Environmental Criminology Theories Research Articles

Theory Development and Crime Prevention Insights From the NCVS

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) has furnished U.S. crime statistics and high quality data for theory development and policy insights for over 50 years. This article highlights few of these achievements drawing on the development of criminological thinking with regard to measurement, and explanation of victimization and its concentration on a small minority of the population. It overviews lifestyle and the more encompassing environmental criminology theory for victimization, and explanations of multiple victimization, and the international crime drop that relied on NCVS data. Selected crime prevention insight and few recommendations for future research conclude the article.

FACTORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME: A CRIMINOLOGICAL APPROACH

This research examines environmental crimes based on case studies in Indonesia through the perspective of environmental criminology theory. Using the literature study method, this research explores the driving factors of environmental crimes. The results show that weak environmental law enforcement, corruption, administrative failure, social and economic inequality, and criminal conspiracy by corporations and the state are significant factors that contribute to environmental crimes. Thus, theoretically, environmental criminology theory is able to provide the causes of environmental crimes as well as the perpetrators and victims of environmental crimes.

Introduction to the special issue “environmental criminology in crime prevention: theories for practice”

In this special issue, five articles demonstrate the impact of contemporary Environmental Criminology theory on the understanding of crime and the development of crime prevention practices in both urban and rural contexts. The articles exemplify the development of Environmental Criminology as a field that extends beyond crime in physical spaces to encompass offenses in cyberspace, illustrating the field’s adaptability and relevance in an increasingly digital world. Authored by environmental criminologists from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, these articles offer a range of international perspectives, thereby contributing to the field of security while addressing broader social issues.

Framing Amish victimization and security through the lens of criminological theory

AbstractThis article explores the crime experience of the Amish, a rural-located religious subculture that is rarely studied by criminologists. Evidence is derived from narratives of crime experiences reported by scribes to a monthly Amish periodical called The Diary. Every month there are reports about community events from hundreds of Amish settlements, including crime. A routine activities approach helps frame the results. From 168 crime narratives, both burglary/attempted burglary and larceny/attempted larceny are the most frequently described. Suggestions for future research, including an expanded collection of crime narratives from The Diary, plus interviews with both law enforcement and other criminal justice practitioners and Amish crime victims will advance criminological understandings of Amish vulnerability to crime. The article concludes with suggested actions to improve safety and security for Amish communities using environmental criminology theories.

Opportunity-Reduction Supervision Strategies With Domestic and Family Violence Probationers and Parolees.

Many forms of supervision strategies traditionally utilized by probation and parole officers emphasize service brokerage, case management, and compliance. Conversely, there is a growing evidence-base that demonstrates how community corrections practices can be (and have been) improved through supervision frameworks of behavior change oriented around criminogenic needs. Toward this end, recent advances in penology have applied the tenets of environmental criminology theories to community corrections practices, seeking to identify and modify each individual’s opportunity-based risks for reoffending. In this article, using data from an Australian experimental trial, we explore the utility of an “Environmental Corrections” approach to the supervision of domestic and family violence perpetrators serving probation and parole orders, an offending cohort with growing political and public pressures. Quantitative analyzes indicate that this opportunity-reduction supervision framework was effective in reducing recidivism among all offenders. Amongst probationers and parolees on community corrections orders for domestic and family violence offenses only, rates of reoffending were 15.41% lower for offenders at the treatment site compared to the control site, although this difference was not statistically significant. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with these clients highlights that through the Environmental Corrections trial, they learned strategies for identifying, avoiding, and resisting opportunities to reoffend. Combined, this evidence suggests that opportunity-reduction supervision tactics may hold promise for limiting recidivism amongst domestic and family violence perpetrators, although further research is required.

