Location Of Offense Research Articles

Discontinuities in the Age-Victimisation Profile and the Determinants of Victimisation

Abstract Dutch victimisation rates increase by 9%–15% immediately upon reaching ages 16 and 18. We disentangle the role of the many rights granted at these ages using offence location data, cross-cohort variation in the minimum legal drinking age driven by a 2014 reform and survey data of alcohol/drug consumption and mobility behaviours. We conclude that access to weak alcohol, bars/clubs and smoking increases victimisation at 16 and that age-18 rights (hard alcohol, marijuana coffee shops) exacerbate this risk; vehicle access does not play an important role. We find no evidence of systematic spillovers onto individuals still ineligible for these rights.

A Content Analysis of Sex Offender Registries: The Influence of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) on Registry Information

Sex offender registries contain information available for public access through websites. In 2006, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), a core piece of the Adam Walsh Act, was introduced to overhaul the disparate SORN systems across states. Although instrumental in systematizing the sex offender policy, there has yet to be a sufficient investigation into SORNA’s effects in shaping public website registry requirements. Our quantitative content analysis of 50 state sex offender online registries categorized the 88 identified registry elements into seven mutually exclusive features: liability concerns, dissemination of information, mapping features, search features, listing details of registrants, offense information, and victim information. Findings show that states largely share many common registry elements, with multivariate analyses suggesting SORNA-compliant registries are more likely to publicly share eight elements specifically relating to registrants’ search and listing features and offense location.

Defining Crimes Against Companion Animals in Finland – Passive Neglect and Active Maltreatment

ABSTRACT Our aims were to describe the specific features of animal welfare offenses against companion animals in Finland, to study whether evidence provided by veterinarians was associated with the outcome of these cases, and to explore the sanctions and other legal consequences following these crimes in Finnish courts. Our data comprised 948 judgments in animal welfare offenses in Finland between January 2011 and May 2021. We used chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests and binary logistic regression analysis to examine them. Most offenses included neglect of animals, extending to complete abandonment. We identified two distinguishable offense types that differed by offender’s age, gender, and offense location: large-scale and violent offenses. Large-scale offenses, defined as recurrent or long-lasting and involving at least 15 animals, were often located in small municipalities and led frequently to the animals’ death. They were typically committed by middle-aged or elderly women and their family members who rarely confessed to the charges even partially, which may refer to animal hoarding. In contrast, violent offenses were often committed by young men also charged with other crimes and targeted against other people’s animals, which is in line with previous research on intentional animal cruelty. The official veterinarians’ contribution to the criminal procedure varied according to the offense type. The assessment of the severity of the animal welfare offenses, imposition of a ban on the keeping of animals, and the forfeiture of the animals appeared to pose a challenge to the prosecutors and judges. We argue that to prevent and expose crimes against companion animals, we need to recognize the diverse nature of animal welfare offenses, strengthen the education of and cooperation between authorities, and efficiently utilize the ban on the keeping of animals as a precautionary measure to prevent further offenses.

Patterns and Predictors of Stranger Rape Locations

This paper examines the spatial, environmental, and temporal patterns of 10,488 stranger rapes committed over a 15-year period in Greater London, UK. We distinguished between two types of stranger rapes according to perpetrator method of approach, i.e. absent/fleeting interaction with victim on approach (S1) or extended interaction with victim on approach (S2). There were a range of locational settings in which perpetrators both encountered their victims and where the offence took place, and these differed by method of approach. The highest number of S1 offences occurred outdoors, with 74% of approaches and 55% of offences located recorded as outside. For S2 rapes, there was more variety in approach locations with only 32% outside. The level of locational correspondence between approach and offence location was 71% for S1 rapes and 28% for S2 rapes. A series of negative binomial regression models identified variables predictive of stranger rape offence location. There were significant associations with transport connections and the night-time economy for both S1 and S2 rapes. Other significant predictors were deprivation score, the percentage of one person properties, and the percentage of private rented properties in a location. The percentage of green space was a significant predictor for S1 rapes only. The current findings challenge the popular narrative that stranger rape occurs in a specific setting (i.e. outside in a secluded location at night) and have implications for place-based crime prevention policy.

