Rachel E. Stein

Adolescent Sexual Victimization Choice of Confidant and the Failure of Authorities

This study investigates the experience of sexual victimization among American youth. The objective is to determine who adolescents tell of their victimization and whether the choice of confidant influences the likelihood of the offender being arrested. Using data from the 1995 National Survey of Adolescents, the authors found that most adolescents do not turn to official sources but instead tell family members and friends about their sexual victimization. Although only 13% of sexual assault disclosures resulted in an arrest of the offender, arrest was more likely to occur when the assault was initially reported to the victims mother. A much less common choice of confidant was mandatory reporters, professionals in contact with children who are required by law to report suspected and known child abuse. However, when mandatory reporters were informed, they were not consistent in reporting the offense to officials. Therefore, the authors suggest mandatory reporters are not offering the necessary support to adolescent victims of sexual abuse.

The Utility of Country Structure: A Cross-National Multilevel Analysis of Property and Violent Victimization

Routine activities and lifestyle theories focus on the opportunities that lead to victimization experience. Routine activities theory considers a micro- and macro-level approach to understanding victimization, which suggests the utility of this theory in cross-national research. However, few cross-national studies applying a routine activities framework address both the individual and structural levels of analysis. Additionally, much research adhering to this theoretical perspective does not distinguish between instrumental and expressive crimes. Because of these limitations, the full explanatory value of the theory has not been adequately explored. In this study, the author focuses on a cross-national multilevel analysis of violent and property victimization across 47 developed and developing nations. The author uses the International Crime Victimization Survey (ICVS) and the European Survey on Crime and Safety (EU ICS) for individual-level measures and incorporates information on country structure from sources including the United Nations, World Bank, and the International Labor Organization. The results indicate individual-level measures of routines and lifestyles are differentially related to expressive and instrumental victimization, and these relationships maintain significance when structural opportunity measures are considered. Moreover, the measures of structural opportunity as captured by the level of development, sex ratio, and female employment are differentially associated with violent and property victimization.

Neighborhood Residents’ Fear of Crime: A Tale of Three Cities

Neighborhood characteristics impact residents’ fear of crime. Empirical research supports these ideas, but the majority of these studies are based on residents of a single city. The relationship between social control, disorder, perceptions of crime, and residents’ fear of crime has not been fully explored across multiple cities. The current study examines the relationship between residents’ perceptions of neighborhood safety, disorder, and social control using survey data from residents across three cities in the United States. The findings suggest that shared expectations lead to decreased fear, while increased levels of social disorder lead to a greater fear of crime across each of the three cities. Other factors, including perceptions of crime, exposure to victimization, and demographic characteristics are not consistently related to the fear of crime. This suggests the structural impact of city factors, or increases in disorder and crime, might be influencing the perceptions of risk and constrained behaviors of residents.

Student Accountability in Team-Based Learning Classes.

Team-based learning (TBL) is a form of small-group learning that assumes stable teams promote accountability. Teamwork promotes communication among members; application exercises promote active learning. Students must prepare for each class; failure to do so harms their team’s performance. Therefore, TBL promotes accountability. As part of the course grade, students assess the performance of their teammates. The evaluation forces students to rank their teammates and to provide rationale for the highest and lowest rankings. These evaluations provide rich data on small-group dynamics. In this paper, we analyze 211 student teammate assessments. We find evidence that teams consistently give the lowest evaluations to their least involved members, suggesting that the team component increases accountability, which can promote learning. From these findings we draw implications about small-group dynamics in general and the pedagogy of TBL in particular.

Resident and Police Perceptions of the Neighborhood Implications for Community Policing

The successful implementation of community policing programs is dependent on police and residents understanding the needs of their communities. Differences between resident and police perceptions can affect the success of crime prevention strategies. Much neighborhood research highlights residents’ perceptions of their neighborhoods; the perceptions of police officers are often not taken into account. The current research examines police and resident perceptions of three high crime neighborhoods in a Midwestern city in the United States. Results indicate residents and police have different interpretations of the neighborhoods. Resident perceptions of neighborhood measures are relatively consistent across the three neighborhoods. Police perceptions of their relationship with residents and the close-knit structure of the community, however, are more positive in the primarily White neighborhood that has an active crime prevention program. The findings suggest that what the officers see in the neighborhood is driving perceptions, while actual problems might play a secondary role.

