NCJ Number
212782
Journal
Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: 2005 Pages: 101-127
Date Published
2005
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed and expanded upon prior research which suggests that variations in property crime rates in the United States are largely explained by opportunities for theft.
Abstract
Research on property crime rates in the United States usually employs some variant of opportunity theory to explain geographic variation in the volume and rate of property crime. However, shortcomings in the research on opportunity theory are identified. This study attempted to contribute to the macro-level literature on property crime rates in the United States in two ways. First, delineating several empirical measures for each of the three central conceptual dimensions of opportunity theory and, secondly, examining how these measures were associated with four major instrumental index crimes separately: robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and larceny theft. An attempt was made to impose some structure on the body of research and lay a solid foundation for future macro-level empirical research on opportunity theory and property crime. The unit of observation for this analysis was United States counties with a population of at least 100,000 people. Tables and references