A multilevel examination of the association between COVID-19 restrictions and residence-to-crime distance

Restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted people’s daily routine activities. Rooted in crime pattern and routine activity theories, this study tests whether the enactment of a Safer-at-Home mandate was associated with changes in the distance between individuals’ home addresses and the locations of where they committed crimes (i.e., residence-to-crime distance). Analyses are based on violent (N = 282), property (N = 1552), and disorder crimes (N = 1092) reported to one police department located in a United States’ Midwest suburb. Multilevel models show that residence-to-crime distances were significantly shorter during the Safer-at-Home order, compared to the pre- and post-Safer-at-Home timeframes, while controlling for individual and neighborhood characteristics. Additionally, these relationships varied by crime type. Consistent with the literature, the findings support the argument that individuals tend to offend relatively near their home address. The current findings extend the state of the literature by highlighting how disruptions to daily routine activities stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic led to alterations in crime patterns, in which analyses indicated shorter distances between home address and offense locations.

They might all be marauders

Circle theory predicts most offenders will reside within the smallest circle that encloses a pattern of offense locations, which defines the offender's crime range. Those who reside within the crime range reflect a marauder decision pattern, with the remainder reflecting a commuter decision pattern. Random simulations of marauders were conducted to determine the failure rate of the smallest circle to correctly identify a marauder decision pattern. Failure rates were higher as the number of offenses was reduced, but were systematic and predictable. Moreover, the published rates of the marauder vs commuter patterns correspond well with the predicted failure rate. A method for estimating the true size of an offender's criminal territory is presented and it is suggested that the vast majority of offenders are likely to be adopting a marauder decision pattern, and that true commuters may be far less than indicated by the circle test.

A new Geographic Profiling Suspect Mapping And Ranking Technique for crime investigations: GP‐SMART

AbstractThis study developed and tested a new geographic profiling method for automating suspect prioritisation in crime investigations. The Geographic Profiling Suspect Mapping And Ranking Technique (GP‐SMART) maps suspects' activity locations available in police records—such as home addresses, family members' home addresses, prior offence locations, locations of non‐crime incidents, and other contacts with police—and ranks suspects based on both the proximity and nature of these locations, relative to an input crime. In accuracy tests using solved burglary, robbery and extra‐familial sex offence cases in New Zealand (n = 4511), GP‐SMART ranked the offender at or near the top of the suspect list at rates greatly exceeding chance. Highlighting the benefit of its novel inclusion and differentiation of many different types of activity location, GP‐SMART also outperformed baseline methods—approximating existing algorithms—that ranked suspects using only the proximity of their activity locations, or home addresses, to the input crime.

Estimating Crime in Place: Moving Beyond Residence Location

We assess if asking victims about the places where crimes happen leads to estimates of “crime in place” with better measurement properties. We analyze data from the Barcelona Victimization Survey (2015–2020) aggregated in 73 neighborhoods using longitudinal quasi-simplex models and criterion validity to estimate the quality of four types of survey-based measures of crime. The distribution of survey-based offense location estimates, as opposed to victim residence estimates, is highly similar to police-recorded crime statistics, and there is little trade off in terms of the reliability and validity of offense location and victim residence measures. Estimates of crimes reported to the police show a better validity, but their reliability is lower and capture fewer crimes.

Exploring violent crimes in Chicago during the COVID-19 pandemic: do location, crime type, and social distancing type matter?

ABSTRACT The current study estimates the impact of the SAH order on violent crimes across public and residential locations: assault, battery, homicide, robbery, and sexual assault. Using interrupted time series analyses, it analyzes weekly crime data in Chicago, Illinois, from 2017 to 2020. The SAH order caused significant decreases in battery and sexual assault across public and residential locations. It also decreased assault in public locations only. Such decreases in assault, battery, and sexual assault were greater under the SAH order when social distancing was strictly enforced, as opposed to during the relaxation of social distancing. On the other hand, there were significant increases in homicide across public and residential locations. Robbery increased in public locations only. There were greater increases in homicide and robbery during the relaxation of social distancing, as opposed to under the SAH order. The study ultimately indicates that the impacts of the containment measures are conditional upon the offense location, type of crime, and level of social distancing being mandated. From a public policy perspective, it is important to allocate staffing and resources for law enforcement accordingly during the enduring pandemic.

