Poster #130 - Inequality in the Distribution of Crime Victimization

• In Event: ASC Poster Session II

Abstract

This study introduces the Lorenz curve, traditionally used in economics to measure income inequality, to better understand how victimization is disproportionately concentrated, and presents a new way to visualize and quantify crime victimization. Existing studies mainly rely on a single indicator such as victimization rate to present the distribution of victimization, but this study aims to overcome the limitations of existing studies and present a detailed picture of the distribution of victimization concentration. Next, this study analyzes how spatial and socioeconomic characteristics are related to repeat victimization through a “cumulative disadvantage” framework, which explores the overlapping effects of place-based environmental factors and socioeconomic “disadvantage” on the concentration of criminal victimization, rather than a single factor. This research challenges place-based explanations that attribute crime concentrations to environmental factors alone, and emphasizes the need to consider whether certain groups are repeatedly victimized due to structural inequalities. By identifying cumulative disadvantage, shaped by structural inequality, as a key driver of victimization, I provide a more comprehensive and in-depth theoretical and empirical framework for the formulation of victim-centered crime prevention policies.

Author

• Seungyeon Song, University of Missouri-St. Louis