NCJ Number
209250
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 33 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2005 Pages: 137-143
Date Published
March 2005
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study compared the neighborhood characteristics of homicide victims to those of non-victims among a sample drawn from Prince George’s County, MD.
Abstract
Previous research has focused on documenting the neighborhood characteristics that increase victimization risk, yet little research attention has focused on comparing the neighborhoods of homicide victims to those of non-victims. The current research sought to fill this gap in the literature by comparing the neighborhood characteristics of 105 homicide victims in 1993 in Prince George’s County, MD, to the neighborhood characteristics of 105 non-victims from the same county. Data were drawn from official police records and from 1993 Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) records. Neighborhood characteristics were examined by geo-coding and linking census block-group data to the addresses for each victim and non-victim. Results of bivariate and multivariate regression analyses indicated significant neighborhood differences at the macro-level measures of education, unemployment, household income, and percentage of female-headed households between the victim and non-victims neighborhoods. Micro-level variables were also significantly associated with homicide victimization risk, including age, race, gender, and previous arrest. The findings suggest the need to include both macro and micro-level variables into future analyses of homicide victimization risk. Tables, note, references