Vice and Violence: The Spatial Distribution of Alcohol Outlets, Adult Entertainment, and Sex-Specific Intergroup Violence

• In Event: Communities and Place: How Environments Shape Criminal Opportunities and Prevention Strategies

Abstract

The built environment, including specific types of businesses such as alcohol outlets, casinos, and pawnshops, has long been linked to crime. These places generate or attract crime by creating opportunities where potential offenders and unsuspecting victims intersect in places with minimal guardianship. However, adult entertainment venues, including strip clubs and adult novelty stores are less frequently considered in studies on the built environment and crime. The masculine-dominated environments in these places might disproportionately put female victims at risk, particularly female victims of male perpetrators. Despite this, little empirical attention has been given to how these venues may contribute to broader patterns of intergroup violence by shaping the dynamics of conflict between men and women. The current study examines the spatial distribution of alcohol outlets and adult entertainment venues in relation to intergroup violence by sex. Using data from New Orleans, LA, we examine assaultive violence between men and women to better understand how place-based risks associated with these types of businesses may influence neighborhood patterns of violence by the sex of the perpetrators and their victims.

Authors

• Yuna Kim, University of South Florida

• Lyndsay Boggess, University of South Florida

• Alyssa W. Chamberlain, Arizona State University