NCJ Number
213418
Journal
Campus Law Enforcement Journal Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2006 Pages: 21-26
Date Published
January 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article provides college administrators with a research design that examines campus crime trends, measures the correlation and impact of victimization among campus groups, and incorporates a policy and procedure paradigm that assesses strategies for reducing the crime rate on campus.
Abstract
The research design involves the construction of a survey that collects data on the determinants, victimization, and effects of campus crime in general or a particular type of campus crime. Data on the determinants of campus crime (independent variable) address demography, routine activities, ecology, and lifestyle of respondents. On-campus victimization (dependent variable) is determined by direct questions to representative samples of students regarding offenses committed against them. The consequences of crime pertain to respondents' perceived risk and fear of victimization, perception of prevention and deterrence, and satisfaction with the college campus experience. The analysis of these data are used to formulate future policy and practice in preventing and responding to crime. They can also be used to inform established theories and models. This article describes the testing of this research design at a college campus for the purpose of analyzing on-campus theft. The purposes of the data collection and analysis were to compare the rate of on-campus theft to crimes mandated for reporting under the Clery Act, to test the validity of the questions related to causation, and to test the impact that on-campus theft has on direct and indirect victims. The methodology effectively clarified for university administrators the patterns and consequences of on-campus theft victimization, thus guiding them in setting priorities for resource distribution and in developing programs for a significant campus crime problem. 2 figures and 14 references