National victimization studies of Finland, Australia, and the Netherlands are discussed. The Australian and Dutch studies are explicity comparative, and demographic factors such as urbanization and age are viewed as important determinants of the probability of victimization, both in Australia and in the United States. A review of violence in Finland also demonstrates the importance of urbanization and age distributions as factors in the increase of crime. Results of a study of personal and property crimes in rich and poor neighborhoods of Haifa, Israel, are shown to be quite similar to the results of studies conducted in the United States. However, a study of victimization in Xalapa, Mexico, reveals ates of robbery that are far higher even than those of the United States. In addition, studies of serious crime in Montreal, Canada and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, that rely on police records as a cost efficient sample base arrive at virtually identical conclusions: victims are twice victimized, first by the criminal, and then by the criminal justice system. Finally, the text argues that victimization surveys can serve either as indicators of a societal problem or can point toward specific changes; reasons for the failures of victimization surveys are suggested. Included are 81 tables, 7 figures, and approximately 400 references.
Victimization and Fear of Crime - World Perspectives
NCJ Number
93872
Date Published
August 1984
Annotation
This text presents national studies of victimization, reports on victim surveys at particular locations, focuses on victimization in two cities, and examines the functions of victimization surveys.
Abstract
Date Published: August 1, 1984