NCJ Number
205034
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2004 Pages: 63-88
Editor(s)
David McDowall
Date Published
March 2004
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This study explored a cross-sectional analysis of residents in several Baltimore neighborhoods to examine the effects and importance of incivilities on the perceptions of fear of crime, neighborhood satisfaction, and other reactions among different neighborhoods.
Abstract
Minor breaches of order, such as vandalism, vacant houses, and trash on the streets constitute neighborhood incivilities or signs of crime and are important causes of fear of crime and neighborhood dissatisfaction. Thereby, incivilities are better predictors of reactions to crime than crime rates because they are abundant and visible. Yet, it is uncertain how much individual incivilities differ in importance and which incivilities are more important. This paper explores the relative importance of incivilities using a survey of 704 residents in 30 Baltimore neighborhoods conducted in 1994. Residents were asked about their fear of crime, social ties to and affect toward the neighborhood, and means of avoiding and preventing crime. Results suggest that top-down, one-size-fits-all methods will not work consistently well. The engines of perceived prevalence and fear of crime appeared to be roughly similar in all neighborhoods, but the causes of dissatisfaction and transiency varied considerably from one neighborhood to the next. References