Scholars are paying close attention to incivilities and how they affect citizens' fear of crime. A common research finding is that neighborhood incivilities (e.g., abandoned storefronts, unkept lots, litter, noise, bench sleepers, public drunks) are often as powerful in generating feelings of fear as crime itself. The implication is that by removing the riffraff from the streets and graffiti from the walls, feelings of fear will be reduced. Moreover, community “clean-sweeps” will meet with public approval as they improve the overall quality of life in cities and neighborhoods. This article carefully examines the influence of a number of social and physical incivilities on two different reactions to crime—perceptions of risk and feelings of fear. The authors use a national data set of 1,101 randomly selected U.S. adults who have been interviewed by telephone. The data reveal significant relationships between social and physical incivility and perceptions of risk; incivility is also related to fear but less strongly so. To the extent that incivility is predictive of fear, its causal effect is mediated almost entirely through perceptions of risk to crime. This finding has received little attention to date.

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Depression is a widely noted reaction among persons confronted with dramatic life changes. Those released from total institutions (mental patients, prisoners of war, hostages, ex-convicts) are especially susceptible to these symptoms. A model, based on extensive field experience and a broad review of literature, is first presented. Data from a cohort of persons released from prison, gathered at three points in time during the first year following release, are then discussed. The results suggest: (1) support for Irwin$ model of "reentry, I' (2) that depression m a y accompany positive as well as negative life events, and (3) the importance of '%ridging networks" in modifying t h intensity of depressive symptoms.This article explores one aspect of reentry into community life following a stay in prison: that of postrelease depression. Much of the literature on the postrelease period has focused on recidivism and the deterrent effect of various programs (for example, Glaser, 1964Glaser, , 1973Doleschal and Geis, 1971;Lipton et al., 1975;Waldo and Chiciros, 1977;Minor and Courlander, 1979). Of more immediate interest is research dealing with the experience of "reentry" (for example, Studt, 1967Studt, ,1973 Irwin, 1970; Erickson et al., 1973). Drawing from structured interviews conducted at three points in time during the first year after release, as well as extensive observations, this article presents a discussion of the cognitiveemotional stress associated with movement from prison to community life. While we emphasize the ex-convict's experiences, the paucity of research dealing with this particular transition leads us to refer to studies of other salient life changes as well.Our argument is three-fold. First, there exists a transient situational reaction to release from prison that is best characterized as postrelease depression. Second, variation in the intensity and duration of postrelease depression is most closely associated with factors that facilitate cognitive CRIMINOLOGY, Vol. 21 No.2, May 1983 253-275 01983 American Society of Criminology 253 254 CRIMINOLOGY 1 MAY 1983rearrangements or that otherwise ease the transition from one meaning system to another. Third, the availability of supportive "bridging networks" is of particular importance in explaining variations in cognitive rearrangements and the ease with which persons move from one meaning system to another. POSTRELEASE DEPRESSIONThere are a large number of theoretical models, as well as a tremendous body of clinical data, describing and explaining depressive phenomena. However, little consensus is found. Schuyler (1974: 2) notes:Depression has been used to describe afeelingstute or symptom, asytdrome or reaction, a character style, and an illness. No single definition can encompass this spectrum.Even when a definition is agree upon, such as that given by the National Association for Mental Health, it seems to include such diverse phenomena as momentary disappointment and suicidal impulses: Depression is an emotional state of dejection and sadness,...

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