NCJ Number
154193
Journal
Studies on Crime and Crime Prevention Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (1995) Pages: 44-60
Date Published
1995
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This ecological study combines data for violent crimes from two adjacent jurisdictions, i.e., Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Maryland, at the census block group level of resolution.
Abstract
In this exploratory analysis, a set of 24 stressors is combined with a measure of violence for the period between 1989 and 1991 in a factor analytic framework for both jurisdiction, and for the 1,294 small units and block units individually. The stressors can be divided into eight clusters including socioeconomic status; minority status, age, gender, and family status; housing; residential stability; unemployment; occupational status; education; and Southern culture. The analysis generalized collinearity and revealed interpretable underlying dimensions. Three factors, poverty-violence, unemployment, and stable neighborhood, and, in an additional analysis, a fourth factor of affluence, accounted for approximately 50 percent of the variance in the data. Scores were computed for each block group and each factor, and were mapped and interpreted. The results indicate that crime prevention should consist of short-term elements emphasizing policing strategies, as well as long-term programs to facilitate family cohesion, education, job provision, standard housing, health care, and other social services. 4 tables, 3 figures, 37 references, and 1 appendix