Immigration and the Recent Violent Crime Drop in the United States: A Pooled, Cross-Sectional Time-Series Analysis of Metropolitan Areas

• NCJ Number: 228402
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 47 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2009 Pages: 889-928
• Author(s): Jacob I. Stowell; Steven F. Messner; Kelly F. McGeever; Lawrence E. Raffalovich
• Date Published: August 2009
• Length: 40 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined systematically the extent to which immigration helps explain recent changes in serious crime rates in the United States.

Abstract

Findings from the study show that the contemporary surge in immigration has been associated with the applauded decline in selected forms of criminal violence. Research in recent years has revisited the relationship between immigration and violent crime. However, the research is limited in that it has been based largely on cross-sectional analyses for a restricted range of geographic areas. To address this limitation, this study sought to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of whether immigration facilitated the observed decline in crime and considered areas classified as traditional immigrant destination cities and those that are emerging as such. Using time-series techniques and annual data for metropolitan areas over the 1994-2004 period, the study assessed the impact of changes in immigration on changes in violent crime rates. Figure, tables, references, and appendixes