CHAPTER-I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

For the past years, various cases of crimes reported in

the world such as, robbery, theft, physical injury, murder,

illegal drugs, illegal gambling, and the likes, which impose

risks in safety and security of the people. However, the

number of crimes continue to escalate, especially in Las

Navas, Northern Samar. In fact, theft, robbery, and illegal

gambling are the most common crimes that need to be reduced or

halted to ensure that the people, as well as their possessions

in the community are safe and secured; this is when the idea

of prevention came into consideration.

Crime prevention is a common stratagem of avoiding and/or

getting involved in any types of crime, and a traditional

criminological method in mitigating the numbers of crime rate

in a particular location. Moreover, crime prevention becomes a

common method of the Philippine National Police, specifically

in the Municipal Police Station in the Las Navas in minimizing

the crime rate. Also, people and businesses in the community

also do things to prevent crimes like theft and robbery from

occurring, they strengthen their security through increasing

the number of their security personnel and install CCTV

devices to prevent these crimes from re-occurring.

1
 Meanwhile, 1
the Philippines reported a decrease in crime

cases of 3.66%. The DILG or Department of Interior and Local

Government said that “from the past year of 2021 as compared

to 2020, we have seen that total crime incidents reached a

volume of 374,277 and in 2021, we have 360,573 or a decrease

of 3.66 percent in total crime incidents”. This decrease in

crimes rate is because of the successful implementation of

their strategies in preventing crimes, most especially in

youth, which are prone to engaging with such crimes due to

various factors.

Furthermore, there are various strategies to implement a

successful crime prevention. 2Patanglihug revealed in his study

entitled “Implemented Crime Prevention Strategies of PNP in

Salug Valley, Zamboanga Del Sur, Philippines” that the crime

prevention strategies in four (4) municipalities were “much

effective” to include Integrated Patrol System, Barangay Peace

Keeping Operations, Anti-Criminality Operations, Integrated

Area Community Public Safety Services, Bantay Turista and

School Safety Project in connection to the responses of 158

participants. There is a significant relationship between

crime prevention strategies employed and index.

1
Philippine National Academy (2021). PH crime rate drops by 73.7% in 5
years under PRRD: DILG. Retrieved from:
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168274
2
Patalinghug, M. (2017). Implemented Crime Prevention Strategies of PNP in
Salug Valley, Zamboanga Del Sur, Philippines. Retrieved from:
https://philpapers.org/rec/PATICP

2
 On the one hand, 3
the United Nations Office on Drugs and

Crime asserted that crime prevention entails strategies and

measures aimed at reducing the likelihood of crimes occurring,

as well as their potentially harmful effects on individuals

and society, by intervening to influence their multiple causes

and strengthening protective factors, such as those that help

reduce the likelihood of violent behavior leading to crime.

As criminology students, the researchers observed that

there is a lower crime rate among the students in Las Navas,

Northern Samar, especially in Barangay San Isidro. Also, the

researchers observed that crimes like NPA attacks, and murder

are most likely to transpire in the Barangay San Isidro.

Hence, they would like to investigate the different

perceptions of crime prevention of the students, as well as

the strategies they do, particularly in Barangay Isidro to

determine the factors that influence the lower crime rate in

the municipality of Las Navas, Northern Samar, there are the

reasons why the researchers were prompted to conduct this

study in the Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar.

Objectives of the Study

3
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2020). CRIME PREVENTION.
Retrieved from
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/justice-and-prison-reform/cpcj-crime-
prevention-background.html

3
 In general, the main goal of this study is to determine

the perceptions of crime prevention of the college students in

Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar.

Specifically, this intends to:

1. Determine the profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. Sex

b. Age

2. Determine the perceptions of crime prevention in terms of

perceived knowledge and behaviors, as well as perceived

crime prevention strategies of the college students in

Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar.

3. Determine the crime rate in Barangay San Isidro, Las

Navas, Northern Samar.

4. Find out if there is a significant relationship between

profile and perceptions of crime preventions in terms of

perceived behaviors, as well as the perceived crime

prevention strategies of the college students in Barangay

San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar.

5. Find out if there is a significant relationship between

perceptions of crime preventions in terms perceived

knowledge and behaviors, as well as the perceived crime

prevention strategies of the college students and crime

rate in Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar.

