NCJ Number
61462
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: (APRIL 1979) Pages: 146-157
Date Published
1979
Length
12 pages
Annotation
FACTORS WHICH CAUSE CRIME VICTIMS TO FAIL TO REPORT CRIMES TO THE POLICE WERE INVESTIGATED IN AN INTERVIEW STUDY OF 477 PEOPLE FROM TWO TYPES OF NEIGHBORHOODS IN HAIFA, ISRAEL.
Abstract
THE SAMPLE INCLUDED 236 PEOPLE FROM UPPER MIDDLE-CLASS NEIGHBORHOODS AND 241 PEOPLE FROM LOWER-CLASS NEIGHBORHOODS. A TOTAL OF 569 INCIDENTS OF VICTIMIZATION WERE REPORTED. FACTORS ASSUMED TO AFFECT LIKELIHOOD OF REPORTING INCLUDED THE VICTIM'S SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, THE TYPE OF OFFENSE, AND THE VICTIM'S ATTITUDE TOWARD LAW ENFORCEMENT. RESULTS SHOW THAT PROPERTY AND ECONOMIC CRIMES DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN THE TWO KINDS OF NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON AND THE CHANCE OF BEING A REPEAT VICTIM WERE BOTH SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE LOWER-CLASS NEIGHBORHOODS. OVERALL, 44 PERCENT OF THE CRIMES WERE REPORTED TO THE POLICE. VICTIMS FROM UPPER CLASS NEIGHBORHOODS WERE MORE RELUCTANT TO REPORT ECONOMIC CRIME, WHILE RESIDENTS OF POOR NEIGHBORHOODS WERE MORE RELUCTANT TO REPORT PROPERTY OFFENSES OR CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON. REASONS FOR NOT NOTIFYING THE POLICE VARIED ACCORDING TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENSE. NO RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN NEIGHBORHOOD TYPE AND REASONS FOR NONREPORTING. MULTIVARIATE PATH ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT NOTIFICATION DOES NOT DEPEND ON NEIGHBORHOOD OR ATTITUDE TOWARD LAW ENFORCEMENT BUT DOES DEPEND ON THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE OR INJURY SUFFERED. THESE FINDINGS CHALLENGED THEORIES THAT SUBCULTURES SOLVE PROBLEMS WITHOUT INVOLVING THE POLICE AND INDICATED THAT NOTIFICATION CANNOT BE STUDIED INDEPENDENTLY OF THE INDIVIDUAL SITUATION INVOLVED. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD USE SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS TO REFINE INTERPRETATIONS OF WHY VICTIMS FAIL TO NOTIFY THE POLICE. TABLES, ONE FIGURE, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)