What's Going on in the Polish Countryside

• In Event: Advances in Rural Criminology: Crime and Security in Rural Communities I

Abstract

The paper will discuss the first results of the research project titled, "Rural crime in Poland," funded by the National Science Center. Research conducted under the project includes: 1) quantitative research (N = 1,006) in the form of surveys among rural residents in Poland; 2) qualitative research in the form of focus group interviews with experts (e.g., police, probation officers, social workers, village leaders) working in Polish villages. The research conducted in this way, complementary to each other, made it possible to gain knowledge in the field of the sense of security in rural areas, crime and its causes, as well as ways to prevent and combat rural crime. The researcher also explored issues related to trust in the police or social control of crime. Do rural residents feel safe? What problems do they face on a daily basis? Is crime among them? And what do they do when criminals appear in their villages? The author explores answers to these and other questions.

Author

• Emilia Jurgielewicz-Delegacz, University of Bialystok