Significance of the Study

4
 The findings of this study will benefit the following

persons, authorities and institutions:

Local Government Units (LGUs). The result of this study

will serve the governance basic in creating effective services

to the fifty-three (53) barangays, especially the Barangay San

Isidro. Also, through this, they will be able to gain ideas or

strategies in strengthening the crime prevention strategies

they currently have

Parents. The outcome of this study will give the parents

awareness that is needed for them to have knowledge in

preventing such crimes for their safety and security, as well

as the psychological nature based on this study.

Teachers. The findings of study will surely help the

teachers in terms of nurturing their students, this will give

them more ideas and knowledge about what to teach and/or

instill in their students’ minds about the crime prevention.

Students. This study will greatly contribute to the

students as this will give them the knowledge ad awareness as

to what crime prevention is, including its purpose and its

benefits. And to becoming a good citizen of the society.

Future Researchers. This will help them in a way that it

will serve them as a future reference for their research in

the future,

Scope and Limitation

5
 The study will be conducted in the year 2022 in the

Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar, and will

attempt to determine the perceptions of crime preventions

among the college students in Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas,

Northern Samar.

Also, this study is limited only to college students in

Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar, and may not be

relevant to the other school year level like high school level

and elementary level.

Theoretical Framework

The conceptualization of Brantingham

4
and Brantingham

(2013) in their theory called “Crime Pattern Theory” was used

in this study that will be assessed. The theory is influenced

by several different theories, including Routine Activities,

Rational Choice and environmental principles relating to

crime. Specifically, the theory proposed that criminal acts

are most likely to occur in areas where the awareness space of

an offender intersects with perceived suitable targets. Most

criminals do not choose their crime sites randomly, but rather

their criminal site choices are spatially structured.

Moreover, they accentuated the ‘Awareness Space” in the

theory, which means locations and areas that a person is aware

of and possesses at least a minimum level of knowledge about.

4
Brantingham, Paul & Brantingham, Patricia. (2013). Crime pattern theory.
Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis. 78-93. 10.4324/9780203118214.

6
A person’s awareness space forms part of their mental map and

is constructed primarily, but not exclusively, from the

spatial experiences of the individual. An awareness space is

composed of various activity sites and the connecting network

of travel and commuting routes. Well-known locations

(landmarks, tourist sites, important buildings) may also

become part of a person’s awareness space without being places

they travel to.

Additionally, Brantingham and Brantingham (2013) stressed

that the targets of crime are selected on the following basis.

Primarily, targets are selected within an offender’s awareness

space. It is assumed that criminals are somewhat lazy,

sticking close to known places and routes. Secondly, possible

targets are assessed against the criteria of suitability

(profit to be gained) and risk (likelihood of getting caught).

Thirdly, Targets are also scanned for certain cues

(visibility, ease of mobility, etc.). Lastly, the offender

makes a rational choice to choose a specific target for

victimization.

Further, 5
Crime pattern theory is more on a geographic

framework, thus demonstrating how the places in which people

live and travel have an impact on the chances for such crimes

to arise. It also focused on locales and the lack of social

control or other forms of guardianship that are ostensibly

5
Academic Library (2014). Crime Pattern Theory. Retrieved from:
https://ebrary.net/109972/law/crime_pattern_theory

7
required to keep crime under control. For example, because

some properties lack basic security and no one is home to

defend the property, a suburban community might become a

hotspot for thefts.

The theory is all about how individuals and items involved in

crime move about in place and time is important to

environmental criminology's crime pattern theory. This theory

incorporates three basic concepts: nodes, pathways, and edges,

and it is well-suited to the routine activities.

In relation, different places can generate crime not only

within, but also nearby. Each offender searches for crime

targets around personal activity nodes (such as home, school,

and entertainment area) and the paths among them. The paths

people take in their everyday activities are closely related

to where they fall victim to crime. This is the reason the

theory is into the geographical distribution of crime and the

daily rhythm of activity. For example, it generates crime maps

for different hours of the day and days of the week, linking

crime to commuter flows, school children being let out, bars

closing, or any other process that moves people among nodes

and along paths. Also, the theory conceptualized the “edges”

as the boundaries of areas where people live, work, shop, or

seek entertainment. Some crimes are more likely to occur at

the edges—such as racial attacks, robberies, or shoplifting—

because people from different neighborhoods who do not know

8
each other come together at edges. Overall, the theory shown

that the design and management of town, city, and business

areas can produce major shifts in crime rates.

