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Papers by Dan Lewis

Routledge eBooks, Jul 28, 2017

Most studies of fear of crime assume that is rimarily induced by direct or indirect contact with ... more Most studies of fear of crime assume that is rimarily induced by direct or indirect contact with a criminal event. Consequently programs designed to deal with this problem focus on either increased police protection or a number of crime prevention programs. In this study, Dan A. Lewis and Greta W. Salem raise questions both about the validity of these assumptions and the effectiveness of the programs. A five-year investigation has led the authors to challenge those theories that focus only on the psychological responses to victimizations and fail to take into account the social and political environments within which such fears are shaped and nurtured. Explicitly laying out a "social control" perspective which informs their research and analysis, the authors examine the fear of crime in ten neighorhoods in Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia which represent the range of communities typically found in urban areas. On the basis of their analysis the authors contend that fear of crime is not related to exposure or knowledge about criminal events alone but also stems from residents' concerns about broad changes taking place in their neighborhoods. Many people, they argue, are afraid not only because crime occurs but also because they believe that they have lost control over the environment in which they live. Lewis and Salem conclude that the eradication of fear of crime requires strategies that move beyond the traditional crime prevention programs to consider ways to restore the control that community residents feel they have lost and the possibilities for a more equitable distribution of security in urban areas.

Social Science Research Network, 2005

Much of the research that has followed welfare reform and new policies such as the Temporary Assi... more Much of the research that has followed welfare reform and new policies such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) has focused on identifying the variations in how different states have put the new policy into practice. Less is known however, about how this new policy affects the ability of recipients to earn a living through work. We use panel data from the state of Illinois and examine what explains labor force participation and performance among current and recent TANF recipients. We use both cross-sectional and longitudinal methods to analyze our data. Our results indicate that human capital factors such as education, job skills, and health are important determinants of labor market participation and performance. In addition, we find that long term welfare recipients are equally likely to participate and perform well in the labor market as shorter term welfare recipients. Finally, government housing subsidy appeared to have a positive effect on labor force participation and performance.

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American Journal of Psychiatry, Jun 1, 1995

Predicting the revolving door phenomenon among patients with schizophrenic, affective disorders a... more Predicting the revolving door phenomenon among patients with schizophrenic, affective disorders and non-organic psychoses* Fatores preditores do fenômeno de reinternações de pacientes esquizofrênicos, com transtorno afetivo e psicose não orgânica

The Journal of General Education, 2014

The author proposes that “societal renewal” and the engagement required to accomplish that renewa... more The author proposes that “societal renewal” and the engagement required to accomplish that renewal should be the core of the university. By focusing on the basic building blocks of good citizenship (civic knowledge and civic action) the university can weave, at relatively low cost, programs and classes into its core. Using Northwestern University as a case study, the author demonstrates how this can be done.

Criminology, Aug 1, 1979

This essay explores the issues involved in designing public policies. It suggests that those prog... more This essay explores the issues involved in designing public policies. It suggests that those programs not well designed will generate inappropriate expectations for success. This lack of design sophistication may not lead to well-conceived methods .for achieving stated objectives. Taking the Low Enforcement Assistance Administration's Cornmunit.,, Anti-Crime Program as an example, the paper analyzes the implicit sociological theory which guided the development of this new and important program. The essay concludes by highlighting some of the important contributions the Community Anti-Crime Program can make in the criminal justice policy arena despite its conceptual shortcomings. While design problems may hinder the implementation of programs, they do not necessarily have to cripple them.

Journal of Community Psychology, 2006

The authors identify ways to facilitate work among current and recent welfare recipients with men... more The authors identify ways to facilitate work among current and recent welfare recipients with mental illness. Their analysis assesses the relationship between a particular mental illness, depression, and labor force involvement in a statewide sample of welfare recipients, identifies the factors that promote work for those with depression, and describes the positive and negative correlates of work among this group. This study is a building block in understanding how depression and work are related among current and recent welfare recipients and what factors impede or facilitate substantive involvement in society for those with depression.

Contemporary Sociology, Nov 1, 1987

NEW OBSERVATIONS Howard S. Becker, series editor The close and detailed observation of social lif... more NEW OBSERVATIONS Howard S. Becker, series editor The close and detailed observation of social life provides a kind of knowledge that is indispensable to our understanding of society. In the spirit of Robert E. Park, the books in this series draw on an intimate ...

