U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Perceived Collective Efficacy and Women's Victimization in Public Housing

NCJ Number
198959
Journal
Criminal Justice Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2003 Pages: 5-27
Author(s)
Walter S. Dekeseredy; Martin D. Schwartz; Shahid Alvi; E. Andreas Tomaszewski
Date Published
February 2003
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the social disorganization/collective efficacy model and intimate partner violence.
Abstract
Women living in neighborhoods characterized by poverty and joblessness report higher rates of domestic violence than those in more affluent communities. It is hypothesized that the high rate of concentrated disadvantage in the public housing community weakens social ties with neighbors and the absence of social cohesion and increases the risk of intimate partner violence, stranger violence, property crime, and public harassment. Social disorganization models presume that ecological variables such as neighborhood structural density influence crime and delinquency through their impact on formal and informal processes of social control. The definition of social disorganization is the inability of a community to realize the common values of its residents and maintain effective social controls. In a collective efficacy model, the central goal is to live in a safe and orderly environment free of predatory crime, especially interpersonal violence. Where collective efficacy is high, neighbors closely interact with one another and strive together to improve neighborhood conditions. Questionnaires were distributed to six selected public housing sites in a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Results showed a group of residents that rarely participated in activities with other people in their neighborhood. The residents reported a fear of being in a variety of situations after dark. For many female public housing residents, the home was not a safe haven. Residents lived in close proximity to each other but at some emotional distance; did not interact with their neighbors; and some had severely distressed households. It was found that community concerns about street crimes and informal means of social control designed to prevent such harms were not effective forms of alleviating intimate partner violence. It was concluded that local community development programs and active tenant associations should be created to increase collective efficacy in public housing communities. Jobs and effective social programs are absolutely necessary to nourish a community and develop collective efficacy. 3 figures, 9 tables, 4 notes, 37 references