Alternative Denominators in Conventional Crime Rates (From Environmental Criminology, P 147-165, 1981, Paul J Brantingham and Patricia L Brantingham, ed. - See NCJ-87681)

• NCJ Number: 87689
• Author(s): K D Harries
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 19 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-NI-AX-0064
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The use of denominators other than population in determining crime rates can relate specific crimes to the existence of opportunities for those crimes, but may not be cost effective or useful.

Abstract

Crime rates generally use total population as the denominator, but the uncritical application of population as a denominator for all crime categories may yield misleading patterns. Boggs is one of several researchers who has related crime to environmental opportunity rather than to a population base. Boggs used the number of residential females as the denominator for calculating rates of forcible rate and the amount of space devoted to parking as the denominator for auto theft. Phillips advocated using the number of persons employed in business establishments as a base for determining business-oriented crimes. Others have used such bases as the number of residential units for calculating rates of residential burglaries and numbers of vehicles as a base for rates of auto theft. Frisbie's study is the only one in this area that was undertaken by a public crime prevention agency and made results available to policymakers and planners. Data on assaults and burglaries in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma were used to test a wide variety of direct and indirect denominators and to determine the structure of crime rates computed on different bases. The denominators included dwelling units, age, race, sex, age, neighborhood economic status, locations of establishments for selling alcoholic beverages, and other factors. The results showed that denominators other than population did not necessarily prevent misleading interpretations. The purpose of the research should determine the choice of denominator. Broad crime or opportunity categories should be avoided, since opportunity-based denominators are most meaningful and useful when subclasses of offenses are matched with highly specific opportunity indicators. Tables are included. A bibliography listing 380 references is provided at the end of the volume containing this paper.