Why Are Communities Important in Understanding Crime? (From Communities and Crime, P 1-33, 1986, Albert J Reiss, Jr and Michael Tonry, eds. - See NCJ-103315)

• NCJ Number: 103316
• Author(s): A J Reiss
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 33 pages
• Grant Number(s): 84-IJ-CX-0011
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This essay reviews the two modern criminological research traditions that focus respectively on individuals as victims and offenders and on variability in community crime rates, arguing that the two approaches must be merged.

Abstract

The author first demonstrates how these two traditions are linked by explanations of differences in victimization rates of individuals. After discussing how crime can drive resource allocation in high-crime communities, the paper summarizes evidence on the concentration of offenders and victims of common crimes in lower status neighborhoods and among persons from lower status backgrounds. Also explored is the correlation between social change and fluctuations in community crime rates, along with the internal and external sources of change. The essay examines the differing policy implications of current theories that explain variations in crime rates. The conclusion explains why existing data sources are not adequate for research with a community focus and outlines strategies for effecting the merger of the individual and community-center approaches. Approximately 70 references.