Repeat victimization by website defacement: An empirical test of premises from an environmental criminology perspective

Repeat victimization has been widely studied from the perspective of environmental criminology for several decades. During this period, criminologists have identified a set of repeat victimization premises that are observed for many crimes; however, it is unknown whether these premises are also valid for cybercrime. In this study we rely on more than 9 million Zone-H data records from 2010 to 2017 to test whether these premises apply for the cybercrime of website defacement. We show that the phenomenon of repeat victimization is also observed in defaced cyber places (i.e. websites). In particular, we found that repeats contributed little to crime rates, that repeats occurred even several years after the original incident, that they were committed disproportionately by prolific offenders, and that few offenders returned to victimize previous targets. The results suggest that some traditional premises of repeat victimization may also be valid for understanding cybercrime events such as website defacement, implying that environmental criminology theories also constitute a useful framework for cybercrime analysis. The implications of these results in terms of criminological theory, cybercrime prevention, and the limitations derived from the use of Zone-H data are discussed.

Local Crime Environment and Corporate Financial Misconduct Using Benford's Law

ABSTRACTThis study analyzes the impact of the local crime environment on the likelihood of a firm engaging in financial misconduct. Using the Benford Score metric, which assesses the extent to which a firm's financial statement number distribution diverges from a theoretical distribution, I find that firms headquartered in high crime areas are associated with greater financial misconduct. The link is more pronounced in firms that offer more stock-based executive compensation to their executives or practice weak corporate governance and change in the crime rate is associated with change in the firm's financial misconduct. My results support the social norm, social learning, and environmental criminology theories, as well as the fraud triangle, and are robust to a number of alternative specifications and approaches. The evidence implies that a firm's environment influences the level of corporate financial misconduct.

Pandemija Covid-19 i kriminalitet u Srbiji 2020. godine

This paper examines c rime in Serbia in 2020 when the actual Covid-19 pandemic has started. The first part of the paper is dedicated to presentation of relevant literature which analyzed crime during the pandemic in different countries. Further, the author gives and in depth analyses the theoretical background, first and foremost theories of environmental criminology, that could explain changes of crime due to the different social circumstances. The second part of the paper deals with crime rate in Serbia in 2020 in comparison to previous years. Data used stem from two sources. Firstly, annual crime rate is calculated by using judicial statistics whereas monthly presentation of criminal charges is based on police statistics. This is due to the fact that judicial statistics in Serbia contain only annual crime data. Secondly, the author has used ARIMA program to make crime forecasts for the capital city of the Republic of Serbia and for this analysis police statistics have been used. Results show that the general crime rate in Serbia has dropped for 20% in comparison to 2019. Variations between state regions are observable and for example Vojvodina region records the decrease of 12.7% whereas Šumadija and Western Serbia the decrease of 25.4%. Also, crime rate was calculated for several criminal offences: homicide and aggravated homicide, rape, domestic violence, violent behaviour, theft, aggravated theft, robbery, abuse of power of the responsible person in the economy. Apart from homicide and aggravated homicide (the crime rate calculated together), all other criminal offences recorded a decline in 2020 in comparison to 2019 and this was especially evident for the abuse of power of the responsible person in the economy, aggravated theft and robbery. With respect to police statistics, we presented monthly data of criminal charges for three criminal offences (theft, aggravated theft, domestic violence) in 2020 for four cities: Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Niš. The data are presented in absolute numbers. When it comes to theft and aggravated theft, the lowest number of criminal charges in all cities was recorded in April, when the decision on the state of emergency was in force. Since the middle of the year and after the abolishment of the state of emergency, there has been a noticeable trend of increasing of criminal charges for theft and aggravated theft in all cities. Domestic violence hasn't followed such a trend. Only in Belgrade the lowest number of filed criminal charges was recorded in April, while in other cities this happened in the period September-October. Finally, the author uses ARIMA model to make comparison between expected and recorded criminal charges for homicide and aggravated homicide, rape, domestic violence, violent behaviour, theft, aggravated theft, robbery, abuse of power of the responsible person in the economy in the city of Belgrade. We used police data for the period January 2015-February 2020 as a base for crime forecasts for the period March-December 2020. In the lockdown homicide and aggravated homicide were recorded slightly less than expected whereas these crimes were evidently higher in the period May-August. All other criminal offences recorded lower values than expected. The greatest discrepancy was noticed in the lockdown (April-May). The recorded value was almost for 100% lower for abuse of power of the responsible person in the economy than expected, 70% for violent behaviour and theft, 50% for robbery and 40% for aggravated theft. The recorded number of criminal charges for domestic violence was for 25% lower in April than expected. After the lockdown, all criminal offences recorded higher values but, except from homicide and aggravated homicide, these values were still generally lower than predicted.

