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

Impact of a Crime Wave - Perceptions, Fear, and Confidence in the Police

NCJ Number
88668
Journal
Law and Society Review Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: (1983) Pages: 319-335
Author(s)
M H Baker; B C Nienstedt; R S Everett; R McCleary
Date Published
1983
Length
17 pages
Annotation
In 1980, Phoenix, Arizona, experienced a 'crime wave.' A structural equation model based on a two-wave survey of the population shows that the crime wave had a powerful impact that was almost a mirror image of what the fear of crime literature would predict.
Abstract
Demographic groups thought to be the most fearful (e.g., women and the elderly) were least affected while groups thought to be least fearful (e.g., well-educated whites) were affected most. In addition to demographic factors, our analysis demonstrates that crime rate perceptions and confidence in the police are integral components of fear, especially in the context of a crime wave. These findings have important implications for crime policy specifically and for criminological research generally. (Publisher abstract)

Downloads

No download available

Availability