Race and Ethnic Differences in Fear of Property, Personal, and Gang Victimization among People Involved in Crime: Testing the Effects of Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics

Fear of victimization among the general population has received much scholarly attention, yet fear among people involved in crime remains largely overlooked. Among 2,200 criminally active respondents, we examine the differential effects across race/ethnicity of perceived neighborhood characteristics on fear of victimization. Hispanics were significantly more afraid than African Americans and Whites. For Hispanics, perceptions of social disorder and higher levels of collective efficacy significantly predicted fear of property, personal, and gang crime. Physical disorder and subcultural diversity were more salient for African Americans and Whites. We discuss the fear-neighborhood disorganization link among racial subgroups.