NCJ Number
181779
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 28 Issue: 1 Dated: January-February 2000 Pages: 33-42
Date Published
January 2000
Length
10 pages
Annotation
A survey conducted in the county around Toledo, Ohio, sought to determine the impact of a school’s neighborhood characteristics on crime and victimization in the school.
Abstract
The data came from students in 44 junior and senior high schools in the spring of 1994, from census and official crime data for the surrounding area, and from a windshield survey of the neighborhood. The analysis used robbery, theft, or assault as measures of student victimization at school. The independent variables reflected census measures for the neighborhood, an objective visual assessment of the area, and official arrest data for the area around the school. Results revealed a surprising lack of any association between the three dependent victimization measures and the nine predictor variables. No correlation reached the .05 level of statistical significance typically used in such studies. The use of a threshold of significance of .15 revealed only two instances in which the correlation reached significance. Both instances involved theft offenses. Findings suggested that the surrounding neighborhood has little impact on victimization in the school. Findings also suggested that schools are able to insulate themselves from their surrounding neighborhoods and can create a safe learning atmosphere for their students. 32 references (Author abstract modified)