NCJ Number
82062
Editor(s)
D A Lewis
Date Published
1981
Length
239 pages
Annotation
This anthology presents 11 papers that analyze how crime affects important population groups and environments, explore the role of politics in shaping governmental reactions to crime, and describe institutional responses to crime on the part of schools and the news media.
Abstract
The writings use the victimization perspective, which defines crime as an event rather than an act and focuses on the interaction among victim, offender, and environment. The anthology addresses specific issues; for example, women's reactions to crime and the paradox of their low victimization rates and high levels of fear. Chapters on household crime describe recent research on burglary and protective behavior, studying the relationship between the physical environment (buildings, residential blocks, and neighborhoods) and crime prevention strategies. The collection also includes a discussion of the perception of risk in urban neighborhoods. Papers exploring the political dimension in reactions to crime focus on the development of Federal concerns about crime and the elderly, the impact of Federal funding on local crime prevention planning, and the role of social science theory on federally sponsored crime prevention programs. Police response to crime in selected cities is also analyzed. Two concluding papers describe institutional reactions to crime, tracing changes in school administrators' orientation to crime and delinquency and describing how the news business shapes the types of crime reported, thus affecting citizens' attitudes. Tables, figures, and chapter notes and references are included. For individual papers, see NCJ 82063-73. (Author summary modified)