Violent Crime Rates Research Articles

Abstract 11417: Association Between Community-Level Violent Crime and Cardiovascular Mortality in Chicago - A Longitudinal Analysis

Introduction: Prior studies suggest an association between neighborhood crime levels and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and disease but have been limited by cross-sectional designs. We investigated whether longitudinal changes in violent crime are associated with CV mortality at the community level in a large US city - Chicago. Methods: Chicago is divided into 77 community areas. Using the Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Vital Records, we obtained age-adjusted mortality rates by community area for heart disease, stroke, and coronary artery disease deaths from 2000-2014 aggregated at 5-year intervals. Annual violent crime data were obtained from the City of Chicago Police Data Portal and were geocoded to the community area level. Violent crime was defined as assault, battery, criminal sexual assault, robbery, and homicide. Using a two-way fixed effects estimator, a robust longitudinal estimation method that accounts for measured or unmeasured time-invariant confounders, we assessed the association between longitudinal changes in violent crime and CV mortality after accounting for changes in demographic (proportion of racial/ethnic minorities) and economic (household income, unemployment, housing vacancy, education attainment) variables for each community area. Results: Between 2000 and 2014, the median violent crime rate in Chicago decreased from 3620 per 100,000 [IQR 2256, 7777] in the 2000-2004 period to 2390 [IQR 1507, 5745] in the 2010-2014 period (p=0.005 for trend). In the fixed effects model, after accounting for changes in demographic and economic variables, a 1% increase in community-area violent crime was independently associated with a 0.21% (95% CI 0.09, 0.33) increase in heart disease deaths (p=0.0006) and a 0.19% (95% CI 0.04, 0.33) increase in deaths from coronary artery disease (p=0.01). There was no significant association between change in violent crime and stroke deaths [0.17% (95% CI -0.08, 0.42; p=0.017)]. Conclusions: From 2000 to 2014, an increase in violent crime at the community level was associated with an increase in heart disease and coronary artery disease deaths in Chicago. Detecting rises in community-level violent crime may identify areas with worsening CV health independent of other factors.

Does refugee inflow affect urban crime? Evidence from the U.S. Indochinese refugee resettlement

AbstractWe study the city‐level crime effects of immigration using a large migratory episode in U.S. cities: the resettlement of postwar Indochinese refugees in the 1970s–1980s. We examine the impact of these migratory inflows, where the destination of refugees was largely exogeneously determined, on the incidence of various types of crime by aggregating county‐level crime data. Results from a difference‐in‐differences analysis imply that the cities receiving the heaviest inflows of refugees did not experience differential trends in property crime or violent crime rates following this period; while there is an upward impact on murder rates, pre‐trends do not match for this variable, and further analysis via the synthetic control method show that any upward impact is driven primarily by a temporary (5 years at most) surge in three metropolitan statistical areas. Our results suggest that consistent with prior literature, even a large refugee inflow may not by itself generate persistent crime increases.

Another Bloody Clean-Up

South Africa has one of the highest violent crime rates globally, where physical and emotional trauma is used in homicides and suicides. While this is apparent to the ordinary South African, what is less clear is what happens after the police and forensics have done their job at a crime scene: Who cleans up the bloody mess? In South Africa, as in many other nations, trauma cleaners restore the scenes where homicides and suicides have been committed, and where industrial accidents have taken place. Little to no scholarly research has been conducted on the experiences of the cleaners of trauma scenes. Cleaning up these scenes consists of labour charged with violence that most cannot countenance, but which the cleaner must face. Drawing on 13 qualitative interviews, this article explores the challenges of cleaning up a site where violent and/or traumatic acts have occurred, and how the cleaners develop strategies to cope with their own concomitant trauma. The cleaners are exposed to various health and safety issues, as well as the emotional trauma associated with cleaning up horrific accidents and crimes. Findings show that trauma cleaners emotionally distance themselves from the violence to which they bear witness and use emotional labour, spirituality, humour, and debriefing as coping strategies. In its conclusion, this article suggests a greater acknowledgement of trauma cleaners’ responsibilities and recommends that proper physical and emotional training is necessary to ensure their wellbeing.

