CRIME REPORTING PATTERNS IN WICHITA, KANSAS

• NCJ Number: 58002
• Author(s): W J GRAF
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 88 pages
• Sale Source: National Technical Information Service
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY - MASTER'S THESIS

Annotation

THIS RESEARCH STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE CRIME REPORTING PATTERNS OF CITIZENS IN WICHITA, KANS., IN TERMS OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES, SERIOUSNESS OF THE OFFENSE, VICTIMS, WITNESSES, AND POLICE EFFECTIVENESS.

Abstract

THE EMPHASIS OF THE STUDY WAS ON WHY PERSONS REPORT CRIME RATHER THAN ON WHY THEY DO NOT. DATA WERE COLLECTED USING THE TELEPHONE SURVEY METHOD. WITH THE AID OF A COMPUTER, 1,680 TELEPHONE NUMBERS WERE RANDOMLY GENERATED, RESULTING IN CONTACTS WITH 383 HOUSEHOLDS. OF 405 RESPONDENTS INTERVIEWED, 138 CLAIMED VICTIMIZATION OR WITNESSING A CRIME. SIX HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED BASED ON THE 138 REPORTS: (1) THE MORE SERIOUS THE CRIME, THE MORE LIKELY IT IS TO BE REPORTED; (2) FEMALES OF ALL AGE GROUPS WILL REPORT MORE FREQUENTLY THAN WILL MALES; (3) BLACKS WILL REPORT CRIME MORE OFTEN THAN WILL WHITES; (4) THE MORE EFFECTIVE THE POLICE ARE PERCEIVED TO BE, THE MORE LIKELY THE CRIME WILL BE REPORTED; (5) CRIME IS REPORTED MORE OFTEN FOR REASON OF CIVIC OBLIGATION RATHER THAN PERSONAL GAIN; AND (6) VICTIMS ARE MORE LIKELY TO REPORT MEMBERS OF LOWER SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STANDING, WITH SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STANDING INDICATED BY THE APPEARANCE OF THE OFFENDER. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT RELATIONS FOUND FOR CRIME REPORTING WITH REGARD TO SEX, RACE, SERIOUSNESS, AND VICTIM/OFFENDER SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STATUS. SIGNIFICANT RELATIONS WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN PERCEPTIONS OF POLICE PERFORMANCE AND REPORTING AND CIVIC OBLIGATION AND REPORTING. COMPARED TO FINDINGS REPORTED IN A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE WHERE 60 PERCENT INDICATED GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE POLICE, CITIZENS IN WICHITA DID NOT DIFFER IN THEIR RATINGS OF POLICE PERFORMANCE. THE FIRST THREE HYPOTHESES WERE NOT SUPPORTED, WHILE THE FOURTH AND FIFTH HYPOTHESES WERE SUPPORTED. THE LAST HYPOTHESIS COULD NOT BE ADEQUATELY TESTED BECAUSE MOST CRIMES DISCOVERED IN THE SURVEY WERE NOT WITNESSED CRIMES. FURTHER RESEARCH ON CRIME REPORTING PATTERNS OF CITIZENS IN WICHITA IS RECOMMENDED DUE TO THE IMPLICATED POSITIVE SUPPORT OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. SUPPORTING DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN THE STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE RESULTS OF RANDOM DIGIT DIALING TO DERIVE A SAMPLE FOR THE STUDY. (AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DEP)