The Dynamics of Thefts and Robberies in S\xe3o Paulo\u2019s Metro, Brazil

The aim of this study is to assess the nature and space-temporal dynamics of property crimes (theft and robbery) in transport nodes, namely, metro stations and their immediate surrounding areas. The analysis is based on crime data over São Paulo’s metro system from 2010 to 2017. Drawing from environmental criminology theory, the methodology combines geographical information system (GIS) as well as statistical analysis using hypothesis testing and negative binomial regression models. Results show that thefts happen more often inside the station and robberies outside, with signs of possible interaction between these environments. Crime is often highly concentrated in a few inner city and end stations, but it varies depending on location and time. Future research and policy implications of the results add to the contribution of this current study.

Linking Luojia 1-01 nightlight imagery to urban crime

Various environmental criminology theories and empirical studies have linked the urban environment to crime. The crime pattern theory, in particular, argues that edges, either social or physical, affect crime. A recent study has combined both social and physical edges to derive composite edges. A composite edge index measured by NPP-VIIRS satellite nightlights at the census tract level is found to be related to street robbery and burglary. Nightlight images of Luojia 1-01, launched in June 2018, have a much higher spatial resolution than that of NPP-VIIRS. This study applies Luojia 1-01 nightlight data to measure composite edges by nightlight gradients at the smaller census block group level. The effects of the composite edges on street robbery and burglary are explored by negative binomial models. Results show that composite edges measured by Luojia 1-01 nightlight data improve the fitness of models noticeably on street robbery but not on burglary. Nightlight gradients make a statistically significant and positive impact on the street robbery rate, but an insignificant and negative impact on the burglary rate. Furthermore, the composite edge effect on street robbery is more substantial than that on burglary. In sum, this study provides evidence that Luojia 1-01 nightlight imagery can help explain crime at the aggregated block group level, but its impact on crime varies by crime type.

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Stadium-Related Theft: An English Case-Study

Academic studies on football-related crimes have predominantly focused on violent crimes and fans engaged in these crimes. Unlike these studies which may be deemed a reflection of the traditional criminology in the football context, this paper examines the crime patterns focused on where and when theft crimes might occur on match days and why such patterns might emerge. Routine activities theory and crime pattern theory which are two related theories of environmental criminology provide a theoretical framework for the study. These two theories successfully reveal how the components of the social and physical environment provide the necessary conditions for stadium-related theft. Methodologically, for the spatial analysis of theft crimes, the methods of Kernel Density Estimation and spatial permutation test are employed; for the temporal analysis, a “match adjusted temporal analysis” is developed. Using the hotspotting technique around the Elland Road Stadium of Leeds United football team, it is suggested that theft crimes are not randomly distributed in time (match days and non-match days) and space. The risk of theft (per unit of time) is found to be particularly elevated at certain locations near to the stadium on match days, and for a window of time before, during and after matches take place. Analysing the spatial and temporal dimensions of stadium-related theft crime is likely to provide guidance about when and where to deploy officers by informing intelligence services.