Conceptual Framework

The researchers’ conceptualization of the study is

stimulated from the conceptualization of Brantingham and

Brantingham (2013). The concept of the study entails that the

perceptions of crime preventions with respect to the perceived

knowledge and behaviors, including the perceived crime

prevention strategies are expected to affect the crime rate.

Whereas the profile in terms of the respondents’ sex and age

anticipated to affect the crime rate in the Barangay San

Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar.

Paradigm

Perceptions of

Crime Prevention

a. Perceived
behavior
Crime Rate
b. crime
Prevention
Strategies

Profile
a. Sex 9
b. Age
 Figure 1. A schematic diagram illustrates the relationship
between independent variables and dependent variable

Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between independent

variables and dependent variable of the study. The paradigm of

the study will serve as an outline and guidance of the

research flow. In the left corner, is the independent

variables and in the left side are the respondents’ profile in

terms of sex and the perceptions of crime preventions with

respect to the perceived knowledge and behaviors, as well as

the perceived crime prevention strategies of the respondents.

While in the right corner, is the crime rate, the dependent

variable of the study, which will be assessed in the conduct

of the study.

Definition of Terms

Below, are the substantial terminologies, which are

defined in a conceptual and operational sense for in depth

understanding of the readers.

Age. Conceptually and operationally, this refers to the time

or how many years a person is living.

10
Crime Prevention. 6
Conceptually, it pertains to the strategies

and measures that seek to reduce the risks of crimes

occurring, as well as their possible harmful effects on

individuals on individuals, and society, including fear of

crime, by intervening to influence their multiple causes.

While in operational sense, this refers to the prevention of

crimes of the college students in Barangay San Isidro, Las

Navas, Northern Samar.

Crime Rate. 7
Conceptually and operationally, this concentrates

to the count of crimes complied to assess the effectiveness of

a crime control policy, and the impact of the policy on the

risk of crime victimization.

Crime Prevention Strategies. Conceptually and operationally,

this concerns about the strategies in preventing the number of

crimes in a given place.

Perception. Conceptually, 8
this refers to as the sensory

experience of the world. It involves both recognizing

environmental stimuli and actions in response to these

stimuli. Operationally, this is about the perceptions of crime

prevention of the college students in Barangay San Isidro, Las

Navas, Northern Samar.

6
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (2004). Crime Prveention.
Retrieved from:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/justice-and-prison-reform/CrimePrevention.ht
ml
7
Us Legal (N/A). Crime RATE. Retrieved from:
https://definitions.uslegal.com/c/crime-rate/
8
Cherry, K. (2020). Perception and the Pereptual Process. Retrieved from:
https://www.verywellmind.com/perception-and-the-perceptual-process-2795839

11
Sex. Conceptually, 9
sex is either of the two major forms of

individuals that occur in many species and that are

distinguished respectively as female or male especially on the

basis of their reproductive organs and structure.

Operationally it is defined as the sex of the college students

in Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar.

9
Meriam-Webster (2019), Sex, Retrieved from https://www.meriam-
webster.com/dictionary/sex

12
 CHAPTER-II
REVIEW OF LITERATURES

Perceptions of Crime Prevention

10
Crime prevention mainly concentrates to the various

strategies that are devised and enforced by communities,

businesses, non-government organizations and all levels of

government to target the various social and environmental

factors that increase the risk of crime.

