Abstract
There is considerable international and local-level variation in immigrant crime. In this article, we propose a theoretical model to better understand that contextual variation. Furthermore, we present the results of our first attempts to empirically assess the validity of the framework, focussing on local-level variation in crime among residents of Turkish or Moroccan origin in the Netherlands. The proposed model connects Berry's acculturation theory to criminological theories, using relevant findings from the immigration acculturation literature as starting points. It theorises that host societies with a ‘multicultural acculturation orientation’ tend to reduce immigrant crime by fostering informal social control and attenuating criminogenic strains. The empirical analyses explore whether local-level variation in multicultural attitudes among the native-Dutch indeed predicts municipal variation in the number of registered suspected crimes among first- and second-generation immigrants, focussing on men of Turkish or Moroccan origin residing in 35 Dutch cities. The empirical analyses are based on a unique database that combines aggregated survey data, which were used to measure natives’ acculturation attitudes, with administrative microdata, including micro-level police data. Evidence is found for a protective effect of local-level multiculturalism for first-generation immigrant crime in particular, especially for immigrant men living in larger local immigrant communities. We also find stronger effects for the more cohesive and societally accepted Turkish-Dutch group than for the more fragmented and excluded Moroccan-Dutch.
Highlights
There is considerable international and local-level variation in immigrant crime
There is a possibility of ‘reverse causality’: if immigrant crime reduces community multiculturalism (CM), we would be overestimating the causal effects of CM on crime. We addressed these concerns by conducting two-stage regression analysis: here, the local of CM was first predicted using two predictors (‘instruments’) that are known to be associated with immigration attitudes, yet are unlikely to be related to immigrant crime, namely the percentage of higher and lower educated in the municipality
In Model 1, including in the two-stage models, Turkish-origin men of both generations are suspected of fewer crimes in multiculturally oriented municipalities than in municipalities that tend toward exclusionism
Summary
There is considerable international and local-level variation in immigrant crime. In this article, we propose a theoretical model to better understand that contextual variation. The article aims to help answer the puzzle of contextual variation in immigrant crime, while seeking to contribute to the broader academic body of literature examining the (dis)advantages of multiculturalism for immigrant incorporation and related outcomes, including perceived discrimination, trust, and labour market positioning (cf Bloemraad and Wright, 2014). Both Lynch and Simon (1999) and Koopmans (2010) have speculated about the causes of international differences in the prevalence of immigrant crime. The authors do not explicitly discuss multiculturalism, but show that crime levels are especially low in multiculturally oriented countries. Koopmans compared immigrant to native incarceration rates of eight European countries, and reports that the Netherlands and Sweden, both known for their multiculturalism during the period covered, had relatively high rates. While Koopmans does not elaborate on criminological theory, he speculates that multiculturalism promotes immigrant crime in generous welfare states by allegedly putting less pressure on immigrants’ language acquisition, slowing their socioeconomic attainment
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