Ecological Disorganization, Concentrated Disadvantage, and Crime

• In Event: Green Criminology IV: Ecological Disorganization and Environmental Injustice(s)

Abstract

Green criminology has not adequately addressed the relationship between ecological issues and street crimes. This study examines the neighborhood level associations of ecological disorganization, concentrated disadvantage, and crime rates in the City of Alington, TX. We analyzed data from US Census, US EPA’s EJSCREEN (i.e., environmental justice mapping and screening tool), and the Arlington Police Department. Specifically, we created an ecological disorganization scale based on a spatial principal component factor analysis of environmental hazard indicators such as air pollution and proximity to waste/hazardous chemical facilities at Alington census block groups (n=252). As a result, this scale captures the degree of the neighborhood exposure to environmental pollutants often generated by several ecological additions and withdraws. We also created a traditional spatial scale to measure concentrated disadvantage from U.S. Census data using previous operational definitions in the literature. Our spatial lag models revealed that the ecological disorganization scale has a significant effect on crime rates--violent and property--even after adjusting for concentrated disadvantage, various types of retail businesses, and population characteristics. The connection between ecological disorganization, social and environmental justice, and the production of crime is discussed based on empirical results.

Authors

• Junghwan Bae, Tarleton State University

• Tara O’Connor Shelley, Tarleton State University

• Olga Semukhina, Tarleton State University