ABSTRACT

While some research suggests perceptions of social cohesion and confidence in police effectiveness influence reporting decisions among victims of crime, no study has examined whether these influences predict reporting among third parties. This paper investigates reporting behaviors of third parties using survey data from Kentucky. Results indicate higher perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion are associated with a decreased likelihood of third-party crime reporting, but that confidence in police effectiveness is a non-significant predictor. These relationships stand partially in contrast to findings from the victim reporting literature, which has shown a positive relationship between perceptions of social cohesion and reporting. These results also challenge the argument that confidence in police effectiveness plays a central role in peoples’ crime reporting decisions.

摘要

虽然一些研究表明对社会凝聚力的看法和对警察效率的信心会影响犯罪受害者的举报决定，但没有研究检查这些影响是否可以预测第三方的举报。本文使用肯塔基州的调查数据调查第三方的报告行为。结果表明，对社区社会凝聚力的更高认识与第三方犯罪报告的可能性降低有关，但对警察效率的信心是一个不重要的预测因素。这些关系部分与受害者的调查结果相反报道文献表明，社会凝聚力的看法与报道之间存在正相关关系。这些结果也挑战了对警察效力的信心在人们的犯罪报告决定中发挥核心作用的论点。