Research literature
At the department of criminology of the Ruhr-University Bochum (applicant/beneficiary) exists a tradition of empirical research about fear of crime and victimisation (unrecorded cases Bochum I, II und III: SCHWIND/AHLBORN/WEIß 1978 and 1989; SCHWIND U.A. 2001); in addition there is a periodic student survey on topics like own delinquency, victimisation and fear of crime. The research project on sexual victimisation and fear of crime will continue this tradition in a selected area. The head of the department is member of the research-group ‘local crime prevention in Baden-Württemberg’ and has long standing experience with victim- and population-surveys.
The state of art of the research has been produced by the applicant including research in the US (e.g. studies of KOSS/OROS, BONDURANT 2001, TESTA U.A. 2004, FISHER/CULLEN 2000, (NCVS: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAM, BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS 2005, KILPATRICK/EDMUNDS/SEYMUR 1992, TJADEN und THOENNES 1998, FISHER/CULLEN/TURNER 2000) and research in Europe (PERCY/MAYHEW 1997; MYHILL/ALLEN 2002; WALBY/ALLEN 2004, BARBARET/FISHER/TAYLOR 2004, HAGEMANN-WHITE 2001, RÖMKENS 1997 MÜLLER/SCHRÖTTLE 2004). The applying project will link the European research on this important topic.
A pre-study (FISCHELMANNS 2005) has been conducted by the applicant, developing the questionnaire and the instruments of research.
Today overall it is assumed that all the single approaches can not explain the complex phenomenon of fear of crime. Moreover a holistic approach on the interactive relations between all named aspects and further variables like the evaluation of the own coping-abilities, the cultural-normative orientation or lifestyle is needed. As there is no study, which collected all relevant variables together, there is further research needed.
