Fear of crime has been the focus of considerable research in Canada and the United States over the past five decades. An enduring question for researchers is the impact of various forms of media on fear of crime. Specifically, do the salience of specific media types and the amount of exposure to specific news media – newspapers, television, radio, and Internet – affect fear of crime? Using survey data collected at three universities in the United States and one in Canada, this article comparatively examines the impact of media on fear of crime among university students. The results show distinct differences between Canadian and U.S. students, with Canadian students reporting significantly higher levels of fear, particularly of violent crime. The impact of media on fear was inconsistent between the two groups, but media tended to exert a broader range of influence on the American students' fear of crime.

A range of behaviors and situations comprise child sexual abuse. Many incidents of child sexual abuse go unreported. The consequences for child victims vary, but the resiliency of victims and appropriate treatment for all individuals involved and impacted by these events and behaviors can reduce the short‐ and long‐term impact of child sexual abuse. Several steps are involved in the treatment of child victims, perpetrators, and family members affected by child sexual abuse; however, treatment is only effective if programs are adequately staffed and afforded appropriate resources.

For many years, social research on sport has examined the nature of violence against women by athletes. In recent years, the issue has been exposed as a critical one to which the communities of colleges and universities devote time and resources to address. College administrators and athletic department representatives have started, with increasing frequency, to work with student athletes to raise awareness, change cultural attitudes, and create safe environments for all students and staff on campus.

This entry traces the “get tough” movement in the United States from its roots in early penal reform measures and the first imprisonment binge, to the questioning of progressive ideologies concerning offenders and practices used with them in the late 1960s. It largely focuses on the resulting practices that have led to today's high incarceration rate. Various policies that espouse the “get tough” philosophy are detailed as well. The entry concludes with a questioning of whether the cyclical nature of punishment regimes will eventually affect the current “get tough” mentality and imprisonment binge, or if the practices that have been largely adopted since the 1960s will be a part of the political, public, and policy discourse and practice for years to come.