NCJ Number
79579
Date Published
1980
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This review assesses Malt Associates' analysis of public safety in relation to the incidence of crime in parks and recreational areas in central cities.
Abstract
The overall work is a compilation of three studies: (1) a park crime analysis, which compared the frequency and severity of crimes in parks with that of surrounding outdoor locations; (2) public perception of parks and safety, which tested whether city residents avoid using public parks out of fear for their safety; and (3) a survey that attempted to identify those physical features that differentiate parks with high and low crime rates. A sample of 64 parks in 16 cities was selected for indepth study. Data were collected from archival police data on criminal offenses; structured observation of the design, use, and management of parks; and interviews with about 500 residents concerning their use of parks. Although research findings indicate that crime rates in parks are very low, the measurement of such crime is highly suspect because of underreporting and inadequate methods for calculating a crime rate that reflects the probability of a person in a park becoming a crime victim. The study also found that the fear of crime, although significant, is not the primary factor keeping nonusers out of parks. Nonusers simply prefer other forms of recreation; however, since the validity of the survey instrument was not demonstrated, this conclusion may be overdrawn. Although the study generally scores the parks poorly on security design factors, no attempt was made to relate particular physical factors to crime rates and fear of crime, thus limiting the value of the study in the crime-environment field. For the original report, see NCJ 32556.