Congregations and Crime Rates: Considering the Role of Informal Social Control

• In Event: Neighborhood Institutions and Crime

Abstract

Studies have yielded mixed results with respect to the relationship between congregations and neighborhood crime rates. There is a need to test the social mechanisms proposed by social disorganization theory through which congregations may impact neighborhood crime. The current study therefore first explores whether the presence of congregations increases informal social control in a sample of Los Angeles neighborhoods. It then examines whether congregations of various denominations are related to violent and property crime rates in neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, and whether their impact operates through heightened neighborhood informal social control. The implications of congregations as crime buffering or crime enhancing local institutions and their effect on neighborhood social processes will be discussed.

Author

• Michelle Mioduszewski, University of California, Irvine