Heterogeneity, Sociability and Crime in Brazil: An Examination of the Relationship of Social Space and Crime in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

• In Event: Crime and Justice in Latin America

Abstract

The process of urbanization in Latin America generally and specifically in Brazil, has resulted in the persistence strong social and spatial segregation along with clear patterns of violent crime that appear to follow this segregation pattern, with high rates in areas with fewer economic and public goods. The two most well-known theories within the ecological perspective, social disorganization theory and opportunity theory, postulate that heterogeneity, either through the composition of actors, or through the types of land use in these spaces, increases the probability of crime. Tests of both theories in the Brazilian context have given mixed results, further confusing the role of land use and social ties in explaining differences in urban crime. Recent evidence examining the relationship between heterogeneity and crime also questions the assumed relationship. This research finds that social heterogeneity increases civility and tolerance whereas the lack of spatial heterogeneity increases social isolation, reducing inter-group contact and increasing perceptions of insecurity. Given this debate, this paper intends to better understand the relationship between heterogeneity, sociability and crime through the mapping and analysis of different dimensions of social and spatial heterogeneity and their relationship to crime rates and perceptions of crime in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Author

• Corinne Davis Rodrigues, Federal University of Minas Gerais