Underreporting of Criminal Victimization on Campus: An Examination of Reporting Correlates

• In Event: Victimization in Schools and on College Campuses

Abstract

While previous research has focused on crime reporting to the police, there is limited understanding of the factors that influence individuals' decisions to report incidents of criminal victimization within a school environment to campus security unit. Hence, the present study aims to investigate the elements that might influence the decision to report crimes to campus security. The research used a mixed methods approach, using data collected from a simple random sample of 513 students in a Nigerian public university. The data was obtained via closed-ended questionnaires and interviews, which were then analyzed using Regression Analysis and NVivo software, respectively. The findings showed that factors such as gender, lack of trust in the campus security unit, and educational level significantly influenced the choice to report crime. However, the relationship between the victim and the offender did not have a significant impact. Based on the findings, it is important to raise awareness among students about the need for reporting, provide adequate funding and equipment for security personnel, and improve student-security unit partnerships that will facilitate the tendency to report crime and make crime management efforts more effective and result-oriented.

Author

• Isaac Abayomi Akintoye, Pennsylvania State University