NCJ Number
223303
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 153-163
Date Published
June 2008
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Utilizing a case study on an adult business operated in a rural village, the routine theory of hotspots is analyzed to demonstrate its generality to urban, suburban, and rural locations; the case study analysis is followed by a discussion of the consequences of the theory and results for policymakers and courts.
Abstract
Following the opening of an adult business on an interstate highway off-ramp into a sparsely populated rural village, total crime in the village rose by approximately 60 percent. Two years later, when the business closed, total crime in the village dropped by approximately 60 percent. The only plausible explanation for the effect reported is that, like adult businesses in urban and suburban settings, adult businesses in sparsely populated rural areas generate ambient crime-related secondary effects. This finding was not unexpected. Put simply, adult businesses attract patrons from wide catchment areas. In particular, rural areas ordinarily have lower levels of visible police presence causing rural hotspots to be riskier than their suburban and urban counterparts. A recent U.S. Tenth Circuit Court decision questions whether the routine-activity theory of hotspots applies to adult businesses located in sparsely populated rural areas. To address the threshold question, the hotspot theory is analyzed to demonstrate its generality to urban, suburban, and rural locations. Tables, references