INSTITUTIONAL TRUST AND FEAR OF CRIME : A STUDY OF CRIMINOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS AT MALMÖ UNIVERSITY

Introduction: Studies conducted in high-crime areas have repeatedly shown that fear of crime and trust in the legal system are interrelated concepts; as institutional trust increases, fear of crime levels decrease, and vice versa. However, there is a paucity of studies focusing on university students, particularly those preparing for careers in criminal justice policy. Objective: The current study investigates the relationship between fear of crime and trust in the legal system. It also examines potential attitudinal differences in institutional trust and crime-related fear between two different educations. Grounded in Procedural Justice Theory and Fear of Crime research, the study explores two main hypotheses: first, that both groups will show critical views towards the legal system, and second, that lower trust in legal institutions will be associated with higher levels of crime-related fear. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using established instruments, the Attitudes Toward the Criminal Legal System scale (ATCLS-24) and the Fear of Crime scale, in Criminology and Social Work students (N = 78) at Malmö University, Sweden. Results: Both frequentist and Bayesian statistics were used to analyse the results. Students generally showed moderate trust in the legal system and moderate fear of crime. A negative correlation was identified between fear and trust with Pearson’s r = -.500 (p < .001). No substantial differences in perceptions were found between criminology and social work students.