NCJ Number
29482
Journal
Howard Journal of Penology and Crime Prevention Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: (1975) Pages: 11-21
Date Published
1975
Length
11 pages
Annotation
COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF BURGLARY DATA AND A SOCIO-SPATIAL MODEL OF RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS OF TALLAHASSEE INDICATES THAT RESIDENTIAL PATTERNS STRONGLY DETERMINE BURGLARY PATTERNS.
Abstract
PERCEPTUAL NEIGHBORHOOD SETS WERE CONSTRUCTED, USING INDIVIDUAL BLOCKS AS THE BASIC UNITS, WITH NEIGHBORHOOD DIFFERENTIATION DETERMINED BY VARIABLES SUCH AS AVERAGE RENT PER DWELLING, RACIAL COMPOSITION, PER CENT SINGLE FAMILY DWELLINGS, AND ESTIMATED VALUES OF DWELLINGS. ON THE BASIS OF THIS DIFFERENTIATION, MAPS WERE PREPARED, SHOWING BLOCK GROUPINGS WITHIN NEIGHBORHOODS. BLOCKS FALLING ON A PERCEPTUAL NEIGHBORHOOD BORDER WERE TERMED BORDER BLOCKS. BLOCKS SURROUNDED COMPLETELY BY BLOCKS OF THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD WERE TERMED INTERIOR BLOCKS. REGARDLESS OF THE VARIABLE USED TO DIFFERENTIATE NEIGHBORHOODS, BORDER BLOCKS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER BURGLARY RATES THAN DID INTERIOR BLOCKS. THE AUTHORS CONCLUDE THAT PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONS OF A COMPLEX BUT MATHEMATICALLY DESCRIBABLE NATURE CREATE AREAS WHICH ARE MORE HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO BURGLARY.