NCJ Number
83405
Date Published
Unknown
Length
82 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of victimization surveys (conducted 2 years apart) of approximately 600 households in Central Point, Oreg., to measure the percentage of the population victimized by 7 different property and violent crimes.
Abstract
The surveys also measured the changes in crime prevention precautions and actions citizens have taken to reduce their likelihood of being victimized. Major findings showed that there has been a small and statistically insignificant increase in the number of burglaries over the first 2 years of the crime prevention program, which started in 1978. Theft has increased significantly over the 2-year period, from 9.3 percent of those surveyed in 1977 to 13.6 percent in 1979. When the victims of all completed property crimes were grouped together only an insignificant increase was noted. Combined violent crime rates and attempted violent crime rates have both increased insignificantly between the 1977 and 1979 surveys. A majority of citizens exercise common crime prevention precautions such as locking their house doors and windows. Significantly more people in the followup survey think that they will not become crime victims within the next year than was the case in the preprogram survey. Tables and 20 references are included. Survey instruments and data are appended. (Author summary modified)