The Importance of Multiculturalist Social Work Practices in the Prevention of Hate

The phenomenon of crime has become a situation that is seen in Turkey as well as in the world and that is desired to be prevented by various criminal sanctions, and at the same time, it has begun to be examined as a social problem in terms of dealing with environmental causes in committing crime. In this respect, the phenomenon of crime has also entered the field of interest of the social work discipline. When the literature is examined, it has been seen that violent incidents and crime rates have increased in Turkey in recent years, and hate speech and hate crimes targeting various groups have become increasingly widespread among these increasing phenomena. Hate crimes, which are based on prejudice and discrimination, have become an important, social and contemporary problem that needs to be tackled in terms of various disciplines and formations. Although social work practices in crime are generally included in rehabilitation services, social workers have a duty to prevent crime for social peace and trust. In this respect, in this study, first of all, definitions of hate speech and hate crime will be made, and the data on its place in the national literature and its visibility in the world and in Turkey will be mentioned, then to reveal the importance of multiculturalist social work and hate crimes, and it is aimed to develop suggestions for the prevention of hate crimes with a multiculturalist social work perspective. As a result, it is thought that multiculturalist social work, which adopts cultural sensitivity and respect for differences as a principle, and social workers trained with this perspective will contribute to the prevention of hate crimes. For this, it is recommended to add prejudice and anti-discrimination courses to all education programs, especially social work education programs, to establish multicultural awareness from the early period, and a multiculturalist perspective should be adopted by other institutions and organizations, especially the Ministry of Family and Social Services.

Disorder Oriented Policing: A Revealing Case Study of a Special Differential Response Unit in the Houston Police Department

Proactive policing has been a preferred approach among American law enforcement agencies for decades. While most of the systematic studies done in this area focus on the effect of proactive policing programs, limited research has analyzed factors that cause police departments to adopt a particular style of proactive policing. Using propositions primarily derived from social disorganization and broken windows theories and path analysis, this study examines the characteristics and associates of everyday activities of the Differential Response Team (DRT)—a proactive policing team—in Houston, Texas. Our findings suggest that DRT activities are driven mostly by neighborhood characteristics and the occurrence of reported serious crimes. The most significant predictor of DRT activities is violent crime rate of a neighborhood.

Predicting Emergence of Primary and Secondary Syphilis Among Women of Reproductive Age in US Counties.

Syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection that can cause severe congenital disease when not treated during pregnancy, is on the rise in the United States. Our objective was to identify US counties with elevated risk for emergence of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis among women of reproductive age. Using syphilis case reports, we identified counties with no cases of P&S syphilis among women of reproductive age in 2017 and 1 case or more in 2018. Using county-level syphilis and sociodemographic data, we developed a model to predict counties with emergence of P&S syphilis among women and a risk score to identify counties at elevated risk. Of 2451 counties with no cases of P&S syphilis among women of reproductive age in 2017, 345 counties (14.1%) had documented emergence of syphilis in 2018. Emergence was predicted by the county's P&S syphilis rate among men; violent crime rate; proportions of Black, White, Asian, and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander persons; urbanicity; presence of a metropolitan area; population size; and having a neighboring county with P&S syphilis among women. A risk score of 20 or more identified 75% of counties with emergence. Jurisdictions can identify counties at elevated risk for emergence of syphilis in women and tailor prevention efforts. Prevention of syphilis requires multidisciplinary collaboration to address underlying social factors.

Psychological and environmental empirics of crimes in Pakistan

Literature provides rich evidence of the role of economic development, environmental quality, and psychological stress' prevalence on the deployment of human efforts in criminal activities. This study explores the role of HDI, CO2, and Prevalence of Depression against total, violent, and nonviolent crimes in Pakistan between 1990 and 2017. Analysis based on ARDL bounds testing model which proposes that human development, environment quality, and sound mind leads to a decrease in the involvement in criminal activities. The intensity of effects is different for total, violent, and nonviolent crime rates. Government should focus on development expenditures coupled with improving the quality of the environment and mind.

