NCJ Number
152097
Journal
Journal of Security Administration Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: (October 1994) Pages: 37-52
Date Published
1994
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article describes an exploratory study of demographic characteristics and security features of large campuses throughout the United States that correlate with campus crime; crime prevention measures are suggested.
Abstract
Demographic and security features were obtained from the 1992 edition of "Barron's Profiles of American Colleges." The data source for the number of index crimes committed on campuses was the 1991 "Uniform Crime Report." The two largest universities from each State that reported data to the "Uniform Crime Report" were selected for the sample analyzed in this study. Mean averages were computed for the following campus demographics for the 81 universities in the study: student population size, number of male students, number of female students, undergraduate student age, number of nonwhite students, number of students living in dorms, number of buildings on campus, number of campus acres, and number of index crimes. The regression analysis results are consistent with McPheters' (1978) results; namely, larger dorm populations are related to a higher number of crimes on campus. When this variable is combined with the number of female students, nearly 77 percent of the variation in the number of crimes is taken into account. Suggestions for crime prevention are the establishment of a task force to review crime-prevention strategies, a 24-hour police presence in residence halls, a paid student dorm patrol, crime prevention programs that target women's safety and dorm security, and an assessment of the campus physical environment. An appended list of universities in the sample, 4 tables, 2 notes, and 35 references