Data from the program have been used to estimate the incidence of crime, the mental health of victims, and public attitudes toward public safety issues. Estimates for 1986 indicate that approximately 27 percent of Kentucky households were affected by crime, primarily property crimes. Members of victimized household were significantly more depressed than those of nonvictimized households, although the degree of depression was related to the type of victimization. Fear of crime is real in the State: 58 percent were fearful of being burglarized, 38 percent feared being robbed, and 7 percent feared assault. While not necessarily using the services of formal crime prevention programs, citizens are taking precautions in varying degrees to protect themselves. Many Kentuckians consider child abuse to be very much a problem (42 percent) or somewhat a problem (36 percent), and 39 percent feel it is more prevalent today than 5 years ago. Citizens were greatly concerned by the potential risk to the community of sentencing offenders to home confinement, 46 percent felt sentences imposed by the parole board were too lenient, and 57 percent favored the death penalty for certain crimes.
Kentucky Crime Estimation Program: 1986-1987 Crime Rates and Public Opinions, Executive Summary
NCJ Number
114351
Date Published
1987
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The Kentucky Crime Estimation Program consists of two components: a victimization database, developed and maintained through a continuous random sample of housing units and individuals; and a multifaceted diffusion strategy for stimulating the use of victimization data.
Abstract