Functional Fear and Public Insecurities About Crime

Abstract

Word count: 9,987 (including title, abstract, keywords, references and footnotes) Revise and resubmit: British Journal of Criminology 2 Functional Fear and Public Insecurities about Crime AbstractFear of crime is widely seen as an unqualified social ill, yet might some level of emotional response comprise a natural defence against crime? This paper differentiates between a dysfunctional worry that erodes quality of life and a functional worry that motivates vigilance and routine precaution. A London-based survey shows that one-quarter of those individuals who said they were worried about crime also viewed their worry as something akin to a problem-solving activity: they took precautions; these precautions that made them feel safer; and neither the precautions nor the worries reduced the quality of their lives. Fear of crime can be helpful as well as harmful: some people are both able and willing to convert their concerns into constructive action. [120 words] Key words: Fear of crime; emotion; resilience; neighbourhood disorder 3 'In line with the political interests responsible for the emergence of fear of crime as a major research issue in the 1970s and early 1980s, fear has been treated, almost invariably, in criminological research as an extremely negative aspect of people's lives, as something that adversely affects and greatly diminishes the quality of life. Hardly any attention was given to the positive aspects and positive consequences of fear. There has hardly been any talk about fear as a healthy emotion, as a necessary mechanism of survival, of self-preservation, of avoiding risk and minimizing danger… And yet, if it is true that fear and caution go hand in hand, if prudence is the response to fear, and if it is true that fear leads to lower victimization, then fear might be a positive mobilizing force that could be harnessed to achieve utilitarian goals.' (Fattah, 1993: 66) This analysis was telling some fifteen years ago, and it remains so to this day. Surveys in countries across the world regularly find widespread public anxieties over the threat of crime (Ferraro, 1995;Van Kesteren et al., 2000). Fear of crime might only shadow the actual incidence of crime, but it certainly seems to damage psychological well-being, decrease collective trust and cohesion, and tempt politicians towards populist rhetoric and punitive policy (Skogan, 1986;Hale, 1996;Warr, 2000; Dolan and Peasgood, 2007;Stafford et al., 2007;Jackson and Stafford, 2009). Such is the extent of the problem that governments in a number of different countries seek to reduce fear of crime -presumably wherever it is to be found.Yet might some level of worry about crime be a 'good thing' (Fattah, 1993;Hale, 1996;Warr, 2000; Ditton and Innes, 2005)? For Solomon (2006: 29):'Without fear, we would allow ourselves to be vulnerable to all sorts of dangers, and we would recklessly face lethal situations without hesitation and without a thought of the possible disastrous consequences. ' For Sacco (2005: 138): 'The opposite of fearfulness may...

Does Religious Involvement Generate or Inhibit Fear of Crime?

“…As discussed earlier, such generalized trust is a crucial element of life in a complex, modern world [20,21]. Even though fear of crime may be beneficial to the extent that it motivates a person to take precautions against victimization, thereby increasing feelings of safety, fear is an undesirable emotion that potentially reduces one's well-being and quality of life [31].…”

Crime, fear of crime and mental health: synthesis of theory and systematic reviews of interventions and qualitative evidence

“…by locking doors), from excessive or 'pathological' fear, which generates anxiety sufficient to lower one's quality of life and which is not assuaged by routine precautions. 97,98 (It should be noted that this is not the same as the distinction between 'rational' and 'irrational' fear, as the focus is on the effects of fear rather than its relation to objectively measured crime.) The distinction is important, as normal or functional fear may well not be problematic or especially negative, contrary to the presumption in much research and policy discourse that all fear of crime is a problem per se.…”

“…Many people who report worry about crime also report that this worry has no effect on their quality of life. 98 Across the population as a whole, 64% of respondents to the British Crime Survey report that fear has a low impact on their quality of life, 31% report that it has a moderate impact and 5% report that it has a high impact, although the proportion reporting a high impact is considerably higher for some groups in the population. 91 The third point regards what specific types of crime are feared.…”

Fear of crime: the impact of different distributions of victimisation

“…F ear of crime emerges as a social phenomenon (Austin et al, 2002) which, in extreme cases, impinges on the quality of life (Jackson and Gray, 2010), causes paranoia, anxiety and other psychological issues on a personal level (Ruijsbroek et al, 2015) and, at a social level, causes prejudice and segregation so that this insecurity has now become a major policy concern (Carro et al, 2010). Fear of crime leads to those who are more prosperous to protect themselves and their property, possibly displacing crime to those less privileged (Box et al, 1988).…”