ABSTRACT
Crime has always been less a problem in rural than in urban places, and to some extent this continues to be true. The alarming urban crime rate at that time was a major impetus for the creation of the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. Primary prevention strategies requiring citizen involvement in crime control efforts are increasingly viewed as viable alternatives. Knowledge about rural crime patterns is limited. Several lifestyle changes have contributed to increased opportunity for crimes in rural areas. Low population density, relative to urban areas, is perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of rurality. An in-depth assessment of its extent and impact on the total rural population is needed and should focus upon several specific research issues. Many small towns and rural areas are, for the first time, faced with the difficult task of formulating cost-effective crime reduction strategies.
