NCJ Number
160844
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1996) Pages: 81-108
Date Published
1996
Length
28 pages
Annotation
Using data collected from a 2-year panel study of crime and related issues at a large, urban, research university, this study examined the extent that changes in police patrol tactics and upgrading of campus lighting affected faculty, staff, and students' perceived risk and fear of victimization.
Abstract
In August 1992 the University Computer Center generated a stratified random sample of the names of 1,050 faculty members and staff and 1,333 students. Members of the sample were sent a six-page Campus Crime Survey. The survey was divided into several sections that contained questions or statements designed to measure general attitudes about crime on the campus, perceptions of how big a problem crime was on campus, campus victimization experience, areas of the campus where respondents felt unsafe and reasons for this, crime-prevention activities practiced, attitudes toward the campus police, and personal demographics. A follow-up survey was administered at Time 2, which was approximately 4-5 months after some security changes in the physical environment, campus police patrol, lighting, and the institution of "campus watch," a program similar to neighborhood watch. Multivariate logit analyses showed that the best predictor of fear and risk at Time 2 were levels of fear and risk at Time 1 and that changes in police patrol and campus lighting generally had little effect on fear and perceived risk. This article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for reducing perceived risk and fear of victimization among members of a campus community. 68 references and 5 tables