The Importance of Importance Sampling: Exploring Methods of Sampling from Alternatives in Discrete Choice Models of Crime Location Choice

ObjectivesThe burgeoning field of individual level crime location choice research has required increasingly large datasets to model complex relationships between the attributes of potential crime locations and offenders’ choices. This study tests methods of sampling aiming to overcome computational challenges involved in the use of such large datasets.MethodsUsing police data on 38,120 residential and non-residential burglary, commercial and personal robbery and extra-familial sex offense locations and the offenders’ pre-offense activity locations (e.g., home, family members’ homes and prior crime locations), and in the context of the conditional logit formulation of the discrete spatial choice model, we tested a novel method for importance sampling of alternatives. The method over-samples potential crime locations near to offenders’ activity locations that are more likely to be chosen for crime. We compared variants of this method with simple random sampling.ResultsImportance sampling produced results more consistent with those produced without sampling compared with simple random sampling, and provided considerable computational savings. There were strong relationships between the locations of offenders’ prior criminal and non-criminal activities and their crime locations.ConclusionsImportance sampling from alternatives is a relatively simple and effective method that enables future studies to use larger datasets (e.g., with more variables, wider study areas, or more granular spatial or spatio-temporal units) to yield greater insights into crime location choice. By examining non-residential burglary and sexual offenses, in New Zealand, the substantive results represent a novel contribution to the growing literature on offenders’ spatial decision making.

Right place, right time? Making crime pattern theory time-specific

ObjectivesCrime pattern theory and the related empirical research have remained rather a-temporal, as if the timing of routine activities and crime plays no role. Building on previous geography of crime research, we extend crime pattern theory and propose that an offender’s spatial knowledge acquired during daily routine activities is not equally applicable to all times of day.MethodsWe put this extended theory to a first empirical test by applying a discrete spatial choice model to detailed information from the Netherlands on 71 offences committed by 30 offenders collected through a unique online survey instrument. The offenders reported on their most important activity nodes and offence locations over the past year, as well as the specific times they regularly visited these locations.ResultsThe results show that almost 40% of the offences are committed within the neighbourhoods of offenders’ activity nodes, increasing to 85% when including first-, second- and third-order neighbourhoods. Though not statistically significant in our small sample, the results further suggest that offenders are more likely to commit crime in neighbourhoods they have regularly visited at the same time of day than in neighbourhoods they have regularly visited at different times of day.ConclusionOur extension of crime pattern theory is only tentatively supported. We argue for replication research with larger samples before any firm conclusions are warranted.

A National Examination of the Spatial Extent and Similarity of Offenders’ Activity Spaces Using Police Data

It is well established that offenders’ routine activity locations (nodes) shape their crime locations, but research examining the geography of offenders’ routine activity spaces has to date largely been limited to a few core nodes such as homes and prior offense locations, and to small study areas. This paper explores the utility of police data to provide novel insights into the spatial extent of, and overlap between, individual offenders’ activity spaces. It includes a wider set of activity nodes (including relatives’ homes, schools, and non-crime incidents) and broadens the geographical scale to a national level, by comparison to previous studies. Using a police dataset including n = 60,229 burglary, robbery, and extra-familial sex offenders in New Zealand, a wide range of activity nodes were present for most burglary and robbery offenders, but fewer for sex offenders, reflecting sparser histories of police contact. In a novel test of the criminal profiling assumptions of homology and differentiation in a spatial context, we find that those who offend in nearby locations tend to share more activity space than those who offend further apart. However, in finding many offenders’ activity spaces span wide geographic distances, we highlight challenges for crime location choice research and geographic profiling practice.

