NCJ Number
228070
Journal
Security Journal Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2009 Pages: 230-249
Date Published
July 2009
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This paper describes a model of how concern about personal security influences potential victims' decisions to change location.
Abstract
There is a clear need to organize the many factors associated with fear of crime so that those new to the area can more easily understand how the key elements fit together. A proposed model addresses this need by using a potential victim's decisionmaking process as the framework for discussion. This model looks at how concepts are linked together to produce actions by potential victims in different situations. The action the model examines is the potential victim's movement from one location to another. This discussion paper begins by providing an overview of the model. The model's assumptions are set out along with its six different elements (decision factors, decision to move, concepts formed from experiences, characteristics of the potential victim, situational cues of each location, and available responses). Key concepts are defined and the relationships among them are detailed, with illustrations of how potential victims may view some of these concepts. The paper concludes with discussions of the model's implications for policy and security practice, research, and theory. Figure, tables, notes, and references