Cumulative Exposure to Neighborhood Conditions and Substance Use Initiation among Low-Income Latinx and African American Adolescents

Purpose: While previous research underscores the important role that neighborhood contexts play for child and adolescent health and well-being, how these neighborhood contexts influence substance use initiation among adolescents from low-income and ethnic minority families has been understudied. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of data from the Denver Child Study a retrospective survey that uses a natural experiment aimed at assessing neighborhood effects on developmental outcomes of Latinx and African American adolescents (N = 736). Cox cause-specific hazards models were estimated to test: (1) the effects of cumulative exposure to neighborhood social disorder, neighborhood violent and property crime rates, and neighborhood social capital during preadolescence (ages 8–11) on the likelihood of initiating alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use during adolescence (ages 12–18), after controlling for youth, caregiver, and household factors; and (2) whether the effects of these cumulative neighborhood factors vary by Latinx and African American ethnicity. Results: 5.6% of adolescents in this study initiated cigarette use, 5.4% initiated alcohol use and 5.2% used marijuana for the first time during adolescence. The results indicate that exposure to neighborhood social disorder during preadolescence is a significant risk factor, especially for the initiation of cigarette use (HR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.062–1.745, p = 0.015) particularly among Latinx adolescents (HR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.031–1.966, p = 0.032). Conclusions: The findings suggest the need for further research on the relationship between exposure to neighborhood social disorder and adolescent substance use initiation in order to develop and implement community-based prevention and intervention programs to reduce substance use initiation and facilitate healthy adolescent development.

Is a Decentralized Police Organization a Better Option in a Modern Democratic Society? A Case Study From South Korea

While western countries have had a decentralized policing model for many years, some countries, such as South Korea, still employ a centralized, national police department. Responding to calls for reform, South Korea launched a pilot program and implemented a more decentralized policing structure in Jeju Island in 2006. This study adds to the policing literature by offering the empirical comparison of a region before and after decentralization of a police department. This study will examine the intervention effects of police decentralization in Jeju, specifically related to crime rates, crime clearance rates, victimization, trust in police, and fear of crime. Using propensity score matching and interrupted time series analysis, this study found that the decentralized policing intervention significantly reduced total crime, violent crime rates, and property crime rates that lasted throughout the intervention period, while improving crime clearance rates for violent crime, as well as reduced fear of crime among residents.

The Socioeconomic Covariates of Violent and Property Crime Rates in Azerbaijan

Abstract The majority of the studies exploring the relationship between socioeconomic factors and crime levels are confined to major industrialized nations. As a post-Soviet, transitional economy with a predominantly Muslim population, Azerbaijan provides a different setting to explore how socioeconomic indicators affect police-recorded violent and property crime levels across cities and districts. This study finds a positive relationship between GRP per capita, the proportion of pupils admitted to university and population size property crime levels. The relationship was linear in all cases. The geographical units with more social benefit (pensions, disability, and family care) recipients had lower acquisitive crime levels, though the significance was marginal. The higher the number of targeted social assistance recipients for poverty alleviation is, the higher the rate of violent crime is, which differs from the findings of similar previous studies. Overall, socioeconomic predictors were significantly better in explaining variations for offences against the property (r=.481) than violent crimes (r=.073). These findings suggest that different crime types are better explained by different economic indicators in the Azerbaijani context. Furthermore, the study shows that most of the covariates function in ways which are observed in the societies covered by the literature.

