Danger From Strangers

What measures should we take to safeguard ourselves against criminal assault? In a recent report on crime in the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that someone is the victim of an aggravated assault every 29 seconds; every 5 minutes, a person is forcibly raped; and every 21 minutes, a citizen is murdered. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the chances of being the victim of a violent crime are greater than those of being hurt in a traffic accident. Confronted with the dramatic media attention paid daily to violent crime, Americans are searching for ways to reduce the risk of victimization. The Danger from Strangers: Confronting the Threat of Assault is the ideal handbook for self-protection; it acutely examines current trends in criminal behavior and victim response, and explains practical techniques citizens can use to avoid harm. James D. Brewer, an experienced victimologist and self-defense consultant, presents the best and most recent psychological, criminal justice, and security research available, in particular the mind, motivations, and methods of an assailant; the "street-proof" precautions needed to avoid a confrontation; the changes in behavior of victims or near-victims; the "vincibility scale": measure how attractive you are to a criminal; the dangerous threats to children, the aged, and the handicapped; the differences between forceful and non-forceful resistance; and the pros and cons of carrying or using weapons for self-defense.