100% sure bets? Exploring the precipitation-control strategies of fixed-match informing websites and the environmental features of their networks

In recent years, many human activities have made cyberspace their preferred environment. This study focuses on the betting environment, specifically on fixed-match informing websites (FMIWs). These sites claim to be capable of selling tips about fixed sports events. They essentially act as vendors of confidential sources, allowing punters to place 100% sure bets. We hypothesize that cyber places for match-fixing tips facilitate deviant behaviors. Through systematic observation, we describe and quantify a set of 15 environmental features they share, which do not always belong to regulated online betting platforms. Findings from 78 FMIWs corroborate our hypothesis, as they support the relevance of Environmental Criminology theories applied to cybercrime. Additional exploration through hyperlink network analysis shows that FMIWs are highly homogeneous and have similar characteristics to the Tor network but differ from other illicit online environments such as sexual child exploitation networks or white supremacist communities. The characteristics of the network suggest that the business is more similar to a fraud scheme than an illicit market. Finally, the practical implications of the results for crime prevention and the directions for future research are outlined.

Exploring violence: The role of neighborhood characteristics, alcohol outlets, and other micro-places

This study explores the association between neighborhood characteristics, alcohol outlets, other micro-places, and neighborhood violence rates. Prior studies that examined the alcohol availability and violence associations suggested that alcohol outlets play an important role in violent outcomes, yet we know less about the larger environment in which alcohol outlets are located, including how the availability of other types of places that exist side by side with alcohol outlets in neighborhoods could influence the alcohol-violence relationships. I collected publicly available data on simple and aggravated assaults, neighborhood characteristics (concentrated disadvantage, concentrated immigration, residential stability, and ethnic heterogeneity), on- and off-premise outlets, and other micro-places (colleges and universities, primary and secondary schools, financial services, gas stations, hotels and motels, laundromats, parks and playgrounds, and rooming houses) and subsequently aggregated the data to Milwaukee, Wisconsin census block groups. I estimated spatially lagged regression models to test these associations and compared the results across the models. The findings show that some neighborhood characteristics and some micro-places are important predictors of neighborhood violence. Importantly, off-premise alcohol outlets have a consistently significant positive relationship with simple and aggravated assaults, even when the influence of the neighborhood characteristics and micro-places is accounted for in the models. This study contributes to the environmental criminology theories and alcohol availability theory by highlighting the importance of off-premise outlets as crime attractors and crime generators to explain violence.

Fieldwork protocol as a safety inventory tool in public places

ABSTRACTThis study reports on experiences using fieldwork protocols (FPs) in guiding the inventory of safety conditions in public places. Relying on theories of environmental criminology, situational crime prevention, and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), FPs are used to collect data on-site for three different types of public places: subway stations, shopping centers and parks. The fieldwork data are compared with other data sources and mapped using geographical information system (GIS) technology or building information modeling (BIM). Based on criteria of validity, reliability, and generalizability of evidence collected on-site, the study shows that FPs are better suited for environments that follow some uniform structure (subway stations) than other types of public places (urban parks). The article concludes with lessons for using FPs in guiding data collection for safety inventories and recommendations for future research.

Spatial pattern of motor vehicle thefts in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico: an analysis using geographically weighted Poisson regression

Most Latin American cities have been experiencing a rise in criminality and Ciudad Juarez is not the exception. The aim of this paper is to examine the spatial heterogeneity of factors influencing motor vehicle theft (MVT) in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Starting in 2007, the city experienced a rise in crimes, such as motor vehicle theft, which peaked at 9,109 in 2011 and has since decreased to 2,826 in 2014. The data used for this analysis includes criminal warrants of motor vehicle theft provided by Chihuahua’s State Police (2014) and the socioeconomic and demographic variables were provided by the Housing and Population Census (2010), all of them at census tract level. The methodology used Generalized Linear Model (GLM) Poisson and an extension of it called geographically weighted Poisson regression (GWPR). The paper identifies some variables that behave different to the predictions of environmental criminology theories in developed countries.

