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Report Examines How Communities Define Safety Beyond Crime Data
Researchers document local views on safety in three counties through surveys and interviews with residents and system actors.
How we reported this
A December 2023 report titled Redefining Community Safety draws on community surveys, interviews and focus groups to explore how residents in three US counties understand safety. The work was led by Lee Ann Slocum, Claire Greene, Beth M. Huebner and colleagues, and released by the Safety and Justice Challenge on December 12, 2023.
Why traditional measures fall short
The report states that discussions among policymakers and in the media often emphasize crime rates and the criminal legal system as the main route to safety. It notes several consequences of this approach. Low crime rates do not necessarily mean residents feel their community is safe. Other factors such as media coverage and the physical and social environment shape perceptions. Not all crime is reported, especially in areas with high enforcement activity and low trust in police. Data from the criminal legal system can reflect enforcement priorities rather than community priorities.
Voices from affected communities
The study focuses on Missoula County, Montana; St. Louis County, Missouri; and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. These counties participate in the MacArthur Safety and Justice Challenge. Surveys were designed to capture a diversity of community voices. Interviews and focus groups gave more depth to the views of criminal legal system actors, system-impacted individuals, and people who work with them. The report uses these interviews to highlight findings and bring forward perspectives often omitted in such work.
The authors observe that conversations around community safety are highly localized. Allowing communities to define what safety means supports the development of locally driven priorities and interventions. The report includes an executive summary, a concept map and a toolkit as additional resources.
Next steps for local consideration
The findings suggest that narrow crime-oriented definitions may not align with what residents value most. Officials and experts working on community safety can review the full report and toolkit to consider how local input shapes priorities in their own settings.