Determinants of Punitiveness and Crime Prevention Behavior

The Role of fear of crime,perceived risk of crime, desire for self-determination, and self-determination of community

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the determinants of punitiveness and crime prevention behavior. Building on previous research, it was hypothesized that these variables are related with desire forself-determination and self-determination of community, as well as fear of crime and riskperception of crime. Questionnaires were administered to 332 Japanese residents through aweb-based survey company. The results revealed that punitiveness and crime prevention behaviorwere both correlated with fear of crime, risk perception of crime, and desire for self-determination. Thus, the findings generally supported the hypotheses and suggested that the dependent variablesmay share a common root. Future research directions and limitations have been discussed.