NCJ Number
231896
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2010 Pages: 351-370
Date Published
September 2010
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examined the reciprocal relationship between violent crime, residential stability in neighborhoods, and racial/ethnic composition.
Abstract
This study examines the reciprocal relationship between violent crime and residential stability in neighborhoods. The authors tested whether the form of stability matters by comparing two different measures of stability: a traditional index of residential stability and a novel approach focusing specifically on the stability of homeowners. The authors also examined whether the racial/ethnic composition of the neighborhood in which this stability occurs affects the instabilityviolent crime relationship. To test the simultaneous relationship between residential mobility and crime the authors estimate a dual multivariate latent curve model of the change in the violent crime rate and the change in the rate of home sales while controlling for neighborhood socioeconomic and demographic characteristics using data from Los Angeles between 1992 and 1997. Results indicate that the initial level of violent crime increases the trajectory of residential instability in subsequent years, whether the instability is measured as homeowner turnover specifically, or based on an index of all residents. However, the effect of instability on violent crime is only apparent when measuring instability based on an index of general residential turnover and not when including the presence of owners in this measure, or when measuring it based on homeowner turnover. The authors consistently found that stable highly Latino communities exhibited a protective effect against violence. Figures, tables, and references (Published Abstract)