A descriptive model of the relationship between police CCTV systems and crime. Evidence from Mexico City

We test the relationship of police closed circuit television (CCTV) systems with crime at the census block level. Our descriptive model is based on environmental criminology theory and spatial modeling. We use as case study the Colonia Roma neighborhood in Mexico City which is a neighborhood characterized by high density, mixed uses, and high levels of crime. We found that CCTV correlated only with non-violent crime and, further, that crime was more strongly correlated to other crime opportunity and social disorganization correlates. In the remaining blocks we found no statistical evidence of an association between CCTV and crime. We discuss these results in terms of research methods and policy.

Football pollution: an investigation of spatial and temporal patterns of crime in and around stadia in England

Inspired by theories of environmental criminology, this paper is concerned with the criminogenic potential of football matches. Do matches generate patterns of crime within grounds and beyond them? If so, over what period and over what distance are these effects produced? Police-recorded data for five football stadia for a 6-year timeframe (2005–2010) are examined using non-parametric permutation tests. The spatial extent of any patterns are quantified and used to further examine differences in the temporal distribution of crime and incidents. Change in the spatial distribution of crime and incidents occurred around all five stadia and did so during those periods when the ambient population was elevated on match days. The results provide further support for theories of environmental criminology, suggesting that there is a higher risk of crime and incidents in the areas immediately around stadia during the hours when matches take place.

How Well Does Western Environmental Theory Explain Crime in the Arabian Context? The Case Study of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Crime within Arabic countries is significantly different from Western crime in type, frequency, and motivation. For example, motor vehicle theft (MVT) has constituted the largest proportion of property crime incidents in Saudi Arabia (SA) for decades. This is in stark contrast to Western countries where burglary and street theft dominate. Environmental criminology theories, such as routine activity theory and crime pattern theory, have the potential to help to investigate Arabic crime. However, there is no research that has sought to evaluate the validity of these theories within such a different cultural context. This article represents a first step in addressing this substantial research gap, taking MVT within SA as a case study. We evaluate previous MVT studies using an environmental criminology approach with a critical view to applying environmental criminology to an Arabic context. The article identifies a range of key features in SA that are different from typical Western contexts. These differences could limit the appropriateness of existing methodologies used to apply environmental criminology. The study also reveals that the methodologies associated with traditional environmental crime theory need adjusting more generally when working with MVT, not least to account for shifts in the location of opportunities for crime with time.

Neighborhood parks, evidence of guardianship, and crime in two diverse US cities

Research addressing the link between crime and parks has primarily focused on fear of crime with limited empirical research verifying or denying a crime-park relationship. This article examines the results of two nearly identical studies examining the relationship between neighborhood parks and crime, in two very dissimilar cities, Philadelphia, PA and Louisville, KY. These cities vary greatly in size, population density, median income, per cent minorities and per cent living in poverty, among other factors. Findings of the studies, which are grounded in theories of environmental criminology, show that neighborhood parks are associated with increased crime levels in their immediate surroundings. In addition, although characteristics of parks significantly related to crime levels in each city vary somewhat, findings clearly demonstrate the underlying importance guardianship plays is explaining the criminogenic nature of neighborhood parks.

Using environmental criminology theories to compare ‘youth misuse of fire’ across age groups in New South Wales

Youth misuse of fire is a substantive community concern. Despite evidence which indicates youths account for a significant proportion of all deliberately lit fires within Australia, an absence of up-to-date, contextually specific research means the exact scope and magnitude of youth misuse of fire within Australia remains unknown. Despite research suggesting commonalities exist between youth misuse of fire and juvenile offending more broadly, misuse of fire is rarely explained using criminological theory. In light of this gap, a descriptive analysis of youth misuse of fire within New South Wales was performed. Routine Activity Theory and Crime Pattern Theory were tested to explain differences in misuse of fire across age groups. Results suggest these environmental theories offer useful frameworks for explaining youth misuse of fire in New South Wales. It is argued that the Routine Activity Theory and Crime Pattern Theory can be employed to better inform youth misuse of fire policy and prevention efforts.