Schools and neighborhood crime: The effects of dropouts and high-performing schools on juvenile crime

Abstract

ABSTRACT Most scholars have focused on the simple presence of schools when examining their influence on neighborhood crime. This paper instead examines two school characteristics that might affect local juvenile crime. More specifically, this study uses negative binomial and logistic regression models to estimate the effects of high school dropouts and high-performing schools on juvenile violent crime in Orange County, CA. An integrated theoretical approach based on social bond and routine activity theories is utilized to guide this research. Findings from this study suggest that dropouts are associated with increases in aggravated assault and robbery incidents, but high-performing schools do not significantly affect these crime types. Finally, the models predicting juvenile crime are compared with models predicting all crime (both juveniles and adults), supporting our argument that juvenile crime is the theoretically appropriate crime measure.