A Longitudinal Analysis of Fear of Crime in East Baton Rouge Parish, 2005-2013

• In Event: Predictors of Fear of Crime

Abstract

Even though crime has been declining since the early 1990s, recent statistics released by Gallup (2013) indicate that over one third of the U.S. population continued to be afraid to walk alone in areas within one mile of their home. Previous research found that fear of crime was higher among women, the elderly and individuals who have been previously victimized, in neighborhoods where graffiti and dilapidated buildings were prevalent and in communities characterized by lower levels of social cohesion and organizational participation. Much of the previous research has been case studies of major U.S. cities and/or used cross-sectional research designs. The current study contributes to research on fear of crime by analyzing individual and neighborhood level predictors of fear of violent crime between 2005 and 2013 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a mid-size city in the southern United States that featured a higher homicide rate than Chicago in 2012.

Authors

• Michael S. Barton, Louisiana State University

• Frederick Weil, Louisiana State University

• Melinda Jackson, Louisiana State University

• Darien Hickey, Louisiana State University