Assessing the Impact of Public Policy on Homicide Rates in Brazil: The Case of PRONASCI Program

The current study evaluates the impact of the National Public Security with Citizenship Program (PRONASCI) on the homicide rate in Brazilian municipalities. PRONASCI program was implemented in Brazilian metropolitan regions and urban territories with high violent crime rates in 2007. In this study, we have applied a spatial difference-in-differences model with matching approaches. Municipalities that did not receive funds from the program made up the control group. We found that the program was inefficient to reduce the homicide rate in all of the municipalities that had received funds from it, compared to those that had not, even considering their potential spatial spillover effects. This result was expected due to the program complexity, in particular due to its ineffective management and the resistance from municipalities to change with the program.

Does tree canopy moderate the association between neighborhood walkability and street crime?

Creating walkable places and increasing urban vegetation in neighborhoods have emerged as important planning strategies to promote health, social, and environmental benefits. Although past studies have found that walkability and tree canopy are associated with crime, little research has comprehensively examined how neighborhood walkability and tree canopy are associated with street crime. The current study fills this gap by analyzing the relationship among walkable access to amenities measured by Walk Score, urban tree canopy, and the five-year violent and property street crime rates (2014–2018) across an entire city. This study used the case of Austin, Texas to investigate the association exists between 1) neighborhood walkability and street crime and 2) tree canopy and street crime. We also assessed whether the association between neighborhood walkability and street crime was moderated by tree canopy. The first set of models based on a negative binomial regression showed that neighborhood walkability was positively associated with both violent and property street crime rates while tree canopy was inversely associated with violent and property street crime rates. The second set of models revealed a nonlinear relationship between neighborhood walkability and the street crime rate. The final set of models showed that tree canopy cover can moderate the relationship between street crime and neighborhood walkability, suggesting that tree canopy can somewhat offset the negative influence of walkable neighborhoods, such as crowdedness and noise, in relation to street crime. The findings have implications for developing evidence-based planning, design, and policy strategies to create livable streets and prevent street crime by planting more trees in walking-friendly environments.

Patient Race or Ethnicity, Health Care System Characteristics, and Community Factors Associated with Quality of Antidepressant Medication Management (AMM)

Research ObjectiveClinical practice guidelines emphasize the importance of effective antidepressant medication management (AMM). One marker of AMM quality is if the patient remains on the medication through the acute phase of treatment (about 3 months), which has been shown to improve psychosocial functioning and reduce risk of suicide. The quality of AMM is monitored by many health care organizations to evaluate and improve depression care. Furthermore, data on AMM quality are now being stratified by race and ethnicity and reported publicly for Medicare Advantage plans due to concern for persistent racial and ethnic disparities in the U.S. However, there are few studies of the multiple, interacting factors important to stakeholders who conduct quality improvement efforts aimed at reducing racial/ethnic disparity in quality. This study analyzed patient, health care system, and community factors associated with AMM quality for patients with major depression, especially among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino populations.Study DesignThis national cohort study analyzed health record data from 129 U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VA) facilities. Race/ethnicity was identified from medical record data following U.S. federal standards for categorization. We identified patients' demographics, medical and mental health comorbidities, past‐year health care utilization before initiating an antidepressant, and county‐level factors. Using the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set AMM acute phase measure as a marker of quality, we calculated each facility's percentage of patients who were dispensed at least 84 days of antidepressant medication. A mixed effects logistic regression tested associations between patient, health care system, and community factors and a patient's likelihood of meeting the AMM measure.Population StudiedVA patients whose health care met criteria for inclusion in the AMM measure denominator in 2017 (N = 104,287): a major depression diagnosis and initiating antidepressant treatment.Principal FindingsAdjusting for socio‐demographics, comorbidities, healthcare utilization, and community factors in the regression model, care provided to Black/African American patients (odds ratio [OR] =0.62, 95% CI 0.59–0.64, p < 0.01) or to Hispanic/Latino patients (OR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.80–0.90, p < 0.01) was less likely to meet the AMM measure, compared to White or Non‐Hispanic/Latino patients, respectively. Care for men met the measure less often than for women (OR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.88–0.96, p < 0.01). Outpatient mental health visits before starting an antidepressant was positively associated with meeting the AMM measure, whereas violent crime rate and severe housing problems in a patient's county were negatively associated with meeting the AMM measure.ConclusionsAmong people with major depression treated with antidepressants, racial/ethnic minority patients had a lower likelihood of receiving treatment that meets quality standards. Future research should investigate causality more thoroughly to inform quality improvement efforts that would reduce disparities, such as the utilization of healthcare, socioeconomic factors, or institutionalized racism.Implications for Policy or PracticeGiven the mounting evidence that Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino patients receive lower quality of mental health care, it is important for health care organizations to move beyond identifying disparities in quality to understanding and addressing the systematic barriers that patients and providers must overcome to improve overall quality of mental health care for racial/ethnicity minorities.Primary Funding SourceDepartment of Veterans Affairs.

