The Role of Physical Street Convergence in the Explanation of Co-offending

• In Event: The Role of Peers and Co-Offenders in Context

Abstract

Felson (2003) argues that co-offenders discover each other via behavioral convergence settings. Recent work has made independent gains on how street networks can structure convergence (e.g., Davies and Johnson, 2015) and how neighborhood factors shape co-offending rates (Schaefer, 2012), yet no work has yet considered how physical street convergence may amplify co-offending specifically. This study integrates street connectivity data from the EPA with police records from Baltimore City and evaluates whether areas higher in connectivity increases the incidence of crime committed by multiple offenders.

Authors

• Zachary Rowan, University of California, Irvine

• Sarah Appleby, University of Maryland - College Park

• Jean McGloin, University of Maryland - College Park