A Macro-level Evaluation of the Structural Determinants of Group Crime

• In Event: Group Processes and Crime: New Insights on Gangs, Peers and Co-offending

Abstract

Scholars have made significant gains in our understanding of co-offending, but such insight is largely limited to the individual-level. In contrast, insight on the macro-level determinants of group crime lag well behind. For example, studies suggest that financial adversity may promote a greater willingness to collaborate with accomplices, but the extent to which macro-level indicators of financial stress relate to patterns of group crime is unknown, despite clear theoretical reasons why such a relationship should emerge (Tremblay 1993; McCarthy et al. 1998). To address this gap, the current study uses MSA-level secondary data from the National Crime Victimization Survey to evaluate the role of macro-level factors in explaining rates of co-offending criminal events.

Author

• Zachary R. Rowan, University of Maryland