Seasonal agricultural activity and crime

AbstractSudden shocks to labor demand have sometimes been shown to increase local crime rates. We build on this literature by estimating the causal effect of labor‐intensive seasonal agricultural activity on crime. We analyze a unique data set that describes criminal activity and fruit, vegetable, and horticultural (FVH) employment by month and U.S. county from 1990 to 2016. We find that the FVH labor share is associated with reduced property and violent crime rates, and possibly the number of property crimes committed within county years. Examining heterogeneities based on ethnicity, labor‐intensive FVH activity decreases the rate of non‐Hispanic arrests and victimization, and increases the number of Hispanic arrests and victims (consistent with rising local Hispanic populations). Taken together, results are broadly consistent with the idea that agricultural harvest of labor‐intensive crops enhances local labor market opportunities that reduce incentives to commit crimes. Results are robust to a battery of alternative specifications that address the inherent challenges associated with measuring seasonal agricultural labor.

Longitudinal associations of neighborhood environment features with pediatric body mass index.

It has been posited that policies to promote child health and prevent obesity should target neighborhood environments but evidence on the impact of neighborhoods on child weight is conflicting and longitudinal studies (which have benefits for causal inference) are scarce. We used electronic health records (2007-2016) from an urban, pediatric integrated delivery system and linked children (N=51,873, ages 6-19 years, 77% African American) to neighborhood-level data to investigate how changes in neighborhood environments relate to changes in body mass index (BMI). Measures of neighborhood environment were resources for healthy foods and physical activity ('resources'), greenness, violent crime rate, perceived safety and social cohesion. Fixed effects models estimated associations between changes in neighborhood environment exposures and changes in BMI z-score and whether effects differed by sex, baseline age, neighborhood socioeconomic status and population density. Approximately 22% of the cohort was obese (BMI z-score ≥ 95th percentile). In adjusted models, increases in neighborhood greenness and perceived safety were associated with decreases in BMI z-score (mean change in BMI z-score for 1-SD increase for both: -0.012; 95% CI= (-0.018, -0.007)). Increases in neighborhood safety had a stronger effect in children ages 6-10 years than in older children. Increases in social cohesion were associated with increases in BMI z-score (mean change: 0.005 95% CI = (0.003, 0.008)) especially in boys. Increases in food and physical activity resources were not associated with changes in BMI. This study suggests that increasing neighborhood greenness and safety are potential approaches to reduce children's BMI.

Flood Disaster and the Vulnerability of Households to Crime in Urban Areas in Nigeria

This study explores whether natural disasters, especially flooding, would lead to a rise in violent and property crime rates, and the implications that these crimes could have on the victims. A total of 100 victims of flood induced crime in flood prone areas were selected using purposive sampling technique. The data collected using questionnaire, and records from security agency comprised of socio-economic characteristics of affected households, violent and property crime rate rise, and implications of flood induced crime as perceived by affected communities. Also reported cases of crime in affected areas were collected from Police divisional headquarters and State Police Command of flood affected areas. Data collected were analysed using percentages, frequency count. Likert scale method was used to measure increase in crime during the flood incidence in the affected areas. Using a ‘before, during and after’ approach, the study revealed that flood disaster increased the vulnerability level of households to crime and at the same time crime increased during flood disaster and decreased significantly after the disaster in urban areas in Nigeria. Also, the implication of flood induced crime include anxiety and depression (ADI=2.73), Social dysfunction (SDI=2.36) and loss of confidence (LCI=2.72). Therefore, there is need for disaster prone areas and disaster management agents in the country to incorporate security measures in disaster preparedness, coping and recovery strategies in order to minimize security challenges ensuing from natural disaster in the country during flooding