A framework for estimating crime location choice based on awareness space

This paper extends Crime Pattern Theory, proposing a theoretical framework which aims to explain how offenders’ previous routine activity locations influence their future offence locations. The framework draws on studies of individual level crime location choice and location choice in non-criminal contexts, to identify attributes of prior activities associated with the selection of the location for future crime. We group these attributes into two proposed mechanisms: reliability and relevance. Offenders are more likely to commit crime where they have reliable knowledge that is relevant to the particular crime. The perceived reliability of offenders’ knowledge about a potential crime location is affected by the frequency, recency and duration of their prior activities in that location. Relevance reflects knowledge of a potential crime location’s crime opportunities and is affected by the type of behaviour, type of location and timing of prior activities in that location. We apply the framework to generate testable hypotheses to guide future studies of crime location choice and suggest directions for further theoretical and empirical work. Understanding crime location choice using this framework could also help inform policing investigations and crime prevention strategies.

Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence in Canada: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Types of Incidents Reported to Police Services

During the past 50 years, there has been an increase in research and programming initiatives focusing on the issue of heterosexual intimate partner violence (Het-IPV). In comparison, less attention has been paid to same-sex intimate partner violence (SS-IPV). Furthermore, of the existing research, the majority focuses on SS-IPV incidents in the United States which, due to social and legal differences, cannot yield an accurate picture of SS-IPV in Canada. This descriptive study sought to understand the prevalence, characteristics, and types of SS-IPV and Het-IPV within a Canadian context, with an emphasis on understanding the differences and similarities of incidents reported to police services. It explores the influences of heteronormativity and hegemonic masculinity on SS-IPV reporting and recognition. To assess this, data from Statistics Canada's 2007-2011 Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Surveys were utilized. Participation in this survey is mandatory for all police services and, therefore, the sample used contains over 99% of incidents of IPV reported in Canada during the 4-year period (N = 346,565). The results indicate that 4% of incidents of intimate partner violence reported to the UCR involved people engaged in same-sex relationships. It demonstrates that SS-IPV incidents are similar to Het-IPV incidents in reported prevalence, and the findings also show that there are differences in the types of violations reported and several incident characteristics, including levels of victim injury, and the population density of the offense location. These findings can provide a foundation for future research and raise further questions about how SS-IPV is responded to by the criminal justice system after it has been reported to police services.

Modelling taste heterogeneity regarding offence location choices

One of the central topics in crime research, and one in which discrete choice modelling has been relatively recently introduced, is the study of where offenders choose to commit crime. Since the introduction of this approach in 2003, it has become relatively popular and used in over 25 published studies covering a range of crime types and study areas. However, in most of these analyses the conditional logit has been used which assumes offenders are homogenous in their offence location preferences. This is despite various research finding offenders vary in their decision-making criteria. As such, while three recent studies (Townsley et al., 2016; Frith et al., 2017; Long et al., 2018) used the mixed logit and found some evidence of preference heterogeneity between offenders, there are still open questions regarding its nature. To this end, this study uses the latent class (and mixed and conditional logit) to examine the offence location choices of serious acquisitive crime offenders in York (UK). In particular, to understand how the spatial preferences differ between offenders and if there are any observable sources. Like the previous studies, this analysis identifies the presence of preference heterogeneity. This study also finds that the latent class and mixed logit equally fit the data though there are some differences in the results. These findings and other factors therefore raise questions for future crime location choice research regarding the appropriate model for these types of analyses and the true underlying nature of offender preferences.

