Social Disorganization, Legitimacy of Local Institutions and Neighborhood Crime: An Exploratory Study of Perceptions of the Police and Local Government

• NCJ Number: 205913
• Journal: Journal of Crime & Justice Volume: 27 Issue: 1 Dated: 2004 Pages: 33-60
• Author(s): Ivan Y. Sun; Ruth A. Triplett; Randy R. Gainey
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 28 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the role of perceptions of the police and local government as legitimate on neighborhood crime rates.

Abstract

Previous on crime has focused on the role of social networks on neighborhood-level social control and crime. However, more recent research on social disorganization has highlighted the role of institutions in neighborhood rates of crime. Particularly, as posited by Sampson (2002) in his 2002 presidential address, the perception of institutions as legitimate is important in molding collective efficacy. Other studies have put forth the notion that institutional strength is an important prerequisite for public perceptions of institutional legitimacy, which are in turn hypothesized to affect neighborhood rates of crime. The current study presents an analysis of the assertion that perceptions of institutions as legitimate affect neighborhood rates of crime directly and indirectly. Three datasets were combined and analyzed; citizen survey data from the Project on Policing Neighborhoods (POPN) provided measures of citizens’ perceptions of the legitimacy of police and local government. 1990 census data and data on index crime rates by neighborhood compiled by the Indianapolis Police Department were also examined. Variables included in two neighborhood-level crime measures, assault and burglary, and three neighborhood structural characteristics, concentrated disadvantage, racial heterogeneity, and residential mobility. Intervening variables included measures of legitimacy and social ties, as well as trust and social cohesion and coordinated action. Results of statistical analyses revealed significant variation across neighborhoods regarding perceptions of the legitimacy of social institutions. Neighborhood structural variables, in particular concentrated disadvantage, significantly influenced perceptions of police as legitimate. However, contrary to predictions, perceptions of local government as legitimate were associated with higher rates of neighborhood crime. Limitations of study include the reliance on secondary data sources which weaken some measures. Several implications for policy are considered, including the effect these findings should have on community-oriented policing programs. Tables, references