Fear Of Crime Research Paper

Fear of crime is a fear that something is going to happen to you or a loved one that you have no control over. Fear of crime can affect anyone whether or not that have been a victim of a criminal act or if they have not been an actual victim. Fear of crime is contagious (Bohm & Haley, 2014). Fear of crime can directly affect one’s well-being and indirectly affect the well-being of others close to the victim. It depends on the circumstances or the crime itself in determining who is most likely to be afraid of a crime. Anyone can have a fear of crime. There are a number of factors when asking who is most likely to be afraid of crime. Some of those factors are gender, race, age, religion, region, education, politics, and income (Bohm & Haley,

Most women, for instance, are more than likely going to be more fearful when it comes to being sexually assaulted. On the other hand, people who live in a less economically advanced area may be more fearful of burglaries or shootings than someone living in a more economically advanced area. Fear of crime leads people to spend money on ways to keep themselves “safe.” There are people out there that invest in these things but if it comes time to use a gun or knife for instance they don’t know how or they freeze in fear of not knowing what to do. When this happens that allows for the intruder or perpetrator to use your weapon on you causing you more harm than good. Fear of crime can become debilitating to a person. This fear can turn people into hermits, afraid to leave their homes and go in public for the fear that something could happen to them. Isolation leads to one being more vulnerable. This in turn opens them up to being an easier target to being victimized (Bohm & Haley, 2014). Victims of a criminal act or victims of yourself for the fear that you may become victimized is one in the same. Being fearful that something bad is going to happen to you is no way to live a healthy or a good quality of