Journal of Social Issues, Oct 1, 1989

This longitudinal study of state mental patients in Chicago investigated patient adjustment to ev... more This longitudinal study of state mental patients in Chicago investigated patient adjustment to everyday living outside state hospitals. Respondents (N = 313) were interviewed in person at the hospital and at two successive waves in the community, and a wide range of variables was measured. Findings showed that mental patients are overwhelmingly poor, unemployed, and on welfare. A substantial number are homeless, and many resort to criminal behavior as a means of support. The state hospital is often viewed as a place for meals, shelter, and companionship. Only about half of the patients receive help before returning to the hospital, and that help is mostly medication. Those who are younger and have a history of prior institutionalizations are most likely to be readmitted. Patients who refuse to sign into the state hospital are frequently persuaded or coerced to admit themselves "voluntarily" in order to circumvent the complicated involuntary commitment process. It is suggested that mental health care focus on helping patients handle everyday problems in living related to housing, jobs, and interpersonal relationships. Our society's effectiveness in treating the chronic mentally ill is defined essentially by whether patients can survive independently of custodial, long-term care. Such survival depends on their ability to find income, maintain interpersonal relationships, and secure adequate housing. The successful transition from state or community-based institutions to autonomous adult life requires accomplishment of these critical tasks, which also reflect patients' symptomatology , well-being, and social integration. This article describes an investigation of mental patients in the community and their movements into and out of state institutions. It examines the circum

Criminology, Aug 1, 2003

Research on fear of crime has been primarily quantitative, focused mostly on 'Ifear," "crime," an... more Research on fear of crime has been primarily quantitative, focused mostly on 'Ifear," "crime," and "disorder," Little work has investigated alternative reactions, including "safety," when crime/disorder are prevalent. With the purpose of exploring reactions to crime and underlying processes, this study applies a grounded theory approach to in-depth interviews and field observations with a group of 69 disadvantaged urban residents, randomly selected from a sample of Chicago welfare recipients. Results suggest that fear, absent in neighborhoods with incivilities and in many violent areas, is not the prevalent response to local crime/disorder; "cues" other than crime/disorder trigger fears; fear may not be of crime/disorder; and neighborhood problems elicit precautions, which neither influence fear nor 'paralyze" respondents. The processes underlying these reactions are discussed. KEYWORDS Fear of crime, urban neighborhoods, inner-city residents, welfare recipients, and crime, disorder, and incivilities.

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Jul 1, 1980

Residents in four Chicago neighborhoods were surveyed to determine the relationship between fear ... more Residents in four Chicago neighborhoods were surveyed to determine the relationship between fear of crime and official crime rates. Several anomalies were found. Citizens' perceptions of dangerous areas in their neighborhoods match, for the most part, official records of crimes committed there. However, assessments of neighborhoods' specific crime problems and personal risks do not consistently correspond with official statistics. The authors argue that citizens' perceptions of crime are shaped not so much by the neighborhood conditions reflected in the crime statistics, but rather by the level of incivility in their communities. Indicators of incivility are conditions, more frequently confronted, indicating that community social control is weak. These include abandoned buildings, vandalism, drug use, and loitering teenagers. The authors demonstrate the correspondence between levels of fear and concern about incivility. They suggest that fear of crime is triggered by a broad range of neighborhood conditions, and argue that attempts to understand and control that fear should look beyond serious crime incidents as the sole source of the problem.

The Higher Education Exchange is founded on a thought articulated by Thomas Jefferson in 1820:I k... more The Higher Education Exchange is founded on a thought articulated by Thomas Jefferson in 1820:I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. In the tradition of Jefferson, the Higher Education Exchange agrees that a central goal of higher education is to help make democracy possible by preparing citizens for public life. The Higher Education Exchange is part of a movement to strengthen higher education's democratic mission and foster a more democratic culture throughout American society. Working in this tradition, the Higher Education Exchange publishes case studies, analyses, news, and ideas about efforts within higher education to develop more democratic societies.

Choice Reviews Online, Jul 1, 1989

Page 1. Social Construction of Reform Crime Prevention and JI Community Organizations Dan A. Lewi... more Page 1. Social Construction of Reform Crime Prevention and JI Community Organizations Dan A. Lewis,-11 11 Jane A. Grant and Dennis P. Rosenbaum Page 2. Social Problems Law and Society Social Construction of Reform ...