NCJ Number
142628
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1992) Pages: 81-90
Date Published
1992
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Answers to the screening questions posed by the 1982 British Crime Survey are used in this study to examine the reason for the difference between various areas' crime rates and the ways in which multiple victimization contributes to area differences. A descriptive decomposition of area crime incidence, along with statistical analysis, is used to clarify this issue.
Abstract
Area crime rates were considered in terms of total crime, personal crime, and property crime. An area's crime pattern is based on the incidence rate, average number of crimes per respondent, prevalence rate, and vulnerability measure. The findings reveal that the number of victimizations per respondent rose markedly as area crime rates increased. Specifically, the rate of property crime incidence rose dramatically in the worst areas; prevalence and vulnerability contributed equally to the increase. While personal crime rates also rose dramatically, prevalence accounted for the increase much more than vulnerability. Residents of high-crime areas experienced a much higher rate of multiple victimization, indicating that a program of preventing repeat crimes would more predictably address future events, compared with other types of initiatives in high- or low-crime areas. This type of strategy would also maximize scarce resources. 2 tables, 3 figures, 17 references, and 1 appendix