"Crime and the Racial Fears of White Americans," Annals of the American Academy
of Political and Social Science, 539 (May, 1995), 59-71.
It is widely assumed that expressions by many whites of concern about crime are rooted to a significant
degree in their fear of black people. It may be that white Americans translate their unease about race
relations into beliefs about crime, and vice versa, a linkage of potentially great divisiveness. This article
reviews research on the nexus between them. It examines linkages between fear and white attitudes toward
blacks and the anxiety created by close residential proximity between the two groups. The chapter focuses
on white fear because it is one of the most compelling political constructs of our time. It is evoked as an
explanation for which backlash against progressive social and economic policies, the declining prospects
for the Democratic Party, and as a source of divisiveness that threatens the fabric of urban life.
of Political and Social Science, 539 (May, 1995), 59-71.
It is widely assumed that expressions by many whites of concern about crime are rooted to a significant
degree in their fear of black people. It may be that white Americans translate their unease about race
relations into beliefs about crime, and vice versa, a linkage of potentially great divisiveness. This article
reviews research on the nexus between them. It examines linkages between fear and white attitudes toward
blacks and the anxiety created by close residential proximity between the two groups. The chapter focuses
on white fear because it is one of the most compelling political constructs of our time. It is evoked as an
explanation for which backlash against progressive social and economic policies, the declining prospects
for the Democratic Party, and as a source of divisiveness that threatens the fabric of urban life.
"The Impact of Victimization on Fear," Crime and Delinquency, 33 (January, 1987),
135-154.
This report examines the relationship between criminal victimization and fear of crime. Past research has
been surprisingly inconclusive about this issue, and some people's fears have been branded "irrational"
because the two did not appear to be tightly linked. However, the data analyzed here indicate that
victimization affects both fear-related attitudes and behavior in a clear and consistent manner. This report
also suggests that the impact of victimization is relatively uniform. Some research has indicated that certain
groups are especially affected by crime, a claim that might be used to justify special treatment for selected
vitims and has been used to support demands for special "treatment" of selected offenders. However, the
strong effects of victimization registered in these data were not differentially distributed across subgroups. In
sum, most people do learn from their experiences, although other kinds of learning are rational as well.
135-154.
This report examines the relationship between criminal victimization and fear of crime. Past research has
been surprisingly inconclusive about this issue, and some people's fears have been branded "irrational"
because the two did not appear to be tightly linked. However, the data analyzed here indicate that
victimization affects both fear-related attitudes and behavior in a clear and consistent manner. This report
also suggests that the impact of victimization is relatively uniform. Some research has indicated that certain
groups are especially affected by crime, a claim that might be used to justify special treatment for selected
vitims and has been used to support demands for special "treatment" of selected offenders. However, the
strong effects of victimization registered in these data were not differentially distributed across subgroups. In
sum, most people do learn from their experiences, although other kinds of learning are rational as well.
Fear of Crime Abstracts
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