NCJ Number
62464
Date Published
1979
Length
19 pages
Annotation
THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY CRIMES IN SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES IS EXAMINED IN ORDER TO RELATE THE CRIME LEVEL TO VARIOUS ATTRIBUTES OF THESE COMMUNITIES.
Abstract
THE UTILITY MAXIMIZATION THEORY OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR SEEKS TO EXPLAIN CRIME AS A RATIONAL PROCESS BASED ON CONCEPT OF PROFITABILITY. SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY OFFENSES IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA OF PHILADELPHIA WERE EXAMINED BY CONSIDERING SIMULTANEOUSLY TWO RELATED ISSUES: (1) FACTORS DETERMINING THE EXPORT OF CRIME BY CERTAIN COMMUNITIES AND (2) FACTORS DETERMINING THE IMPORT OR ATTRACTION OF CRIMES TO OTHER COMMUNITIES. THE STUDY AREA WAS A SUBURBAN SUBREGION WHICH CONTAINED 94 COMMUNITIES IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY WITHIN THE PHILADELPHIA METROPOLITAN AREA. A COMPARISON WAS MADE OF THE LEVELS OF CRIMINALITY BETWEEN THE STUDY AREA AND THE NEIGHBORING CITIES, AND AN EXAMINATION WAS MADE OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF CRIME WITHIN THE COMMUNITIES OF THE STUDY VIS-A-VIS THE ATTRIBUTES OF COMMUNITIES WHICH DETERMINE THE EXPECTED COSTS AND BENEFITS OF POTENTIAL OFFENSES. IT WAS FOUND THAT SUBURBS ATTRACT OFFENDERS BECAUSE COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY IS HIGH AND INVOLVES EXPENSIVE MERCHANDISE AND BECAUSE POLICE EFFECTIVENESS IS RELATIVELY LOW. ALTHOUGH SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES SPEND MORE ON POLICE, THIS EXPENDITURE DOES NOT REDUCE THE HIGH LEVEL OF PROPERTY OFFENSES. THE PAPER CONCLUDES THAT WEALTH OF COMMUNITIES ATTRACTS POTENTIAL OFFENDERS MORE THAN THE EFFORTS OF THE LOCAL POLICE DETER THEM, PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO THE INTENSIVE EFFORTS OF NEIGHBORING CITY POLICE DEPARTMENTS. IT ALSO SUGGESTS THAT THE WEALTH OF COMMUNITIES MAY BE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CRIME RATE AND POLICE EXPENDITURE. THE PAPER IS 1 OF 30 ON THE SUBJECT OF VICTIMIZATION PRESENTED AT THE 1978 MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY. REFERENCES ARE GIVEN. (MJW)