NCJ Number
200676
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 43 Issue: 2 Dated: Spring 2003 Pages: 417-433
Date Published
2003
Length
17 pages
Annotation
By revisiting Ferraro and LaGrange’s fear of crime and age study, this article assesses the connection between fear of crime and age using data from the Caribbean island of Trinidad.
Abstract
The paradoxical relationship between the relatively low rates of criminal victimization of older adults and the relatively high fear of crime among these individuals has yet to be proved conclusively. This article presents a review of literature on fear of crime studies, focusing on gerontological research. Using data from the Community Living and Integration Survey conducted by the Psychological Research Center in Trinidad in September 1999, the authors analyzed questions designed to measure fear of crime. Of the total 728 usable questionnaires, 303 individuals were male, 422 were female, and 262 were Afro-Trinidadian, while 325 were Indo-Trinidadian, 134 were mixed Afro-Indo, and 4 were White. Results of a multi-stage cluster design indicated that simple correlations for fear of crime and age were low and negative for both males and females. Furthermore, self-rating of risk followed a similar pattern. Contrary to the literature which suggests that the aged feel like prisoners in their own home, in Trinidad these individuals are the least afraid of crime of any age group. Tables, references