NCJ Number
64553
Journal
CRIME AND/ET JUSTICE Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (1978) Pages: 234-245
Date Published
1978
Length
12 pages
Annotation
ASSAULTS AND ROBBERIES IN A NONMETROPOLITAN AREA OF ONTARIO WERE TESTED FOR ASSOCIATION WITH SOCIOECONOMIC AND TEMPORAL-SPACIAL VARIABLES IN AN ATTEMPT TO GENERALIZE URBAN CRIME PATTERNS TO NONURBAN AREAS.
Abstract
THE VARIABLES INVESTIGATED INCLUDED AGE, SEX, RACE, DOMESTIC RELATIONSHIP, TEMPORALITY, PLACE OF OCCURRENCE, WEAPONS, INJURY, AND ALCOHOLIC INTOXICATION. INFORMATION ON 224 VIOLENT OFFENSES WAS OBTAINED FROM POLICE FILES AND CODED ONTO A RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE ACCORDING TO THE ABOVE CATEGORIES. THE FINDINGS SHOWED THAT THE MAJORITY OF OFFENDERS WERE OF RELATIVELY LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, WITH 40 PERCENT FALLING OUTSIDE THE LABOR FORCE, OCCUPATION UNKNOWN. WHILE 91 PERCENT OF THE OFFENDERS WERE MALES, 43 PERCENT OF THE VICTIM CATEGORY WERE FEMALE. THE AGE RANGE FOR 53 PERCENT OF THE OFFENDERS WAS BETWEEN 21 AND 50. WHITE OFFENDERS NUMBERED 185 AND 29 WERE NATIVE INDIANS, WHO REPRESENT 14 PERCENT OF THE OFFENSES WHILE BEING IN A 3.1 MINORITY OF THE POPULATION. IN 34 PERCENT OF THE CASES VICTIM AND OFFENDER WERE RELATED TO EACH OTHER; 31 PERCENT OF THE VIOLENT ACTS OCCURRED BETWEEN SPOUSES. THE HIGHEST INCIDENCE OF CRIME WAS FOUND TO BE BETWEEN JULY AND SEPTEMBER, WHEN 31 PERCENT OF THE OFFENSES OCCURRED. THE LOCUS OF VIOLENCE WAS FOUND TO BE A RESIDENCE IN 42 PERCENT OF THE CASES. THE METHOD OF OFFENSE INVOLVED THE HANDS AND FEET IN 83 PERCENT OF ATTACKS BY MEN. ATTACKS BY WOMEN USUALLY INVOLVED USE OF WEAPONS. THE MAJORITY OF INJURIES RECEIVED BY VICTIMS WERE OF A MINOR NATURE, BUT WHEN ALCOHOL WAS INVOLVED, MORE SERIOUS VICTIM INJURY ENSUED. ALCOHOL WAS PRESENT IN AT LEAST 37 PERCENT OF THE VICTIMS AND 65 PERCENT OF THE OFFENDERS. ALCOHOL IS CONSIDERED A FACILITATOR IN THESE INCIDENTS; WHICH INTERACTS WITH OTHER FACTORS AND TRIGGERS PREVIOUSLY INTERNALIZED PRO-VIOLENT NORMS. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE INFORMATION GLEANED FROM THIS STUDY BE UTILIZED BY POLICE FOR FOCUSING ON TARGET HIGH-RISK GROUPS OF OFFENDERS AND VICTIMS AND ALLOCATING MANPOWER SELECTIVELY. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (MRK)