NCJ Number
60524
Journal
Criminology Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: (AUGUST 1979) Pages: 184-193
Date Published
1979
Length
10 pages
Annotation
USING NATIONAL CRIME SURVEY VICTIMIZATION DATA FOR 26 LARGE AMERICAN CITIES, THIS STUDY REFUTES THE COMMONLY RECOGNIZED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POPULATION DENSITY AND CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION.
Abstract
MOST RESEARCHERS HAVE ACCEPTED THE IDEA OF A POSITIVE ZERO-ORDER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POPULATION DENSITY AND CRIME RATES. TO ASSESS THIS RELATIONSHIP, 1974 SURVEYS OF VICTIMIZATION RATES WERE ANALYZED FOR 10 DIFFERENT TYPES OF CRIMES: ROBBERY WITH INJURY, ROBBERY WITHOUT INJURY, PERSONAL LARCENY WITH OR WITHOUT CONTACT, HOUSEHOLD BURGLARY, HOUSEHOLD LARCENY, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, SIMPLE ASSAULT, RAPE, AND MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT. FINDINGS INDICATED THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VICTIMIZATION RATES AND POPULATION DENSITY WAS DEPENDENT UPON THE TYPE OF OFFENSE INVOLVED. CONSISTENT WITH TRADITIONAL CRIMINOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS, PROPERTY CRIMES WITH CONTACT WERE FOUND TO BE POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH POPULATION DENSITY. ALL OTHER CRIMES, WHICH WERE CLASSIFIED AS PROPERTY CRIMES WITHOUT CONTACT AND NONPROPERTY ASSAULTIVE CRIMES, CONTRADICTED MOST PREVIOUS RESEARCH FINDINGS BECAUSE OF SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CORRELATIONS WITH POPULATION DENSITY. THESE NEGATIVE ASSOCIATIONS SUGGEST THAT NEW LINES OF INQUIRY ARE NEEDED, PARTICULARLY IN THE AREA OF REGIONAL STUDIES, SINCE MOST OF THE LOW-DENSITY CITIES IN THIS STUDY WERE LOCATED IN THE SOUTH AND WEST AND MOST OF THE HIGH-DENSITY CITIES WERE LOCATED IN THE INDUSTRIAL NORTHEAST. A TABLE AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (WJR)