NCJ Number
102254
Date Published
1985
Length
190 pages
Annotation
This report describes and presents an impact analysis for the circulation of neighborhood police newsletters in selected areas of Newark, N.J., and Houston, Tex.
Abstract
Circulated as part of a program to reduce the fear of crime in selected areas of Newark and Houston, the newsletters contained crime prevention advice, information on effective efforts to prevent or solve crimes, and local crime statistics (in half of the newsletters). The newsletters were expected to increase residents' knowledge about crime, shift residents' crime concerns from personal to property crimes, increase residents' crime prevention efforts, improve residents' evaluation of police services, and improve satisfaction with the neighborhood. Experimental households were randomly assigned to one of three groups: those receiving newsletters with crime statistics, those receiving newsletters without crime statistics, and those receiving no newsletter. Newark had a sample of 504 households, and the Houston sample contained 660 households. Some respondents were interviewed before newsletter distribution and again 6 months later. Others were interviewed only 6 months after newsletter distribution began. Only 53 to 63 percent of the interviewees recalled seeing the newsletter. Few measures of effect were statistically significant. Possible reasons for the programs' ineffectiveness are discussed. Appendixes describe the fear reduction program, provide sample newsletters, discuss methodology, and contain survey instruments. Tables and 24 references.