Accordingly, the study of 11

Spicer, V., Song, J. &

Brantingham, P. (2014) entitled "Bridging the perceptual gap:

variations in crime perception of businesses at the

neighborhood level” they compared two samples (n = 235) of

businesses surveyed in Grandview-Woodland, a diverse

neighborhood, in the City of Vancouver, Canada. A

visualization technique utilized to demonstrate how aggregate

cognitive maps about perception of crime can be created and

used by civic agencies when determining strategies aimed at

10
Vicente J., et. al., (2020). Community Crime Prevention: The Case Of A
Barangay In The Northern Philippines. Retrieved from:
https://garph.co.uk/IJARMSS/June2020/G-2815.pdf
11
Spicer, V., Song, J. & Brantingham, P. (2014). Bridging the perceptual
gap: variations in crime perception of businesses at the neighborhood
level. Secur Inform 3, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13388-014-0014-4

13
reducing fear of crime. The results showed that although both

samples are taken from the same geographical neighborhood,

their specific location within the community generates two

very distinct perceptual patterns. Differences between the

impact of proximal and distal cues on perception is explored.

The results are presented, and future research directions

discussed. Heightened perception of crime can have a negative

impact on business in general and reduces feelings of security

for business owners, employees and clients. The results in

this study show a heightened perception of crime that is both

proximal and distal.

On the other hand, Vicente J., et. al., (2020) conducted

12

the study entitled “Community Crime Prevention: The Case Of A

Barangay In The Northern Philippines”— their focus is on crime

prevention of a barangay utilizing qualitative analysis. They

determined the crime prevention activities that the Philippine

National Police and barangay officials implemented and

discovered the challenges encountered in the implementation of

the crime prevention activities. The study involved nine

participants composed of three barangay officials, three

residents of Barangay Lucnab and 3 Police Officers from the

Baguio City Police Station 3. All in Baguio City in the

Philippines. Additionally, they used thematic analysis. Based

on the results, the Police Personnel and Barangay Officials

12
Vicente J., et. al., (2020). Community Crime Prevention: The Case Of A
Barangay In The Northern Philippines. Retrieved from:
https://garph.co.uk/IJARMSS/June2020/G-2815.pdf

14
are regularly conducting the following activities: regular

patrolling (foot and mobile patrol), routine checkpoints, and

crime prevention seminars. It also showed that they had

challenges in implementing these crime prevention programs

such as having depleted personnel, inadequate crime prevention

equipment, and instances of unreported cases.

Moreover, 13
Beato, C. and Silveira, A.M., (2014) in their

study entitled “Effectiveness and Evaluation of Crime

Prevention Programs in Minas Gerais” aimed to analyze the

previous studies evaluating the effectiveness of the crime

prevention policies adopted by the Government of Minas Gerais

(Brazil)”. They put greater emphasis is placed on studies

evaluating outcomes than on studies dealing with the process

of setting up and implementing programs and projects. Further,

a Maryland Scale was used to have a systematic discussion, the

which categorizes research and evaluations according to the

methodological strengths and weaknesses in five levels, is

employed.

Subsequently, after they map out the implications of this

discussion regarding the prevention programs, they found out

that the implications of this situation for the design and

evaluation of security policies are clear. Policymaking in the

crime and justice area is blindly based upon impressions,

13
Beato, C. and Silveira, A.M. (2014). Effectiveness and Evaluation of
Crime Prevention Programs in Minas Gerais. Stability: International Journal
of Security and Development, 3(1), p.Art. 20. DOI:
http://doi.org/10.5334/sta.dr

15
without guidance instruments. The state of affairs has led to

a sharp increase in crime rates, to heightened fear and

greater perceived risk among populations in the large urban

centers. Also, Beato, C. and Silveira, A.M. (2014) added that

the specific impact of social policies and programs is even

hazier, since the need for such projects is so pressing that

any results attained, irrespective of the implications for the

problem of crime, are associated with project success. No

evaluations of these programs’ costs in terms of the results

achieved are available, nor on their effectiveness. Also, they

asserted that the analysis of these problem is of growing

importance, given the frequent shortage of resources which

governments at many different levels face, coupled with the

natural tendency of identifying and reworking crime prevention

policies based on decisions derived from cost-benefit models.

While Welsh and Farrington, et. al., (2012), claimed

14

that the evidence-based crime prevention programs, especially

developmental and community approaches do not yield any result

in the short-run. Thus, policymakers often find programs that

only show results in the long term, which they called

“unappealing.” Also, they believe that crime prevention

programs should be observed in a similar fashion to other

policies that are implemented. He provides an example of

14
Welsh and Farrington, et. al., (2012). Evidence-Based Crime Prevention.
Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305492140_Does_Crime_Prevention_Wo
rk

16
“intergenerational accounting,” which considers the

government revenue and expenses over a long period

of time. Hence, policymakers should be able to

delay gratification and plan for the future, rather than

focusing on their short-term agendas.

