The fear of reprisal and the failure of victims to report a personal crime

Most people who fail to report their victimizations to the police state either that the incident was not serious enough to warrant official attention or that nothing could be done. However, a small proportion of victims states that they did not report because of their fear of reprisal. Based on National Crime Panel victimization data, the offense and personal characteristics of these victims are contrasted with the total victim and nonreporting victim populations. Contrary to the general reasons for not reporting a crime, several personal and offense characteristics are related to reprisal. For instance, reprisal is more often a factor in personal victimizations where victims are female and acquainted with their offenders. The more dangerous the incident, the more often reprisal is the stated reason for not calling the police. The results of the analysis strongly suggest that in certain social environments the fear of reprisal is a major factor in the reporting of crime.     

Book Reviews

Book Review in This Article:
L aw and E thics in the P ractice of P sychiatry . Edited by Charles K. Hofling, M.D.
M ale P ractice : H ow D octors M anipulate W omen . By Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D.
N urse P ower . By Karen O'Rourke and Salley Barton     

女大学生就业“难”问题审视与改善对策

女大学生就业"难"主要表现为:就业机会"难"与理想持平,求职过程"难"获尊重礼遇,薪资待遇"难"与能力对应,工作地位"难"与男生平等。性别刻板印象的存在、人才培养模式的滞后、相关保障措施的乏力、社会责任意识的欠缺、女性生理心理的特征是导致女大学生就业"难"的主要原因。坚持以人为本,营造女大学生就业氛围;完善保障政策,保护女大学生就业权益;优化培养结构,增强女大学生就业能力;履行社会责任,保障女大学生就业岗位;强化自强意识,拓展女大学生就业空间等,有利于改善女大学生就业"难"问题。