Tipping the Scales of Justice: The Effect of Overincarceration on Neighborhood Violence

• NCJ Number: 215431
• Journal: Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 17 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2006 Pages: 362-379
• Author(s): Brian C. Renauer; Wm. Scott Cunningham; Bill Feyerherm; Tom O'Connor; Paul Bellatty
• Date Published: September 2006
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study tested Rose and Clear's (1998) theoretical model, which proposes that as the incarceration rate of residents in a neighborhood increases, a "tipping-point" threshold is reached where the removal of fathers, mothers, and youth from a neighborhood disrupts informal social-control mechanisms and human and social capital, thus increasing the conditions that cause criminal behavior.

Abstract

The findings of the current study generally support Clear et al.'s partial testing of this tipping point hypothesis, which showed that moderate prison admission rates in a neighborhood were significantly related to crime decreases; whereas, higher levels of neighborhood incarceration were significantly related to crime increases. This pattern was more evident with violent crime than property crime. The findings could be considered evidence of diminishing returns in violent crime reductions in a neighborhood as the rate of incarceration of neighborhood residents increases. In viewing the incarceration rate in a neighborhood as a symptom of neighborhood disadvantage rather than a cure for neighborhood crime presents a new framework for addressing neighborhood crime and quality of life. The procedures used by Clear et al. (2003) and the current study could be used to identify neighborhoods that are above or close to a tipping-point threshold for incarceration of residents. Such information would enable probation and parole departments and social service organizations to coordinate services and outreach to such neighborhoods. The study obtained data on crime, incarceration, and census data for 95 neighborhoods in Portland, OR. The dependent variable in the analyses was the violent crime rate in 2001. Admissions to and releases from prison were measured as independent variables, along with social disorganization variables. The incarceration-crime relationship was compared across three estimation techniques: ordinary least squares, heteroscedasticity consistent covariance matrix for small samples (HC3), and negative binomial. 3 tables, 1 figure, 10 notes, and 29 references