NCJ Number
189391
Editor(s)
Graham Farrell,
Ken Pease
Date Published
2001
Length
258 pages
Annotation
Twelve chapters present empirical studies and literature reviews on various aspects of repeat criminal victimization and the implications of this phenomenon for crime prevention, victim services, and police resource allocations.
Abstract
Substantial proportions of differences in rates of crime are attributable to differences in their concentration on particular targets, whether those targets are defined in terms of people, organizations, or households. Four of the chapters in this collection detail the extent and correlates of such rates in continental Europe and worldwide. As is evident from these chapters, establishing precise levels of repeat victimization is not easy. One chapter offers an analysis of area differences in the reasons for repeat victimization. The use of survival analysis is original in this study and represents a research advance. Another chapter advises that some prevention potential may be realized by detecting those responsible for repeat victimization, especially if they are disproportionately the work of prolific offenders. A number of chapters emphasize the importance of focusing police resources on geographical areas and targets of repeat victimization, since repeat patterns are characteristic of prolific offenders. The linkage between "hot spots" (small areas of high crime) and repeat victimization is established in one study. Police resources concentrated in such areas should yield arrests of habitual, serious offenders. Another chapter conducts a literature review of the psychological impact on persons who experience repeat victimization, with implications drawn for police training in responding to victims. Chapter notes, references, tables, and figures