NCJ Number
143192
Date Published
Unknown
Length
320 pages
Annotation
The relationships of community characteristics to crime in general and specific offenses was studied using data collected from literature review and variable cluster analysis of social indicators in Westchester County (N.Y.).
Abstract
Variable cluster analysis was applied to 30 social indicators to define the following four clusters of social attributes: (1) housing structure and household size, (2) social problems, (3) socioeconomic status, and (4) adult sex composition. The same type of analysis was used to examine patterns of four offenses: assault, robbery, burglary, and auto theft. Results revealed a diversity of relationships indicating the need to consider both crime characteristics and social area attributes to describe the distribution of offenses in relatively heterogeneous areas. In addition, no simple explanation exists for many of the relationships discovered. Thus, crime may be a function of opportunity, availability, accessibility, or attractiveness of targets or victims. In addition, missing data may affect these results. Findings suggested ways to determine the communities or types of crime that should be the focus of security and crime prevention programs, as well as areas that do not have a particular crime problem and thus may not need the development of specific services. Footnotes, tables, charts, appended methodological information, and 95 references