elected officials, the police, and neighborhood associations had the greatest influence on fear in neighborhoods that had high levels of crime and disorder. Tables, footnotes, appended methodological information and table, and 35 references (Author abstract modified)