Predictors of Police Reporting Among Hispanic Immigrant Victims of Violence

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of police reporting among Hispanic immigrant victims of violence. A sample of 127 Hispanic immigrants was generated through a chain-referral procedure in the city of Hempstead, New York. Participants were asked about their most recent victimization experiences, and detailed information was collected on up to three incidents. The analyses were based on a total of 214 separate victimization incidents, one third of which were reported to the police. Logistic regression analyses indicated that serious injury, multiple-victim incidents, and perceptions of discrimination increase the odds of a police report. Moreover, incidents involving a Black primary assailant were less likely to be reported to the police than incidents involving an assailant perceived to be of Hispanic origin. Supplementary analyses suggested that this latter relationship may be contingent upon the type of crime and the victim’s relationship with the assailant. At the policy level, these findings call into question assumptions about very recent immigrants being too socially isolated and distrustful of law enforcement to sustain robust reporting levels, as well as pointing to encouraging possibilities for productive engagement between police and Hispanic immigrant populations.

Influence of Victim-Offender Relationship on Reporting of Property Crime to the Police by Victims in Gilgil Ward, Nakuru County, Kenya

“…Less empirical research has paid attention to the impact of victim-offender relationships on reporting crimes, with most studies concentrating on sexual offense crimes (Baumer et al, 2003;Guadriaan, 2006;Felson et al, 2002). Others have drawn attention to assault crimes (Sidebottom, 2015) and racial factors (Hautala et al, 2015). Therefore, by revealing the extent to which victim-offender relationships influence reporting property crimes to the police, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on reporting crimes.…”

“…The victim-offender relationship is a primary factor in this research that impacts one's readiness to report property crime to the police. A large number of studies have found that the victim-offender relationship is an important factor influencing crime reporting behavior (Bunei et al, 2012;Felson et al, 2002;Hautala et al, 2015). However, most studies on the effect of the victim-offender relationship on @ @ @ @ crime reporting have focused on sexual offenses, leaving a gap in the literature on property crime reporting studies, which this study intends to fill.…”