NCJ Number
186500
Journal
Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: 2000 Pages: 81-110
Editor(s)
J. Mitchell Miller
Date Published
2000
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Using routine activity theory, this research explored vandalism victimization rates among 1,513 American college students at 9 institutions.
Abstract
The researchers determined vandalism victimization could best be understood by combining community structural-organizational variables and social characteristics and behaviors of community residents. Data were obtained from self-administered surveys collected during the first 3 weeks of the fall 1996 academic term. The 95-item survey instrument assessed a wide range of individual demographics, experiences, daily routines, and residential and social community structural and contextual variables. Strong support was found for routine activity theory. Significant predictors of vandalism victimization risk included measures of target suitability, exposure to potential offenders, and offending behaviors of victims, as well as measures of community structure, organization, and cohesion. The authors conclude that vandalism is a product of the social context of property and individuals and that routine activity represents a moderately sound theoretical base for understanding vandalism. 53 references, 9 endnotes, and 3 tables