CRIMINALS' AND NONCRIMINALS' PERCEPTION OF URBAN CRIME

• NCJ Number: 52834
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Dated: (NOVEMBER 1978) Pages: 353-371
• Author(s): R L CARTER; K Q HILL
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 17 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc; American Soc of Criminology
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: EARLIER VERSION OF THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE WESTERN SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION, TEMPE, ARIZONA, APRIL 1976

Annotation

RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM A STUDY THAT EXAMINES THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CRIMINAL AND NONCRIMINAL PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT.

Abstract

IN ORDER TO GATHER DATA ON RESPONDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE SAME URBAN ENVIRONMENT, MATCHED SAMPLES OF CONVENTIONAL PROPERTY CRIMINALS (BURGLARY, ROBBERY, LARCENY OFFENSES) AND NONCRIMINALS WERE ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRES WHICH REQUIRED CHARACTERIZATION OF A VARIETY OF AREAS OF OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA., WITH WHICH ALL RESPONDENTS WERE FAMILIAR. THE CRIMINAL SAMPLE WAS SUBDIVIDED INTO GROUPS OF 45 WHITE AND 38 BLACK OFFENDERS, AND THE NONCRIMINAL GROUP WAS CLASSIFIED INTO TWO APPROXIMATELY EQUAL GROUPS OF BLACK AND WHITE RESPONDENTS. THE QUESTIONNAIRE CONSISTED OF TWO SETS OF EVALUATIVE DIMENSIONS; THE FIRST ADDRESSED GENERALIZED ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATIONS, AND THE SECOND SET OF SCALES ASSESSED CRIME-RELATED EVALUATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL AREAS WITH THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: LOW PROPERTY CRIME VERSUS HIGH PROPERTY CRIME, STRONG VERSUS WEAK POLICE PROTECTION, AND EASY VERSUS HARD MARK (TARGET). RESULTS SHOWED THAT EACH SAMPLE AND SUBSAMPLE HAD SIMILAR PERCEPTIONS OF THE OVERALL LEVELS OF CRIME AND POLICE PROTECTION IN THE CITY, AS WELL AS OF THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CRIME RATE IN AN AREA AND POLICE EFFORT THERE. ALSO, ALL THE GROUPS SHARED COMPARABLE AND FAIRLY ACCURATE ASSESSMENTS OF THE RELATIVE LEVELS OF CRIME IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY. IT WAS ON THE 'HARD MARK' SCALE--THE MOST LITERAL STRATEGY INDEX--THAT THE CRIMINAL DIVERGED FROM NONCRIMINAL AND FROM EACH OTHER BASED ON RACE. THE CRIMINAL SAMPLE TENDED TO VIEW AREAS AS BEING MORE HARDENED AGAINST CRIME THAN DID THE NONCRIMINAL GROUP. BLACKS IN BOTH THE CRIMINAL AND NONCRIMINAL SAMPLES VIEWED AREAS OF WEALTH AS BEING 'HARD MARKS'; WHEREAS, THE WHITE GROUPS TENDED TO VIEW AREAS AS 'HARD' OR 'EASY' MARKS BASED ON LAW ENFORCEMENT FACTORS WITH WHICH THEY WERE FAMILIAR. DATA FROM THE STUDY ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)