Carrie L. Cook

Assessing the Generalizability of the Near Repeat Phenomenon

The “near repeat” phenomenon suggests that when a crime occurs in a given area, the surrounding area may exhibit an increased risk for subsequent crime in the days following the original incident. The present study assesses the extent to which near repeats generalize across three different crimes, including shootings, robbery, and auto theft. A series of near repeat models was estimated to further specify the temporal proximity of near repeats for each crime type under investigation. Results showed that a near repeat pattern exists across crime types; however, each crime type has a unique spatiotemporal pattern. Implications for police strategies, such as geographical profiling and future research connecting near repeat patterns to repeat offenders, are discussed.

Fear of property crime: examining the effects of victimization, vicarious victimization, and perceived risk

Fear of crime research has primarily focused on fear of crime in general or on fear of specific types of violent crimes. This study builds from this line of research by focusing exclusively on the night fear of six types of property crimes, including fear of burglary while away from home, vehicle theft, bicycle theft, property theft, vandalism, and vehicle burglary. This study examines the effects of victimization, vicarious victimization, and perceived risk on fear of property crime. Survey data from college students reveal that victimization and vicarious victimization were not significant predictors of fear of property crime, whereas perceived risk was a consistent and significant predictor of fear of all property crimes.

Is Knowledge Power? The Effects of a Victimology Course on Victim Blaming

The current study examines the impact of a victimology course on students’ perceptions of the blameworthiness of crime victims and knowledge of victimization issues. Victim-blaming attitudes among college students enrolled in a victimology course were compared with students enrolled in other courses. Results from a pretest and posttest suggest that the victimology students were significantly less likely to blame victims and these students also gained significantly more knowledge over time compared with the students who did not enroll in the course. Results from the multivariate analysis indicate that less knowledge over time and a higher propensity to blame victims at the beginning of the semester predicted more victim-blaming attitudes on the posttest. Overall, the findings suggest that knowledge of victimology significantly affects students’ propensity to blame victims of crime.

Placing the Neighborhood Accessibility–Burglary Link in Social-Structural Context

Foundational research on the link between neighborhood accessibility and burglary has consistently shown a positive association. However, recent research has found that less accessible neighborhoods have higher burglary rates. Geographically referenced data from 401 neighborhoods in Jacksonville, Florida, are used to determine whether these inconsistencies can be explained by a conditioning effect of neighborhood social-structural context. Results from spatially lagged regression models indicate that neighborhood accessibility fails to have a direct effect on burglary rates after social-structural variables are controlled; rather, the effect of neighborhood accessibility on burglary rates is conditioned by the level of concentrated disadvantage of the neighborhood. Two potential explanations for the empirical findings are offered, and implications of the results for “designing out” crime are discussed.

Examining Differences in Attitudes About Sexual Victimization Among a Sample of Jail Officers The Importance of Officer Gender and Perceived Inmate Characteristics

The current study examined attitudes about inmate-on-inmate sexual assault among a sample of correctional officers. The study uniquely surveyed a jail sample of correctional officers, a context that has been ignored in the research on correctional officer perceptions of sexual victimization. The study measured officer attitudes toward victim blaming, credibility of inmates who report sexual assault, definitions of sexual assault, and willingness to respond to assault incidents. Additionally, the study examined gender differences in attitudes toward victimization and attitudes toward varying types of inmates. Overall, correctional officers assigned varying levels of blame and credibility to inmates who report sexual assault. Male and female officers also had significantly different attitudes about victim blaming and credibility of inmates. In addition, the sample held diverse views of what constitutes sexual assault and their preferred responses to the issue of sexual victimization. Implications for correctional policy, training, and avenues for continued research are discussed.