Reviving the Demographic Study of the Amish

The Amish exhibit distinctive demographic patterns, notably high fertility. While scholars have studied Amish population dynamics for more than a half century, recent research in this area is limited. We believe the time is ripe to reverse this trend. This article reviews data collection methods, points to a variety of accessible sources of new data, presents some preliminary results from the analysis of one such source (the McKune dataset for Holmes County, Ohio), introduces the research agenda and work of the newly formed Amish Population Research Group, and reviews past demographic findings to situate our agenda. An invitation is extended to demographers, social scientists, health researchers, and others to enter into collaborations with APRG.

Comparing Children's and Caseworkers' Reports of Physical Violence.

In cases of suspected child maltreatment, the caseworkers’ evaluations of the harm and risk to the child are vital in determining if children are being abused and ultimately whether services are provided to the family. These evaluations are dependent on information caseworkers are able to uncover during their investigation, but may not reflect the experiences of the child. Using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW-I), this study first compares how consistent children’s claims of physical victimization are with caseworkers’ assessments of harm, severity of risk, and whether there is physical abuse occurring. Second, we examine whether any discrepancies are influenced by the demographic characteristics of the child. Based on cross-tabulations, mean tests of difference, and one-way ANOVA, we find a high degree of overlap in children’s reports of violence with caseworkers’ reports of harm, the potential for risk, and the presence of physical abuse. However, there are also important differences. Among children who reported acts of physical violence occurred “lots of times,” 23% of the cases were viewed by the caseworker as causing “no harm” to the child and over 60% were not regarded as physical abuse. The children’s age and sex are both significant predictors of discrepancies, with more discrepancies between caseworkers and young children or teens as well as boys. Implications of this study are that additional training is needed to help caseworkers build rapport with the children. We also suggest that Child Protective Services (CPS) should implement alternative ways for children to report their experiences other than face-to-face interviews with caseworkers.

Spatial Analysis of Fear of Crime and Police Calls for Service: An Example and Implications for Community Policing

Individuals’ fear of crime exhibits a complex spatial relationship with not just actual crime incidents , but a mix of actual crime, perceptions of crime, neighborhood disorder , and collective efficacy . If people have a high fear of crime, they may be more likely to report suspicious or criminal activities to the police . The fear of crime individuals maintain is most often directly linked to the fear of violent crime ; however, a spatially explicit examination of the impact of violent crime calls for service to police officers, neighborhood disorder and collective efficacy on the fear of crime is still needed. In the current study, we examine the relationship among all of these factors using measures of spatial correlation and spatial regression . While the reactive policing strategy of responding to calls for service is more cost-effective than community policing , targeted proactive strategies might be more useful for long-term crime prevention . Our findings illustrate the potential of spatial analysis in informing policing strategies, by highlighting variation in the spatial relationships between fear of crime, violent crime incidents, collective efficacy, and neighborhood disorder. Using the results of this type of analysis can lead to a better use of police resources to avert crime.

Individual and Structural Opportunities A Cross-National Assessment of Females’ Physical and Sexual Assault Victimization

Opportunity theories are suited to cross-national research on victimization that incorporates a multilevel approach. Comparative research on non-lethal victimization often combines several types of violence into a single category of expressive crime. While expressive crimes do indeed share some characteristics, opportunities leading to specific types of victimization may vary. The current research uses the International Crime Victimization Survey (ICVS) to examine two types of expressive victimization: sexual and physical assault. These data are limited to female victims, as sexual assault in the ICVS is assessed only for females. These data provide a rich source of comparative information on opportunities leading to victimization. Opportunities have been traditionally examined at the individual level through routine activities and lifestyles theories. Opportunity at the structural level of analysis is less commonly employed; however, routine activities theory offers a framework for measuring structural opportunity. The results indicate a multilevel approach of opportunities on victimization is appropriate. Differences in opportunity leading to sexual and physical assault are most evident in the opportunities provided by the development level of the country. The impact of country development on physical assault victimization is moderated by the involvement in leisure activities outside of the home.