NCJ Number
154929
Journal
International Review of Victimology Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: (1993) Pages: 331-343
Date Published
1993
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study measured victimization rates on the University of Alabama campus; data indicated that students demonstrated higher victimization rates and greater monetary losses than the general population.
Abstract
Study data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire that combined traditional victimization and self- report delinquency methodologies. The questionnaire had three sections: demographic variables, victimization scales, and offender scales. The sample of 222 students was representative of the university population. Students were most likely to be victims of burglary, followed by pick pocketing and purse snatching, assault, sexual assault, and bicycle and auto part theft. Dollar losses for student victims tended to be higher than the national average. For personal theft crimes, 36.9 percent of victims reported losses of less than $50 and 28.5 percent reported losses exceeding $249. Personal theft victims reported these incidents to the proper authorities at a much higher rate than the national average. Crime reporting rates varied from a low of 42 percent for bicycle theft to a high of 100 percent for assault and auto theft. About 86 percent of student victimizations occurred off-campus, and students were more likely to be victims than offenders. With a few exceptions, no significant relationships were found between demographic variables and being the victim of a specific offense. Because most victimizations did not occur on campus, it was determined that the University of Alabama has a relatively safe campus. The authors discuss victim rights, the university's responsibility to protect students, and legal liability issues. 38 references and 6 tables