Title: GeoCriminology
1GeoCriminology
2Outline
- Traditional Criminology vs. GeoCriminology
- What is GeoCriminology
- GeoCriminological Correlates of Crime
- Evolution of GeoCriminology?
- Theoretical Developments
- Policy Implications
3Traditional Criminology vs. GeoCriminology
- Mainstream Criminology has focused on explaining
the causes of crime, the relationship between law
and behavior, victimization, the interaction of
criminal justice system components. In other
words, the primary focus has been on the
offenders, victims, the law, and the system. - A parallel perspective that recently is gaining
considerable attention is GeoCriminology. Rather
than an intense focus on the offender, attention
is being directed toward those criminogenic
factors in the environment that make some places
hot beds of crime, and other locations buffered
safe havens.
4Traditional Criminology
- Individual Theories of Crime
- Micro level theoretical perspectives that examine
individual correlates of crime personality,
intelligence, child rearing, frustration-aggressio
n, rate of maturation, biological factors
genetics, diet, hormones (Banduras Social
Learning Theory, Psychodynamic Theory, A B
PIC-R, Biological theories) - Structural and Processural Theories of Crime
- Theoretical perspectives that examine the
relationship between societys social structure
and culture and how this relationship is mediated
by socialization and other developmental
processes friendship networks, social class,
informal and formal control levels, child parent
relationships, social bonds (Social
Disorganization, Differential Social
Organization, Social Control, Differential
Association, General Strain Theory)
5Traditional Criminology, contd.
- Conflict and Marxist Theories of Crime
- Theoretical perspectives that explore how
economic factors, unemployment, poverty,
mobility, power differentials, social threat and
its relationship to control, and other macro
level correlates affect societal crime rates
Contributions by Kornhauser, Messner and
Rosenfeld, Chamlin, Cochran, Spitzer, Tittle,
Liska, Marx - Integrated and Lifecourse Theories
- Theoretical perspectives that explore the
interaction between criminological correlates
(macro and micro) from many disciplines, as well
as, the impact of life events on individuals over
the course of their lifetime Gluecks research,
Sampson and Laub, Gottfredson and Hirschi,
Thornberry, Mazerolle, Moffit and many others.
6What is GeoCriminology
- Keywords environmental criminology, crime and
place, ecology of crime - Df developing theoretical tradition that
explores the impact of features and facilities on
crime and examines the clustering of behaviors
temporally and spatially - Df the study and research on the spatial and
temporal dimensions of crime -
7What is GeoCriminology, contd.
- Features and facilities?
- Physical Factors, Structural Factors, Social
Milieu? - EXAMPLES?
- How is crime distributed temporally, what
temporal dimensions influence crime
distributions? - How is crime distributed spatially, what spatial
dimensions influence crime distributions? -
8Temporal Distribution - factors involved?
9How would we expect crime to be distributed
spatially across the United States (i.e.,
population, age, gender, race)?
10Total Population Proportion Population by Area
11Gender Proportion Male by Area
12Race Proportion African American by Area
13Age Proportion Aged 18_29 by Area
14Renters Proportion of Rental Properties by
State
15Regional Crime Rate 1997
16How would we expect crime to be distributed
spatially across Florida (i.e., population, age,
gender, race)?
17Total Population Proportion Population by Area
18Gender Proportion Male by Area
19Race Proportion African American by Area
20Age Proportion Aged 18_29 by Area
21Crime Rate by County
1997
1997
Â
22Drug/Prost 600 am
23Drug/Prost 1200 pm
24Drug/Prost 1600 pm
25Drug/Prost 1000 pm
26Drug/Prost 200 am
27Evolutionary Developmentreducing the level of
resolution
- Early French Scholars (Guerry and Quetelet)
- Police Precincts, Urban Areas, Regional
Differences - Early English Scholars (Mayhew and Tobias)
- Variation within regions, rookeries
- 1940s-1950s (Chicago School)
- Variation within cities, migration and city
growth patterns - 1960s 1970s (Jacobs, Angel, Jeffery, Newman)
- Building layouts, architectural designs, street
patterns - 1980s (Brantinghams and Taylor
- Began to focus heavily on behavioral settings,
places - 1990s Present (Sherman, Eck, Taylor,
Brantingham) - Hot spots, blocks, face blocks, intersections,
land parcels)
28Theoretical Development
- CPTED (crime prevention through environmental
design) - Jeffery, Crowe
- Defensible Space
- Oscar Newman, Jacobs
- Social Disorganization Theory (some say)
- Shaw and McKay, Bursik,
- Routine Activities Theory
- Cohen and Felson, Eck
- Lifestyle Theory
- Garofolo et al.
- Crime Pattern Theory/Hotspot Analysis
- Sherman, Eck, Taylor
29Policy Implications?