Perceptions of Crime in a Dreadful Enclosure

Author Institution: Department of Criminology; Department of Criminology; School of Criminology, Florida State UniversityThe environmental context for this research is Alumni Village, a married student housmg complex on the campus of Florida State University. Alumni Village was analyzed as an example of a dreadful enclosure which can be defined as a largescale housing estate or development which possesses a reputation as the home of thieves and cutthroats. Perceptions of the safety of the complex by its residents were obtained through use of a set of mental maps which were constructed by resident respondents. The method utilized in this study was derived in large part from Kevin Lynch's (1960) urban image delineation methodology. An analysis of the match between perceptions as recorded in mental maps and a known crime measure was carried out. Conclusions were drawn about policy improvements on the part of both the policing service and the management service for the complex