NCJ Number
76235
Date Published
1981
Length
147 pages
Annotation
This report assesses the impact of rapid energy development in Colorado's western regions on the State's crime rates and criminal justice agencies.
Abstract
Study data were collected from several sources, including residents of impacted areas, Wyoming officials who have experienced similar development, national and State statistics, and a review of the current literature. Rapid growth due to development of oil shale and coal will occur in sparsely populated areas of Colorado's western slope where few local goverments are equipped for planning, financing, and delivering public services. Changes in the social structure of these boom towns include increased demand for housing; migration of single males from cities; and upswings in crime, suicide, and alcoholism. However, growth also boosts local economies and diversifies communities over the long term. Crime is considered a good indicator of boom growth. The crime rates for impacted areas are presented and compared with population growth and other communities. Studies on boom towns show that crimes against persons increase more rapidly than property crimes and that substance abuse and domestic disputes are major problems. Consequently, demand for law enforcement services increases, and informal social controls break down. Turnover rates in law enforcement agencies are relatively high. Statistics indicate that courts in boom areas have higher increases in caseloads and new filings than do nonimpacted locales. Juvenile delinquency has increased in the boom regions while decreasing in the State as a whole. The lack of a western slope juvenile detention center has caused major problems for law enforcement agencies. Energy development will worsen jails' problems and probably increase probation and parole caseloads since their clients are generally attracted to boom areas for work. Recommendations for handling police, court, and corrections problems are provided. The final section summarizes available data on planning in impact areas and describes funding options for their criminal justice agencies. Tables, footnotes, and over 100 references are included. The appendixes contain a description of the study's methodology along with statistical tables and graphs which show projections.