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Empirical Evidence on the Relevance of Place in Criminology

NCJ Number
230220
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 26 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2010 Pages: 1-6
Author(s)
Anthony A. Braga; David L. Weisburd
Date Published
March 2010
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This special journal issue focuses on the advancement of the empirical study of crime at micro places.
Abstract
Each of the six papers presented in this issue were presented at a special symposium on "Empirical Evidence on the Relevance of Place in Criminology" sponsored by the Crime and Place Working Group held in 2009. These papers are statistical models, such as group-based trajectory analyses and discrete choice modeling, to examine timely and important issues such as the stability of crime at places over time and the relevance of specific place characteristics and dynamics to the clustering of criminal events. As the empirical evidence reviewed in this special isse confirms, crime is highly concentrated in a small number of hot spot places that are generally stable targets for intervention over time. It is time for criminologists, policymakers, and practitioners to focus on very small units of analysis when trying to understand and address crime problems. References