NCJ Number
172682
Journal
Homicide Studies Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: November 1997 Pages: 338-358
Date Published
1997
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Homicide victimization in Chicago was examined with respect to individual and community factors and their interactions in explaining variations in the incidence of homicide in different census tracts.
Abstract
The research responded to the call in recent literature reviews for analytic models that integrate individual-level data with data from the social and geographic contexts in which people live. The study combined data from the Homicides in Chicago (1965-1994) data file with information from the United States Bureau of the Census's 1990 Census of Population and Housing, published in 1992. The analysis used hierarchical linear modeling techniques to examine theoretical arguments deriving from the economic deprivation and social ecological theoretical frameworks. Results indicated that a sizable percentage of the variation in homicide victimization in Chicago lies between census tracts. Despite limitations in the data, the overall results were empirically robust and theoretically consistent with the social ecological model. Findings supported the hypothesis of Sampson and Wilson that a crucial determinant of the relationships between race and violent crime is the differential distribution of black people in communities characterized by structural disorganization. Future research should determine if the causal dynamics established here are unique to Chicago or can be generalized to other cities. Tables, notes, appended methodological information, and 45 references (Author abstract modified)