NCJ Number
100945
Date Published
1985
Length
42 pages
Annotation
This 1980 California study found that communities with prisons do not have higher crime rates or lower property values than similar cities without prisons.
Abstract
The construction of five California prisons is being delayed because final acceptance by proposed communities has not yet been received. The two common concerns of these communities are that the crime rate will increase as a direct result of the prison and property values will be lower than in nonprison cities. To test the validity of these concerns, this study compared the 1980 Index crime rates of 7 prison cities with 15 demographically matched nonprison cities in California. Property rates in the cities were compared for 1979-80. The aggregate crime rate for the 7 prison cities was 22 percent below that of the 15 cities. Regarding property values, the prison cities experienced an aggregate 31.5-percent growth in per capita assessed value over 1979-80 through 1982-83. Growth in assessed value for the matched nonprison cities was 28.6 percent. Appendixes contain methodological information. Tabular data.