The Shadow of Physical Harm? Examining the Unique and Gendered Relationship Between Fear of Murder Versus Fear of Sexual Assault on Fear of Violent Crime

The shadow hypothesis regarding the impact of fear of sexual assault on fear of violent crime suggests that female fear of crime is characterized by concern about sexual assault as a contemporaneous victimization event during a violent crime event. Recent research has found that other types of crime, namely physical assault, may also be feared as a contemporaneous offense. We know of no research that has examined the unique impact of fear of murder versus fear of sexual assault on fear of violent crime. There is also a lack of research that explores how these two types of fear uniquely affect men and women. In addition to gender, we examine factors that have been suggested in previous research to correlate with fear of crime: race, victimization, vicarious victimization, and perceived risk. Through survey methodology, this research examines the unique relationship between both fear of murder and fear of sexual assault and fear of three types of violent crime for men and women. Results suggest differences in how fear of murder and fear of sexual assault are related to fear of other types of violence for men and women. Specifically, fear of murder is important in estimating male fear of robbery and aggravated assault. However, fear of sexual assault is almost as important as fear of murder for men in estimating fear of home invasion. Similarly, for women, fear of sexual assault and fear of murder both are significant factors associated with fear of violent crime, and differences between the levels of significance are marginal. This study is a first to examine whether murder may also be feared as a contemporaneous offense. The results are informative in identifying what drives fear of crime, particularly violent crime, for both men and women. Avenues for future research are discussed.

Professional Orientation and Pluralistic Ignorance Among Jail Correctional Officers

Research about the attitudes and beliefs of correctional officers has historically been conducted in prison facilities while ignoring jail settings. This study contributes to our understanding of correctional officers by examining the perceptions of those who work in jails, specifically measuring professional orientations about counseling roles, punitiveness, corruption of authority by inmates, and social distance from inmates. The study also examines whether officers are accurate in estimating these same perceptions of their peers, a line of inquiry that has been relatively ignored. Findings indicate that the sample was concerned about various aspects of their job and the management of inmates. Specifically, officers were uncertain about adopting counseling roles, were somewhat punitive, and were concerned both with maintaining social distance from inmates and with an inmate’s ability to corrupt their authority. Officers also misperceived the professional orientation of their fellow officers and assumed their peer group to be less progressive than they actually were.

Blaming the Victim: Perceptions about Incarcerated Sexual Assault Victim Culpability among a Sample of Jail Correctional Officers

Abstract Research examining correctional officer perceptions about the sexual victimization of inmates is rare. This research offers a first glimpse of what personal, job-related, and attitudinal factors influence blaming incarcerated sexual assault victims among a sample of 376 jail correctional officers in one state. Surveys are utilized to elicit understanding about officer perceptions of incarcerated victims. Findings indicate that jail correctional officer blaming of incarcerated sexual assault victims is highly correlated with perceptions about rape myths and homosexuality. Specifically, officers who adhere to rape myths and disapprove of homosexuality are more likely to blame incarcerated victims of sexual assault. This study is a first to examine factors correlated with jail correctional officer blaming of incarcerated sexual assault victims. The results are useful in understanding the perspectives of jail correctional officers and experiences of victims incarcerated in jails. Implications for correctional institutions and authorities include attending to the issue of sexual assault in correctional facilities, understanding staff perceptions that are related to this issue, training of staff, and classification of inmates.

A gendered analysis of the shadow of sexual harm among a college sample

This study uses survey methodology to examine correlates of fear of crime among men and women to discern the unique impact of risk perception, victimization, vicarious victimization, and fear of sexual harm on fear of crime. Recently, scholars have begun to examine fear separately by gender, which is vital given the unique experiences men and women have with fear and victimization. We examine two different types of fear of crime to determine whether the effects of these correlates differ by crime type across gender. Results suggest that fear of sexual harm and risk perception are the most important indicators of fear of crime for both genders; sexual harm fear is particularly impactful for female fear of violence. Race and ethnicity also have interesting impacts for male fear of violent crime because racial and ethnic minorities indicate more fear of violent crime than White males. The findings illustrate how imperative it is to continue to examine fear of specific types of crime as well as distinguish fear by gender.

Responding to Incidents of Sexual Victimization in Correctional Institutions Correctional Officer Perspectives

This study examined beliefs among correctional officers about responding to inmate-on-inmate sexual assault in jails. It is unique in its focus as no other published study has examined this topic using these variables in this setting. The authors utilize survey methodology to measure correctional officer perceptions about responding to sexual assaults among inmates. Results indicate that support for responding to instances of sexual assault among inmates differs somewhat by type of response and size of jail facility examined. Multivariate results suggest that while perceptions of inmate credibility are usually relevant, demographic factors matter more for those who work in larger jails, while beliefs about rape myths are somewhat more relevant in smaller jails. Implications for correctional policy and training and avenues for continued research are discussed.