CRIME, NEIGHBORHOOD PERCEPTIONS, AND THE UNDERCLASS - THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEAR OF CRIME AND CLASS POSITION

Fear of crime and the underclass represent two of the more prominent t opics of discussion within the realms of criminology and sociology ove r the past several decades. There is little research, however, tying t hese topics together. Recently, a call has been reissued for the furth er understanding of the relationship between crime and class. Such an examination is essential to the understanding of fear of crime as well . in this article, an attempt is made to meld the two seemingly diverg ent areas of fear of crime and the underclass in order to develop a mo re thorough understanding of neighborhood fear. With the use of second ary data, the extent to which this underclass offers a useful model fo r analysis of neighborhood issues is investigated. In particular crime , fear, and perceptions of victimization among members of the undercla ss are examined.