Criminal Victimization and Its Effect on Fear of Crime and Justice Attitudes

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between criminal victimization of a college student cohort and the impact of this victimization on their fear of crime and attitudes related to the justice system. The subgroups of victims and nonvictims were used to examine the change of attitude between their first and fourth years of college. Those who had been victims of crime had significantly greater fear of becoming future victims of property crime but no significant change in their fear of personal crimes. Nonvictims showed no increase in fear of property victimization but significant increase of fear for some personal crimes. Regarding the relationship between victimization and attitudes about the justice system, we could generalize that nonvictims showed significantly greater change in attitudes toward police, victims greater change in attitudes toward courts, and little change (none significant) for either victims or nonvictims in their attitudes toward the use of the death penalty.