Age & Sex

15
The study review entitled Incorporating Gender-Based

Analysis into Crime Prevention conducted by Peterson-Badali

B., Wagstaff, C., Fredericks C, Goodwin & Van Dieten (2022).

aimed to close the gap between knowledge and practice by

consolidating the literature on gender-based analysis (GBA) in

the crime prevention context. This report included; a

literature review on gender differences in patterns of

offending, risk and protective factors: over-arching gender-

based principles distilled from the “What Works” (gender-

neutral evidence base) and the gender responsive literatures;

a systematic review that identified and synthesized the

results of outcome evaluations involving female samples of

justice-involved individuals (from the community and

institutional settings); examples of promising evidence based

programs and strategies for adapting existing crime prevention

programs. A standard literature review was used to explore the

nature of female perpetrated crime, gender differences and

15
Peterson-Badali B., Wagstaff, C., Fredericks C, Goodwin & Van Dieten
(2022). Incorporating Gender-Based Analysis into Crime Prevention.
Retrieved from: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2020-
s002/2020-s002-en.pdf

17
LGBTQ2 offending patterns and victimization. In addition, a

systematic review was used to identify risk and protective

factors and outcome evaluations. Also, thematic content

analysis was used to distill over-arching gender-based

principles. The findings showed that Forty-one rigorous

outcome evaluations conducted between 1970 and 2019 were

identified; sixteen targeted children/youth and twenty-five

targeted adults; samples were ethnically diverse; and most

studies were conducted in the United States while there are no

studies focused on LGBTQ2 individuals. The results clearly

identified programs that reduced criminal conduct as well as

those that did not have an impact on criminal conduct.

Also, effective crime prevention programs were

characterized by a human service as opposed to a punishment

philosophy; clear implementation of the risk principle (risk

level was matched to treatment intensity); blended treatment

models that incorporated elements from the “What Works” and

the gender responsive evidence base; holistic substance abuse

programs for women that simultaneously targeted trauma; and

community-based wraparound programs for youth grounded in

social learning paradigms. Ineffective programs were

characterized by unstructured counseling; pure token

economies; punishment-oriented programs; unstructured

programs, poorly implemented programs; and programs that

failed to adhere to the risk principle and program fidelity.

18
 Moreover, the 16
US National Crime Victimization Survey, a

national primary source of information on criminal

victimization, aimed to collect data that gauge several types

and amount of crime with an age range of twelve (12) and

above. The survey encompassed more topics such as crime in

schools, contacts with law enforcement, and identity theft.

The survey revealed that violent crimes and property crimes

are rampant in the country. Violent crimes include murder and

nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated

assault, while property crime involves Burglary, Larceny-

theft, Motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Furthermore, Spicer,
17
V., Song, J. & Brantingham, P.

(2014) in their entitled "Bridging the perceptual gap:

variations in crime perception of businesses at the

neighborhood level” also found out Other variations in

perception that are studied which included differences between

males and females, business owners and employees and those who

have been victims of property crime versus personal crime.

16
Bureau of Justice (2020). National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).
Retrieved from https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/ncvs#publications-0
17
Spicer, V., Song, J. & Brantingham, P. (2014). Bridging the perceptual
gap: variations in crime perception of businesses at the neighborhood
level. Secur Inform 3, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13388-014-0014-4

19
Perceptions of Crime Preventions and Crime Rate

18
Ogadimma Arisukwu, Chisaa Igbolekwu, Joseph Oye, Eyitayo

Oyeyipo, Festus Asamu, Bamidele Rasak, Isaac Oyekola, (2020)

revealed from the study indicated high theft cases as common

crime in rural Nigeria. In addition, Youths were observed to

constitute greater percentage of suspects at police stations

for crime. Unemployment and poverty among the rural populace

especially youths were responsible for these criminalities.

