To investigate correlates of fear of crime and physical mobility among physically vulnerable older adults, 42 community dwelling older adults twice completed a battery of tests, with 1 year intervening. The tests included Functional Health Status, Perceived Health Status, Sense of Mastery, Leave of Residence, and Fear of Crime. Crime statistics for each respondent's neighborhood were recorded. An analysis of the pretest results showed that a strong sense of personal mastery was related to low fear of crime. High mastery and strong functional health were directly related to getting out frequently. Posttest results were generally consistent with pretest findings. Contingency analysis of change across the two times of measurement revealed a systematic relationship between increased mastery and decreased fear of crime, and visa versa. However, despite significant decline in functional health during the year, no systematic association was found between change in health and change in the amount an individual left his or her residence. Actual crime rates in the older adults' neighborhoods bore little relationship to fear of crime or getting out of the house. These findings suggest that older adults do not support the notion that they are prisoners in their own homes. (Author/BL)