NCJ Number
137715
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 20 Issue: 3 Dated: (1992) Pages: 201-215
Date Published
1992
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This 1988 Alabama survey examined factors that influenced individuals' involvement in the crime victims movement.
Abstract
The primary survey sample consisted of a statewide random sample of Alabama residents. For comparative purposes, this stratified random sample was supplemented with a sample of crime victims who were not active in the victims' movement. The third supplementary sample was drawn from members of local victims' rights organizations. The survey obtained data on age; sex; income; race; education; victimization experience; and perceptions of police, prosecutors, judges, and offender treatment. The dependent variable was activism in the victims' movement. Path analytic procedures were used to predict the effects of demographic and attitudinal variables on victim activism. The two best predictors of victim activism were race and victimization experience. Whites and victims were most likely to be involved in victim organizations. Whites and victims were significantly more likely to believe that the criminal justice system is too lenient in its treatment of offenders; this belief indirectly affected their decision to support the victims' movement. Legislators and other policymakers should ensure that when criminal and victim justice strategies are developed, consideration is given to all segments of the population. Special efforts must be made to ensure that the views of black victims (blacks are disproportionately victimized) are considered before decisions regarding crime and justice are made. 3 tables, 12 notes, and 32 references