The absence of social infrastructure, inadequate police

presence and government support to unemployed youths made the

crime situations worse in rural areas. There was low level of

community interactions with the police in crime prevention and

control in rural Nigeria. Also, the results showed that there

is high rate of crime in the study area as indicated by 34.2%

of the respondents, while 29.6% said that crime rate was

extremely high, only 8% accepted that crime rate was low. This

implies that there is high rate of crime in the rural areas,

hence the need for adequate government and community security

intervention.

Further, the study of Ayaz, M., & Ullah, F. (2018)

emphasized societal perception regarding situational crime

prevention. The main objectives of the study were to find out

18
Ogadimma Arisukwu, Chisaa Igbolekwu, Joseph Oye, Eyitayo Oyeyipo, Festus
Asamu, Bamidele Rasak, Isaac Oyekola, (2020). Community participation in
crime prevention and control in rural Nigeria,
Heliyon, Volume 6, ISSN 2405-8440,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05015.

20
the effects of two most commonly used tools (i.e., CCTV and

Street lights) on the situational crime prevention. To cater

these objectives, quantitative research was conducted through

survey questionnaire from Faculty of Social Sciences, Crime

reporter and Criminal lawyers. Also, the data was collected

form 134 respondents from participants of these three

different backgrounds. On the basis of collected data, the

study finds that both tools i.e., CCTV and Street lights play

a key role in situational crime prevention. The study

concluded that government organizations should install the

CCTVs and Street lights in order to prevent the situational

crime rate.

Finally, 19
study of Patalinghug, M. (2017) aimed primarily

to determine the effectiveness of crime prevention strategies

implemented by the Salug Valley Philippine National Police

(PNP) in terms of Police Integrated Patrol System, Barangay

Peacekeeping Operation, Anti-Criminality Operation, Integrated

Area Community Public Safety services, Bantay Turista and

School Safety Project as evaluated by 120 inhabitants and 138

PNP officers from four Municipalities of Salug Valley

Zamboanga del Sur and used stratified random sampling for

determining the participants, and descriptive method of

research for making self-made questionnaire. The data

collected were analyzed using the main statistical tools like

19
Patalinghug, M. (2017). Implemented Crime Prevention Strategies of PNP in
Salug Valley, Zamboanga Del Sur, Philippines. Retrieved from:
https://philpapers.org/rec/PATICP

21
frequency count, percentage, mean computation, Kruskal Wallis

Analysis of Variance and simple correlation. The results of

the study unveiled that the crime prevention strategies in

four (4) municipalities were “much effective” to include

Integrated Patrol System, Barangay Peace Keeping Operations,

Anti-Criminality Operations, Integrated Area Community Public

Safety Services, Bantay Turista and School Safety Project in

connection to the responses of 158 participants. The results

showed that the index crime rate is correlated with the crime

prevention strategies of the PNP in town of Salug Valley and

therefore, concluded that there is a significant relationship

between crime prevention strategies employed and index crime

rate.

Profile and Crime Rate

Consequently, 20
Blonigen D. M. (2012) stated that the

robust link between age and crime has received considerable

inquiry. However, the etiology of this association remains

elusive. The present exposition provides a review of seminal

theories on age and crime and discusses potential

contributions from personality psychology in explaining this

relationship. Specifically, personality development is

highlighted with emphasis on patterns of change in traits from

late adolescence to early adulthood in order to address the

20
Blonigen D. M. (2012). Explaining the relationship between age and crime:
contributions from the developmental literature on personality. Clinical
psychology review, 30(1), 89–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.10.11

22
misconception within the age-crime literature that personality

is only relevant to stability in antisocial behavior over

time.

In addition, he theorized that age-related declines in

antisocial behavior reflect normative change in key dimensions

of personality. Findings from the developmental literature on

personality are integrated with past biological and

sociological perspectives on the age-crime curve to articulate

a theory that emphasizes the co-development of personality and

antisocial behavior from late adolescence to early adulthood.

