Compared To What? The Relative Concentration of Crime at Places and its Implications

• In Event: Crime and Place: Concentrations of Crime at Place

Abstract

That crime is concentrated at a few places is well established by over 60 studies. Research has shown that crime is more concentrated at places than among neighborhoods: the smaller the geographic unit, the more concentrated crime becomes. Additionally, crime is concentrated among offenders and victims. Many physical, biological, and social phenomena are concentrated as well. This raises a question: is crime more or less concentrated at places than other phenomena? If it is not, then crime concentration maybe the result of standard ubiquitous processes that operate in nature. If crime is more or is less concentrated than other phenomena, then researchers need to ask why. In this paper, the presenters describe results from systematic and other reviews provide preliminary answers.

Authors

• John E. Eck, University of Cincinnati

• YongJei Lee, University of Cincinnati

• SooHyun O, University of Cincinnati

• Natalie N. Martinez, University of Cincinnati