Comparing Witness Behavior Between Violent, Property and White-Collar Crimes: Some Covariates of Reporting Decision

Abstract

Based on the analysis of a survey among university students, the current study investigates the correlates of witness decision-making for three types of crime: white-collar crime, violent crime, and property crime. Using hypothetical scenarios, we contribute to the literature on law enforcement-citizen cooperation and white-collar criminality by (a) exploring whether witness willingness to report differs depending on the crime, and (b) separately assessing the effects of independent variables on witness decision-making. The overall level of willingness to report across hypothetical scenarios was high. Both property crime and violent crime are more likely to be reported than white-collar offenses. Irrespective of crime type those with previous contact with the criminal justice system in the last 3 years and lower level confidence in the police effectiveness expressed a lower likelihood of reporting crimes they would witness. The level of trust in the police correlated with the likelihood of reporting violent crimes and property crimes only, while sex was associated with violent crime and white-collar crime.