It is concluded that changes in personality undergird the

development of antisocial behavior during this formative stage

of the life-course and that personality development represents

a viable theoretical framework for understanding the link

between age and crime. Several studies also explored in

determining if there is a relationship between crime rates and

age. 21
In particular, Shulman, Steinberg and Piquero (2013) On

the one hand, they found that, “rates of offending rise and

fall between ages 12 and 24 with the highest proportion of

offending occurring at age 15” (p. 853). Offending increases in

adolescence and peaks in the late teenage years and then starts

to decrease as a person ages. Recently, Brown and Males

conducted an analysis of aggregate arrest, poverty, and

population data from California and concluded that the widely

21
Shulman, Steinberg and Piquero (2013). The Age-Crime Curve in
Adolescence and Early Adulthood Is Not Due to Age Differences in
Economic Status. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, v42 n6 p848-860

23
observed adolescent peak in rates of offending is not a

consequence of developmental factors, but rather an artifact

of age differences in economic status. Additionally, they

argued that youngsters offend more than adults because they

are poorer than adults. Shulman, Steinberg and Piquero (2013)

found out that Brown and Males' proposition is consistent with

scores of other studies, it was revealed that criminal

offending peaks in adolescence, even after controlling for

variation in economic status. The findings of the study of

Shulman, Steinberg and Piquero (2013) both counter Brown and

Males' claim that the age-crime curve is illusory and

underscore the danger of drawing inferences about individual

behavior from analysis of aggregated data.

22
While the ages 18–24 represented only 11.2 percent of

the population (according to the US Census), they made up over

28.7% of all arrests in 2012, the most recent year for which

Uniform Crime Report data are available (the Uniform Crime

Report, UCR, is the nation's "official" record of arrests and

crimes known to the police, reported by individual agencies

across the United States). The discrepancy is similar when it

comes to violent offenses, as this age group accounts for

approximately 28.4% of all arrests. Property offenses had a

significantly higher gap, with this age group accounting for

30.1 percent of all arrests.

22
Rocque M., Posick C., & Justin Hoyle (2015). Age and Crime.
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118519639.wbecpx275

24
 In addition, the data for the tail ends of the

distribution are inverted; whereas individuals aged 50–64

account for 19% of the population, they only account for 9.3%

of all arrests. This age group accounted for only 8.3 percent

of all arrests for violent crimes. In 2012, children aged 0 to

15 made up 19.8% of the population, yet just 3% of all

arrests.

Lastly, A similar tendency appears in terms of

victimization. 23
Individuals aged 18–24 accounted for 41% of

all violent victimizations, according to the 2012 National

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the primary data source for

information on victimization in the United States. Individuals

aged 50–64 accounted for 15% of all violent victimizations.

The NCVS does not ask inquiries about children under the age

of twelve.

CHAPTER-III
METHODOLOGY

Locale of the Study

23
Bureau of Justice Statistics (2012). Criminal Victimization. Retrieved
from: https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv12.pdf

25
 This study will be conducted in Barangay San Isidro, Las

Navas, Northern Samar. It is situated at just about 12.3365

and 125.0329 or at 12° 20' in the North, and 125° 2' in the

East. Consequently, Las Navas, Northern Samar has 282.61

square kilometers or 109.12 square miles which constitutes

7.65% of Northern Samar's total area.

Moreover, this barangay is rich in natural resources,

there is a vast area of trees and even the well-known

Pinipisikan Falls can be found there, which is a national

protected area which covers 1,412.31 hectares of forest ground

spread in all three provinces in the island of Samar. On the

one hand, the Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar

has a total population of 3,392 according to the 2020

consensus.

The Respondents

The respondents of this study are the college students of

the Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern which population

accounts 3,392. the college students of the Barangay San

Isidro, Las Navas, Northern are chosen as the respondents of

the study, because the researchers deemed that they have

sufficient understanding nor perceptions about the crime

prevention, considering that their place has a lower crime

rate compared to other barangays in Las Navas. They are also

chosen as the respondents of the study as the researchers

26
would like to explore different and new location and

respondents in conducting their study.

The Variables

This study is composed of independent variables and

dependent variables. The independent variables are the

residents’ profile in terms of sex and age, as well as the

perceptions of crime prevention in terms of the perceived

knowledge and behavior, and perceived crime strategies. While

the dependent variable of the study is the crime rate in the

Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern

Research Design

A descriptive-correlational research design will be used

in this study. It is a descriptive-correlational design in the

sense that the respondents’ profile and the perceptions of

crime preventions as the independent variables of the study,

are predicted to have a significant correlation between the

dependent variable, which is the crime in the Barangay San

Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar. Furthermore, this study

will attempt to determine if there is significant correlation

between the respondents’ profile and crime rate and determine

if the perceptions of crime prevention will have a significant

correlation to the crime rate in the Barangay San Isidro, Las

Navas, Northern Samar. The researchers will undertake the

process of gathering the responses of the respondents through

27
distribution of questionnaires to the respondents, that will

be used in evaluating the perceptions of crime prevention and

the crime in the Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern

Samar.

