NCJ Number
90478
Journal
Bewaehrungshilfe Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Dated: (1981) Pages: 292-305
Date Published
1981
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article cites definitions of criminal geography, summarizes major West German research results in the field, points to shortcomings in research methodologies, and assesses its potential impact on crime prevention and control policies.
Abstract
There has been more German study of time and place crime frequencies than of offender residence, although both are equally vital aspects of criminal geography. Validity questions arise in this type of research regarding the dark figure of crime, the source of the statistics (police, court records) used, and the choice and demarcation of the geographical areas studied. Among the general findings is that there is more crime in urban than rural areas, but not in all cases proportionately to city size. In Germany, the amount of crime appears to decrease southward, with the heaviest rates in the northern States and far lower ones in southern areas (except for Bavaria). U.S. urban crime studies have proven the correlation between socioeconomically disadvantaged urban sectors and high crime levels. Policy developments based on geographic crime studies could branch out into policies of wide-ranging reform of social inequities, but this is highly unlikely. More realistic are efforts to implement targeted police patrol and neighborhood-oriented social work programs. Charts and 11 footnotes are given.