Criminal neighbourhoods: does the density of prior offenders encourage others to commit crime?

Livingston, M. , Galster, G., Kearns, A. and Bannister, J. (2014) Criminal neighbourhoods: does the density of prior offenders encourage others to commit crime? Environment and Planning A, 46(10), pp. 2469-2488. (doi: 10.1068/a140180p)

Abstract

Using crime data over a period of a decade for Glasgow, this paper explores whether the density of prior offenders in a neighbourhoods has an influence on the propensity of others to (re)commence offending. The study shows that the number of ‘newly active’ offenders in a neighbourhood in the current quarter is positively associated with the density of prior offenders for both violent and property crime from the previous two years. In the case of ‘newly active’ property offenders, the relationship with active prior offenders is only apparent when prior offender counts exceed the median. The paper postulates that intraneighbourhood social mechanisms may be at work to create these effects. The results suggest that policies which concentrate offenders in particular neighbourhoods may increase the number of ‘newly active’ offenders, and point to evidence of a threshold at which these effects take place.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Livingston, Dr Mark and Kearns, Professor Ade and Galster, Prof George
• Authors: Livingston, M., Galster, G., Kearns, A., and Bannister, J.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Journal Name: Environment and Planning A
• Publisher: Pion
• ISSN: 0308-518X
• ISSN (Online): 1472-3409
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2014 Pion
• First Published: First published in Environment and Planning A 46(10):2469-2488
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.