NCJ Number
216382
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 464-481
Date Published
2006
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study identified the primary factors predictive of a person's becoming a volunteer in crime prevention programs.
Abstract
In "Golden City" (a medium-sized city in the Western United States) in the late 1990s, women were more likely than men to be volunteers in crime prevention programs; race and age were not predictive of volunteering. Unexpectedly, residents who believed that crime in their neighborhoods was getting worse were more reluctant to become volunteers in crime prevention. Although favorable attitudes toward the local police increased the likelihood that a person would become a police volunteer, greater confidence in local public institutions and officials significantly decreased the likelihood that a person would volunteer for work with police. Suggestions are offered for future research in this area. Data were collected from 574 city residents and 264 volunteers involved in crime prevention programs. Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relative contribution of three categories of predictive variables: demographic background, neighborhood contextual factors, and political viewpoints. 2 tables, 57 references, and appended supplementary data