Ethnic and Immigrant Residential Concentration, and Crime Rates

• NCJ Number: 228924
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 37 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2009 Pages: 427-434
• Author(s): Sergio Herzog
• Date Published: October 2009
• Length: 8 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: University of Haifa
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands

Annotation

This study - which was conducted in Haifa, Israel - used neighborhood-level data to test the link between immigrant residential concentration and crime rates among recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Abstract

The study found a negative relationship between the residential concentration of immigrants from the former Soviet Union and the four measures of crime; however, a positive relationship was found between Arab residential concentration and crime, especially total and violent crime. The pattern of settlement of immigrants from the former Soviet Union in Haifa was mainly in inner city neighborhoods, which were declining in population and homeownership and increasing in Arab Israeli concentration prior to the arrival of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. The arrival of these immigrants apparently became a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization and stability. Their arrival reduced the percentage of unoccupied apartments, increased the rate of homeownership, and created a feeling of business and community activity that had a positive effect on neighborhood social organization. On the other hand, the higher exposure of the Arab population to crime can be explained by residential segregation, in which the Arabs, because of discrimination in the housing market, face barriers that constrain their resident mobility, channeling them into the worst neighborhoods and preventing them from moving into higher quality neighborhoods. These barriers do not exist for the immigrants from the former Soviet Union. The implications of these findings for social disorganization theory are discussed. This study combined data on ecological characteristics of all 73 neighborhoods in the Haifa metropolitan area and crime rates. The independent variables were ethnic heterogeneity, socioeconomic status, and residential stability. Independent variables were the neighborhood rates of total, violent, and property crime reported to the Israeli police in 1995. 5 tables, 4 notes, and 48 references