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CRIME AS HAZARD: PERCEPTIONS OF RISK AND SERIOUSNESS *
Author(s) -
MEIER ROBERT F.,
SHORT JAMES F.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
criminology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.467
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1745-9125
pISSN - 0011-1384
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-9125.1985.tb00346.x
Subject(s) - seriousness , context (archaeology) , hazard , white collar crime , psychology , criminology , social psychology , interpersonal communication , political science , geography , law , chemistry , archaeology , organic chemistry
The study of crime suffers from an inattention to the social consequences of criminal acts. Conceiving crimes within the larger context of “hazard,” data are reported on the relative seriousness of conventional and white‐collar crimes, as well as other hazards, using a sample of Washington state respondents. The results indicate that there is an inverse relationship between the perceived likelihood of a hazard and its seriousness. Generally, the more immediate the threat of a hazard, such as white‐collar crimes, the more serious it is perceived to be. There are also implications from these consequences for perceptions of institutional effectiveness and interpersonal relationships. This suggests that future studies of the consequences of criminality, especially white‐collar and corporate violations, might be directed toward the notions of risk and, eventually, social trust.