Exposing School Employee Sexual Abuse and Misconduct: Shedding Light on a Sensitive Issue

ABSTRACTWhile the media continue to report incidents of school employee sexual misconduct, few empirical studies focus on this issue. To address this gap in the literature, expand knowledge and awareness around the problem, and inform future research and programs, this research intends to document and analyze the characteristics of school employee sexual misconduct cases reported in the media. The authors conducted a landscape analysis of 361 published school employee sexual misconduct cases in the United States from 2014, documenting factors such as offender and victim characteristics, type of incident, technology use, location of offense, and resulting disciplinary actions by schools and law enforcement. These analyses showed that offenders were most often male and general education teachers, with approximately a quarter identified as athletic coaches. Offenders’ average age was 36 years, while the average age of victims was 15. More than half of incidents took place at school or school-related events. Results also showed that school employee sexual misconduct incidents most often involved physical contact; however, technology (i.e., cell phones, computers, cameras/video recorders, and storage devices) played an important role in three out of four cases. Finally, analyses of the criminal and school-related consequences showed that over half of offenders were placed on administrative leave or resigned immediately following their arrest and almost all were convicted of their crimes. Additional findings concerning this topic are also reported in this article.

Child sex tourism: American perceptions of foreign victims

ABSTRACTChild sex tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry that affects over 2 million children per year. While thousands of these sex tourists are American, this has been an issue that is largely neglected in the United States (U.S.). This study investigated Americans’ perceptions of child sex abuse and its relationship to the offense location and the victim’s culture. An online self-report survey randomly assigned subjects to one of three identical vignettes of child sex tourism, differing only by location: U.S., Netherlands, or Thailand. The study found that individuals perceived sexual offenses committed inside the U.S. as more severe than offenses committed outside the U.S. and that sexual crimes were viewed as less severe when occurring in an Eastern “Other” culture as compared to Western cultures. These results are discussed as they pertain to legislative efforts designed to reduce the prevalence of American child sex tourists as well as the creation of measures to increase awareness of Americans’ involvement in the child sex tourism industry.

A Networked Boost: Burglary Co-Offending and Repeat Victimization Using a Network Approach

Burglarized locations are at an elevated risk of re-victimization soon after an initial offense. The current study uses a two-mode network approach to examine three possible mechanisms of repeat victimization: (a) The characteristics of a location make the target attractive to all motivated offenders, (b) the same offender returns to the offense location multiple times, or (c) other offender(s), to whom the primary offender is connected, commit subsequent offenses. The results support all three mechanisms, but particularly the same offender returning for subsequent offenses. These “returners” are generally more experienced, more connected burglary offenders. Significantly, however, repeat victimizations not committed by the same offender(s) often involve connected co-offenders, a mechanism for repeat victimization that has not been previously demonstrated empirically.

Victim Blame in Fictional Crime Dramas: An Examination of Demographic, Incident-Related, and Behavioral Factors

How victims are portrayed in fictional crime dramas is an important way that individuals come to understand and interpret what it means to be a victim of crime. We examine how demographic variables (e.g., gender, race, age), incident variables (e.g., location of offense, relationship between victim and offender, type of crime), and behavioral variables (e.g., drug use/alcohol use, sexual promiscuity, negative personality traits, or concealing elements of personality) predict victim blame. Although some literature has analyzed victims in fictional crime dramas, such literature has been limited to a single year, a single show, a particular crime, or a particular factor. We extend this literature by focusing on multiple factors that predict victim blame using data collected from a systematic sample of 124 episodes from 4 fictional crime dramas (CSI, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Minds, and Without a Trace) over 7 years (2003–2010).

Understanding Bystander Behavior: The Influence of and Interaction Between Bystander Characteristics and Situational Factors

Most researchers point to the death of Kitty Genovese in 1964 as the genesis of interest in studying bystander response to crime (Laner, Benin, & Ventrone, 2001; Levine, Cassidy, Brazier, & Reicher, 2002; Moriarty, 1975; Schwartz & Gottlieb, 1980). Since then, researchers have examined the role of situational variables and of victim, perpetrator, and bystander characteristics on whether or not bystander intervention occurs. In the present study, the researchers used a factorial design to determine whether the self-reported likelihood of bystander intervention and type of intervention (passive/active) varied by the location of the offense, time constraints, and bystander characteristics (e.g., height/weight, self-defense training, and life-saving training). Results suggest that gender, race, location of offense, self-defense training, and height and weight play a role in self-reported bystander behavior. An interaction between gender, location of offense, and self-defense training was also evident.