The Influence of Social and Spatial Exposure to Gun Violence on Individual Victimization

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

Previous research on gun violence and social networks found a correlation between having a gunshot victim in one’s co-offending network and becoming a gunshot victim oneself. These studies, however, pay little attention to the effects of exposure to violence within one’s social network. This study uses formal network methods and logistic regression models to predict individual gunshot victimization within observed networks in Newark, New Jersey constructed from arrest, field contacts and quality of life summons data. This research aims to measure gun violence within the population of individuals most at risk for being a victim of gun violence and to differentiate exposure in such networks from geographic exposure. The findings demonstrate that approximately 33 percent of all shootings occurred in networks comprised of approximately 4 percent of the entire population of Newark. The rate of victimization for individuals within this social network is over 700 percent higher than the citywide rate. Additionally, it was found that spatial distance to a shooting victim was not a significant predictor of individual victimization when also considering social distance. Overall, this study sheds light on both the concentration of risk of gun violence within U.S. cities as well as its effects on individual victimization.

Authors

• Leigh Grossman, Rutgers University

• Andrew V. Papachristos, Yale University

• Anthony A. Braga, Rutgers University / Harvard University

• Eric Piza, John Jay College of Criminal Justice