South African university women's perspectives on intimate partner violence: a qualitative study of reactions to a tailored vignette

Intimate partner violence is an ongoing issue in South Africa, which has the highest rates of violence against women and girls in the world. Intimate partner violence is common in Limpopo, where women, including university students, experience elevated rates of violent crime. This qualitative study was conducted to examine university students’ perspectives regarding intimate partner violence among their peers. A culturally tailored vignette was used to prompt reflection from 38 female university students in Limpopo. Audiotaped responses to the vignette were transcribed, coded and analysed using thematic analysis. Four main themes were developed from participants’ responses to the vignette: cultural beliefs, the university’s role in intimate partner violence, likely outcomes of intimate partner violence, and future interventions. Intimate partner violence was seen as a common problem within the university. Students’ responses indicated that cultural beliefs perpetuated violence against women, with women entering and remaining in abusive relationships for financial security or resources such as housing. Students also reported lack of adequate on-campus housing options, limited knowledge of intimate partner violence, and few actions to reduce intimate partner violence, all of which placed then at heightened risk of intimate partner violence.

The Spillover Effects of Oxycontin's Introduction on Crime

Since the late 1990s, the U.S. has experienced a substantial rise in drug overdose and overdose deaths due to the increased use of opioid drugs. This study estimates the effects of the opioid epidemic on crime relying for identification on geographic variation in the distribution of OxyContin, which in turn was driven by initial state drug prescription policies. Using the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) data, I find that compared to states with stringent prescription policies, the rate of property and violent crimes in states exposed to OxyContin increased by 12% and 25%, respectively. Thus, the supply shock of opioids combined with loose policies on prescription drugs can create unintended and negative consequences in non-health issues, such as crime. This conclusion is supported by suggestive evidence on mechanisms of mental health conditions, alcohol abuse, and illegal drug markets.

Psychological Effects of Urban Crime Gleaned from Social Media

Exposure to frequent crime incidents has been found to have a negative bearing on the well-being of city residents, even if they are not themselves a direct victim. We pursue the research question of whether naturalistic data shared on Twitter may provide a “lens” to understand changes in psychological attributes of urban communities (1) immediately following crime incidents, as well as (2) due to long-term exposure to crime. We analyze half a million Twitter posts from the City of Atlanta in 2014, where the rate of violent crime is three times of the national average. In a first study, we develop a statistical method to detect changes in social media psychological attributes in the immediate aftermath of a crime event. Second, we develop a regression model that uses historical (yearlong) crime to predict Twitter negative emotion, anxiety, anger, and sadness. We do not find significant changes in social media affect immediately following crime in Atlanta. However we do observe significant ability of historical crime to account for heightened negative emotion and anger in the future. Our findings have implications in gauging the utility of social media to infer longitudinal and population-scale patterns of urban well-being.

Ignored but not Forgotten: The Broken Windows Tipping Point and the Question of Functional Form

AbstractWilson and Kelling provide a simple instruction to address disorder: direct limited police resources to neighbourhoods at the tipping point. In doing so, they suggest that the disorder–crime relationship reflects a threshold effect. A proper test of the validity of broken windows theory should, therefore, accommodate nonlinearity. To this end, this study empirically examines the functional form of the relationship between physical disorder and violent crime rate in Detroit, MI, utilizing a dose–response propensity score methodology. This examination is aided by open-sourced data collected at the census block-group level. Findings support a nonlinear relationship, favouring a threshold effect with two caveats. Several directions for future research are explored, as well as implications for theory, practice and policy.