INITIATING THE SOCIAL CONTROL PROCESS - A COMPARISON OF VICTIMS' AND OBSERVERS' RESPONSES TO CRIME (FROM SOUTHERN CONFERENCE ON CORRECTIONS - PROCEEDINGS, 1979, BY V FOX - SEE NCJ-59373)

• NCJ Number: 59380
• Author(s): R A LOWE
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 28 pages
• Corporate Author: Ctr for Professional Development and Public Service; Florida State University
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

RESULTS OF A STUDY INVESTIGATING BOTH VICTIMS' AND OBSERVERS' REACTIONS TO SELECTED CRIMES THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED ARE DISCUSSED.

Abstract

A SAMPLE OF 528 UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE THE SURVEY SUBJECTS. USING A SERIES OF PILOT STUDIES, A LIST OF 10 CRIMES (BEHAVIOR ACTS) WAS DEVELOPED, INCLUDING STEALING MONEY OR PERSONAL BELONGINGS, STEALING A CAR, AND DAMAGING OR DEFACING PROPERTY. AFTER INDICATING THE NATURE OF THEIR EXPERIENCE IN REGARD TO EACH BEHAVIOR LISTED (EXPERIENCED CRIME AS VICTIM, OBSERVER, OR WITHOUT EXPERIENCE), EXPERIENCED SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO INDICATE THE IMPUTED SERIOUSNESS OF THE BEHAVIOR, THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE OFFENDER, THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE VICTIM, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VICTIM AND OFFENDER (IF KNOWN), SEX OF OFFENDER, SEX OF VICTIM, SEX OF OBSERVERS, NUMBER OF PEOPLE PRESENT AND THEIR REACTIONS, AND CERTAIN BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE SUBJECTS. THE RESPONSE VARIABLE, THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE IN THE STUDY, INCLUDED A LIST OF 11 POSSIBLE RESPONSES WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF INDICATING AS MANY AS APPLIED. RESPONSES WERE USED TO DEVELOP MEASURES OF BOTH DIRECT INVOLVEMENT AND INDIRECT INVOLVEMENT; BOTH PARTIAL CORRELATION ANALYSIS AND MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS WERE EMPLOYED IN DATA EVALUATION. FINDINGS SHOWED THAT THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF POLICE NOTIFICATION OF CRIME COMMISSION OCCURRED FOR VICTIMS OF CAR THEFT, ALTHOUGH NOTIFICATION WAS GENERALLY LOW FOR ALL CRIMES FOR BOTH VICTIMS AND OBSERVERS. SERIOUSNESS OF BEHAVIOR AND INDIRECT INVOLVEMENT ARE DIRECTLY CORRELATED. IN ADDITION, THE DATA INDICATE THAT THE RELATIONSHIP TO THE OFFENDER IS INVERSELY RELATED TO INDIRECT INVOLVEMENT; THE CLOSER THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VICTIM/OBSERVER AND OFFENDER, THE LESS LIKELY THE VICTIM/OBSERVER WILL INITIATE INDIRECT INVOLVEMENT. FEMALES ARE MORE LIKELY TO RECEIVE HELP IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. SEX OF VICTIM AND OFFENDER, LIKE RELATIONAL DISTANCE TO THE CRIME SCENE, INVOLVE SUFFICIENTLY STRONG CORRELATIONS TO MERIT FURTHER INVESTIGATION. VICTIMS AND OBSERVERS APPEAR TO REACT DIFFERENTLY TO SIMILAR CRIMES, AND BOTH ARE INFLUENCED BY SITUATIONAL FACTORS. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LWM)