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72 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 839 (1981)
The Fear of Crime: Causes and Consequences

handle is hein.journals/jclc72 and id is 851 raw text is: 0091-4169/81/7202-0839 THEJOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW & CRIMINOLOGY Vol. 72, No. 2 Copyright @ 1981 by Northwestern University School of Law Pn'nfrdn USA. THE FEAR OF CRIME: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES JAMES GAROFALO* In a paper presented more than eight years ago, Furstenberg made an observation that has proven to be the understatement of the decade for researchers studying the fear of crime: the relationship between crime and its consequences is neither obvious nor simple.' His observa- tion is no less accurate today than it was eight years ago, despite the fact that our knowledge about the causes and consequences of the fear of crime has increased steadily during the period. Every advance that is made-whether by refining concepts, by specifying and testing relation- ships, by obtaining more comprehensive data, or by some other means- seems to generate more questions than it answers. But that should be expected; part of the nature of complex social phenomena is that their complexity becomes more apparent as they are examined more closely. From a purely scientific standpoint, research on the fear of crime can continue indefinitely. There is no critical experiment that will an- swer all the questions, so there will always be hypotheses to test and new paths of inquiry to follow. However, from both a scientific and practical standpoint, it is useful periodically to take stock of where we are, so that policy implications can be drawn from what is known and general pri- orities can be set to guide future research. This paper is such a stock- taking endeavor. After a preliminary discussion of concepts and indica- tors, a model of the causes and consequences of the fear of crime is presented, and the components of the model are described in light of what we already know about the fear of crime. Finally, suggestions for future research are given, and some policy implications are discussed. No attempt will be made to present a comprehensive assessment of ex- isting literature because that would duplicate much of the review re- cently completed by Northwestern University.2 * Director, Research Center East, National Council on Crime and Delinquency. I Furstenberg, Fear of Crime and is E es on Citi en Behavior, in CRIME AND JUSTICE (A.. Biderman ed. 1972). 2 F. DuBow, E. McCabe & G. Kaplan, Reactions to Crime: A Critical Review of the Literature (unpublished report, Center for Urban Affairs, Northwestern University, 1979). 839

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