Several authors have proposed that media hype elevates perceptions of risk and fear of crime. Research suggests that fear of crime is related to the overall amount of media consumption, resonance of news reports, how much attention the individual pays to the news, and how credible he or she believes it to be. The present study examines whether the same applies for terrorism. We use telephone survey data ( N = 532) of New Yorkers and Washingtonians to test whether perceived risk and fear of terrorism are associated with several media-related variables. We find that exposure to terrorism-related news is positively associated with perceived risk of terrorism to self and others and with fear for others, but not for self.

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Researchers have long been curious about the mismatch between women's fear of crime and their objective risk of victimization. The present research, which examines fear of terrorism, provides a unique opportunity to explore gender differences in reactions to a specific type of violent victimization, terrorism. The article analyzes data collected from a telephone survey of 532 inhabitants from New York and Washington on the topic of reactions to terrorism-related information. Analysis of these data finds that women are more fearful, engage in more avoidance behaviors, and are more likely to seek information in response to terrorism-related information. Moreover, women differ from men in predictors of their terrorism fears as well as engagement in terrorismrelated avoidance and information-seeking behaviors. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.

States that wish to receive federal financial support through the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act for their juvenile justice systems are mandated to address disproportionate minority contact (DMC). A vast number of studies now exist that try to explain the presence, cause, and severity of DMC in states and local jurisdictions, but most work does not move past this point. A newer set of works explores reasons why DMC-reduction efforts fail. In recent years, generous investments from private foundations have led to a renewed sense of hope for success in the seemingly intractable problem of minority overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system. This article presents promising approaches that have resulted from these investments and suggests steps that should be taken from here.

This article examines attitudes about terrorism utilizing criminological literature about fear of crime and perceived risk of victimization and data from a statewide survey of 1,617 adults in Kentucky. Measures of both fear of terrorism and perceived risk of terrorism were geography based. The demographic variables had minimal impact on both perceived risk of terrorism and fear of terrorism, although gender was significantly related to both, suggesting a link based on socialization experiences of men and women. Although rural residence had a small but statistically significant relationship to perceived risk, it was not related to fear. The strongest predictor of fear was perceived risk itself, which mirrors research on the close association of fear of crime and perceived risk to victimization.