NCJ Number
13462
Date Published
1974
Length
139 pages
Annotation
MAPS, TABLES AND NARRATIVE PRESENTATION OF THE SPATIAL DIFFERENCES IN THE OCCURRENCE OF CRIMES AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE.
Abstract
IN THIS VOLUME, KEITH HARRIES BRINGS A GEOGRAPHER'S PERSPECTIVE TO BEAR ON THE PROBLEMS OF CRIME AND JUSTICE. PROFESSOR HARRIES PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT CRIME AND JUSTICE VARY SIGNIFICANTLY FROM PLACE TO PLACE AND THAT THE DESCRIPTIVE AND ANALYTICAL TOOLS OF THE GEOGRAPHER ARE USEFUL ADDITIONS TO THE GENERAL SOCIAL SCIENCE EFFORT TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF CRIME. FOR EXAMPLE, SOME CRIMES HAVE A MORE RANDOM DISTRIBUTION THAN OTHERS. SUCH OFFENSES AS EMBEZZLEMENT AND FRAUD, DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE, VANDALISM, AND FORGERY AND COUNTERFEITING ARE RELATIVELY EVENLY APPORTIONED BETWEEN RURAL AREAS AND CITIES OF VARIOUS SIZES, WHILE INDEX CRIMES TEND TO EXHIBIT PRONOUNCED SPATIAL CONCENTRATION, PARTICULARLY IN URBAN AREAS. THERE ARE ALSO SPATIAL VARIATIONS IN JUSTICE. EXAMPLES OF DIFFERING CRIMINAL LAWS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, GUN-CONTROL LAWS, SENTENCING PRACTICES, AND JURY SELECTION INDICATE THAT PUNISHMENT FOR A CRIME IS DEPENDENT ON WHERE THE CRIME TAKES PLACE. THE EFFECTS OF CHANGING GEOGRAPHIC SCALE ARE ALSO DEMONSTRATED. AT THE INTERSTATE LEVEL SUCH PHENOMENA AS THE HIGH HOMICIDE RATE IN THE SOUTH STAND OUT. INTERCITY COMPARISONS UNDERLINE VARIATIONS IN THE CRIME RATE ACCORDING TO SIZE OF CITY. ON THE INTRACITY SCALE, CRIME CONCENTRATIONS IN AREAS HAVING A GREAT NUMBER OF RECENT ARRIVALS ARE NOTED BOTH IN THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE. THE VOLUME CONTAINS MAPS, TABULAR PRESENTATIONS OF DATA AND NARRATIVE DISCUSSIONS ILLUSTRATING THE GEOGRAPHER'S CONTRIBUTION TO DESCRIBING, ANALYZING AND PREDICTING CRIME. (SNI ABSTRACT)