Postsecondary campus crime and violence: An examination of incidents at Tennessee Board of Regents universities and the University of Tennessee System Universities of Tennessee System universities
Abstract
This research examined the crime and violence that occurred on Tennessee Board of Regents and University of Tennessee campuses for 2003-2005. The study examined crime statistics submitted to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Annual Campus Crime Report. The research discussed overall crime comparison of TBR/UT systems, rural and urban settings, drug/narcotic violations, drunkenness and violent behavior, yearly crime rate rankings, most reported offenses and offenses by semester. The research also utilized results from an open-ended survey sent to all TBR/UT crime prevention officers. The sample for the study included the following Tennessee Board of Regents and University of Tennessee Universities: Austin Peay State University, East Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University, University of Memphis; University of Tennessee Chattanooga, University of Tennessee Knoxville, University of Tennessee Martin and University of Tennessee Health and Science Center. The universities involved in this research educate over 126,000 students annually, from diverse cultures and backgrounds. A survey was sent to all university crime prevention officers soliciting responses for ten open-ended questions regarding policies, incidents, changes and trends. Findings of this study were: (1) The University of Tennessee institutions have overall more reported offenses than Tennessee Board of Regents; (2) Urban institutions reported more violent offenses for 2004-2005 than rural institutions, and rural institutions reported more violent offense in 2003 than urban institutions; (3) University of Tennessee institutions had more reported drug/narcotic violations; (4) Drunkenness does have an effect on the number of reported violent incidents; (5) University of Tennessee institutions (UTK/UTC) ranked in the top three for highest crime rates for 2003-2005, and APSU, UM and UTM had the lowest rates for 2003-2005; (6) The three most reported offenses were theft from building, vandalism and liquor law violations; (7) Most offenses occurred and were reported in the Fall semester rather than the Spring or Summer semesters; and (8) Survey findings indicated no new crime prevention policies or programs due to lack of increased funding.
Subject Area
School administration|Criminology|Higher education
Recommended Citation
Harold A Wells,
"Postsecondary campus crime and violence: An examination of incidents at Tennessee Board of Regents universities and the University of Tennessee System Universities of Tennessee System universities"
(2007).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI3243905.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI3243905