Research Instrument

In assessing the perceptions of crime prevention of the

respondents, the researchers will use a researcher-made

questionnaire for the collection of the responses from the

respondents – this researcher-made questionnaire, contains the

ten (10) questions about the perceptions of crime prevention

in terms of the perceived knowledge and behavior, and the

perceived crime prevention strategies. In line with this, a

researcher-made questionnaire will also be used in the study

to accumulate the profile of the respondents, including their

sex and age. However, the researchers would measure the crime

rate in the Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar

through asking the crime rate and crime cases. All of the

aforementioned researcher-made questionnaires will undergo

with the process of validation and testing that will be done

by an English Critic and Statistician.

Validation of Instrument

28
 Foresaid, An English critic and Statistician will be the

one to validate and evaluate the consistency of all the

research instruments to be used in gathering the responses

from the respondent pertaining to their profile, perceptions

of crime prevention, as well as the crime rate through

conducting a pre-survey.

Population and Sampling

The population of college students in Barangay San

Isidro, Las Navas, Northern accounts to forty-two (42). The

researchers will obtain the sample size of the respondents

using the Slovene’s formula as the representation of the

population of the respondents.

Also, this study will utilize a simple random sampling

technique, as the researchers will get the list of all the

college students from the SK chairman of Barangay San Isidro,

Las Navas, Northern Samar to ensure that all of them has an

equal chance to be randomly selected as the respondents and

for the researchers to avoid any biases and rather uphold

honesty and integrity in the distribution of the

questionnaires. However, after the researchers obtained the

lists of college students, the names will be put in a jar and

the researchers will randomly pick the names that will be

selected as the respondents by doing draw lots where name of

college students are written.

29
Scoring and Interpretation

To facilitate the interpretation and the utilization of

statistical tools the following variables of the study will

score and interpret the following:

Sex – this will be categorized and coded as:

Female - 1
Male - 0

Perceptions of Crime Prevention- to assess the respondents’

perceptions of crime prevention, the following scoring will
use:
Strongly Agree - 5
Agree - 4
Neutral - 3
Disagree - 2
Strongly Disagree - 1

It will be interpreted through the following categorization

and range of values:
4.20-5.00- Very High level of Perceptions Crime Prevention
3.54-4.19- High level of Perceptions Crime Prevention
2.60-3.39- Moderate level of Perceptions of Crime
Prevention

1.80-2.59- Low level of Perceptions of Crime Prevention

1.00-1.79- Very low level of Perceptions of Crime
Prevention

Crime Rate- to measure the crime rate in Barangay San

Isidro, the researchers will obtain the CSI OR Crime Severity
Index information from the Municipal Police Station in Las
Navas,and the following scoring will use:
96-100 - Very High Level of Crime Rate
91-95 - High Level of Crime Rate
86-90 - Moderate Level of Crime Rate
81-85 - Low Level of Crime Rate
76-80 - Very Low Level of Crime Rate

Data Gathering Procedure

30
 Before conducting the study, the researchers will ask

permission first from the subject teacher upon the conduct the

study, which will be done through distributing the

questionnaires as the instrument of the study. Then, the

researchers will distribute in Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas,

Northern Samar, where the respondents reside. After collecting

the responses from the respondents, the researchers will tally

the frequencies of the responses. The researchers will also

utilize statistical tools to analyze and interpret the data

gathered from the respondents.

Statistical Treatment of the Data

The responses of the respondents will be examined to meet

the study's data requirements. This study will use descriptive

statistical tools like frequency counts, weighted mean,

percentage and rank. Whereas to determine if there is a

significant relationship between the independent variables and

dependent variable, a Pearson Product Correlation Coefficient

will be used with the 0.05 level of significance.

31