Shining a light on campus offenses: a look at student offending and victimization at Towson University

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2011-10-19

Department

Program

Towson University. Social Sciences Program

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

Copyright protected, all rights reserved.
There are no restrictions on access to this document. An internet release form signed by the author to display this document online is on file with Towson University Special Collections and Archives.

Subjects

Abstract

With only forty percent of crimes reported, the underreporting of criminal incidents is a national problem as well as a campus problem. The purpose of this study was to investigate the crimes that occur at Towson University. Since drug and alcohol usage is a hidden crime and not likely to be reported, this study also examined the extent of drug and alcohol usage. The objective was to see if there was a correlation between drug and alcohol usage and criminal incidents on campus. This study also determined if certain characteristics were related to a student's involvement in campus crimes. Data analyses found that campus crimes are underrepresented. The analyses also showed that there is a significant positive relationship between marijuana usage and campus offending and victimization. Also, there is a significant positive relationship between involvement hours and victimization as well as between fraternity membership and victimization.