The IVRP plans to make a series of working papers on the projects being conducted at the Institute available for dissemination. The first papers will be available in the Fall of 2001.
The Institute for Violence Research and Prevention will showcase some of its current projects at a specially organized session at the American Society of Criminology Meetings that will be held in Atlanta , GA in November 2001. Below are abstracts from each presentation. Papers will be available on request in November 2001. To request a paper please email pcarr@sju.edu.
TITLE: Bringing the Victim Back In? The Experiences of Victims of Juvenile Crime in Philadelphia
AUTHORS: Kim A. Logio and Patrick J. Carr
ABSTRACT:
This paper presents data from a study of victims of juvenile crime in Philadelphia County . Recent legislation has attempted to focus more resources on including victims of crime, especially juvenile crime, in the process of prosecuting cases. The strategies range from providing victim support services to providing more information on the judicial process itself. This is a study of a cohort of victims of juvenile crime for the year from April 1999 to May 2000 surveyed a random sample of victims drawn from a database of over 3,000 victims and conducted telephone interviews with over 200 victims. Researchers also conducted a number of focus groups. The data presented illustrate the victim experience in Philadelphia County and assesses whether victims of juvenile crime are involved in the judicial process.
TITLE: A World of Dangers: How Youth Negotiate High-Crime Neighborhoods
AUTHORS: Patrick J. Carr and Jamiliyah Gilliam
ABSTRACT:
This paper presents initial data from a long-term comparative study of African American, Latino and white youth living in high crime neighborhoods. The focus of this presentation will be on how youth in several Philadelphia neighborhoods navigate their way through the many dangers that they face on a daily basis. Data will be presented from participant observation and in-depth interviews with delinquent and non-delinquent youth, and will focus on cognitive maps of dangerous areas, daily experiences with crime and violence, and what young people do to control or avoid crime.
TITLE: Alcohol and Rape Among College Women: Implications for Prevention
AUTHOR: George W. Dowdall
ABSTRACT:
The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study has large national studies of drinking and other drug use among college students. Surveys in 1997 and 1999 included questions about rape and its correlates. The data are used to examine the role that alcohol and other drug use plays in raising the risk of rape. Comparisons across campuses lead empirical support to Sanday’s contention that campuses vary greatly in being “rape-prone” and “rape-free.” Strategies for reducing the risk of rape for individuals and for reducing the rate of rape across colleges are presented in the light of these findings.
TITLE: A Qualitative and Quantitative Approach to Understanding Sexual Violence During Pregnancy
AUTHOR: Raquel Kennedy Bergen
ABSTRACT:
This paper explores women’s experiences of sexual violence during pregnancy. 625 women at a large obstetrics/gynecology practice completed a questionnaire about their experiences of violence and pregnancy. Findings include that 23% of the women had been physically, sexually, or emotionally victimized by their partners during pregnancy. 7% of the women in this study experienced sexual abuse during pregnancy. The types of sexual violence those women experienced and the effects of the violence on their pregnancy outcomes are discussed through an analysis of these data. In-depth interviews conducted with 10 women about their experiences of sexual violence provide more detailed information about how women experience changes in violence during pregnancy, how they respond to sexual violence, and the wide range of effects of sexual abuse on their lives.
TITLE: Women’s Experiences of Violent Victimization in Public Housing: Does Collective Efficacy Make a Difference?
AUTHOR: Claire M. Renzetti
ABSTRACT:
Economically disadvantaged women who live in public housing developments face an elevated risk of violent victimization, especially by intimates and acquaintances. Criminological research in disadvantaged neighborhoods, however, has found that the level of collective efficacy in the neighborhood lowers rates of violent victimization. This theory has not been tested in public housing nor with regard to women’s violent victimization by intimates and acquaintances. The present paper reports on research that tests the hypothesis that in public housing developments characterized by high collective efficacy female residents have lower rates of violent victimization, including victimization by intimates and acquaintances. Data were collected through structured interviews with female residents of two public housing developments in Philadelphia characterized by high collective efficacy and female residents of two public housing developments in the same city characterized by low collective efficacy. The implications of the study in terms of women’s safety and crime control in public housing are discussed.