A Study of the Factors Influencing Intention to Report Crime

• In Event: International Studies in Criminology: Challenges and New Directions for Research

Abstract

A number of studies have been conducted to understand why one chooses to report crime to the police or not. Severity of damage has been pointed out as an important factor influencing reporting practices whereas community characteristics have hardly been considered in the literature. To analyze the action in a social context, the current study examines community factors and patrol visibility for their influence on intention to report crime by using hierarchical logistic regression analyses. The findings drawn from a South Korean citizens survey (n = 2700) indicated that the intention was affected by visibility of car patrol and the perception of collective efficacy. The implications are discussed with regard to the policies in law enforcement.

Authors

• Yong Jae Jeon, Dongguk University, South Korea

• Chang-Bae Lee, Dongguk University, South Korea