NCJ Number
57390
Journal
Victimology Volume: 3 Issue: 3/4 Dated: SPECIAL ISSUE (1978) Pages: 265-273
Date Published
1979
Length
9 pages
Annotation
MAJOR FINDINGS OF RESEARCH ON PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD CRIME AND CRIME-RELATED POLICY IN THE NETHERLANDS ARE REVIEWED.
Abstract
NATIONAL SURVEYS BY THE RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION CENTER OF THE DUTCH MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND STUDIES BY OTHER GROUPS SHOW THAT FEAR OF CRIME IN THE NETHERLANDS IS ONLY LOOSELY CONNECTED WITH ACTUAL EXPERIENCE WITH CRIME, AND THAT LEVELS OF FEAR ARE OUT OF PROPORTION TO THE RELATIVELY LOW CRIME RATE. FEAR IS HIGHEST AMONG WOMEN LIVING IN AMSTERDAM AND OTHER LARGE CITIES. THESE WOMEN ARE ESPECIALLY CONCERNED ABOUT RAPE. FEAR IS LOWEST AMONG YOUNG URBAN MALES, WHO ARE THE MOST LIKELY TO BE VICTIMIZED. CONCERN ABOUT CRIME AND CALLS FOR 'LAW AND ORDER' POLICIES ARE FOUND MOST FREQUENTLY AMONG PERSONS OF MIDDLE AGE AND RELATIVELY LITTLE EDUCATION, AND AMONG THOSE WITH CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS. HOWEVER, THE CORRELATION BETWEEN CONCERN WITH VIOLENT CRIME AND POLITICAL OPPOSITION TO SOCIALISM IS A WEAK ONE. IT APPEARS THAT MUCH OF THE CONCERN ABOUT CRIME IN THE NETHERLANDS IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO SENSATIONALIZED CRIME REPORTING BY THE NEWSPAPERS. A POSITIVE CORRELATION HAS BEEN FOUND BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO CRIME REPORTS IN THE DAILY PRESS AND FEAR OF CRIME. ONE STUDY FOUND THAT WOMEN, PEOPLE WITH LITTLE EDUCATION, AND THE ELDERLY TEND NOT TO BALANCE THEIR READING OF NEWSPAPER ACCOUNTS OF VIOLENT CRIME WITH ATTENTION TO ARTICLES ON OTHER TOPICS. IN GENERAL, MUCH OF THE DUTCH RESEARCH DATA INDICATE THAT FEAR OF CRIME IS DEPENDENT ON SOCIAL FACTORS EXTRINSIC TO CRIME AND CRIME CONTROL PER SE. A LIST OF REFERENCES IS INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)