LABOR MARKET DETERMINANTS OF MALE CRIME RATES (FROM CRIMINAL JUSTICE STATISTICS ASSOCIATION, INC. PROCEEDINGS..., 1979 - SEE NCJ-63318)

• NCJ Number: 63324
• Author(s): R K BAER; W A LUKSETICH
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 10 pages
• Corporate Author: Justice Research and Statistics Association
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS STUDY ATTEMPTS TO ASCERTAIN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF MALE CRIME RATES FOR A CROSS SECTION OF 1960 LABOR MARKETS STANDARD METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS (SMSA'S).

Abstract

RECENT YEARS HAVE WITNESSED GROWING PUBLIC CONCERN WITH CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND A PROLIFERATION OF STUDIES FOCUSING UPON DETERMINANTS OF CRIME. UTILIZING CROSS-SECTIONAL AGGREGATE DATA FROM THE 1960 CENSUS OF POPULATION AND 1960 UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS, THIS STUDY EXAMINES SELECTED SOCIOECONOMIC VARIABLES AND CRIME RATES FOR MALE POPULATIONS IN 98 STANDARD METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS (SMSA'S). LEADING INDEPENDENT VARIABLES ARE GROSS MIGRATION, PERCENT NONWHITE, POPULATION SIZE, EDUCATION ATTAINMENT, LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION, EARNINGS, AND EARNINGS INEQUALITY. DEPENDENT VARIABLES INCLUDE CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS, CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY, MURDER, RAPE, ASSAULT, ROBBERY, BURGLARY, LARCENY, AND AUTO THEFT. HYPOTHESES, BASED UPON PAST THEORY AND RESEARCH, ARE TESTED BY MEANS OF MULTIPLE REGRESSION. RESULTS OF THE STUDY CONCUR WITH FINDINGS OF EARLIER RESEARCH CONCLUDING THAT GROSS MIGRATION RATES, POPULATION SIZE, AND PERCENT NONWHITE ARE LEADING DETERMINANTS OF CRIME RATES. THERE IS SCATTERED EVIDENCE THAT LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION AND EDUCATION EXERT NEGATIVE EFFECTS AND THAT EARNINGS AND EARNINGS EQUALITY ARE POSITIVE FACTORS UPON VARIOUS CRIME RATES. TABULAR DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ACCOMPANY THE REPORT. (MJW)