Applying the Cambridge Crime Harm Index to Maritime Piracy

• In Event: International Studies in Criminology: Challenges and New Directions for Research

Abstract

Research in maritime piracy has been hampered by a lack of valid data and appropriate methods. Specifically, given the well-known spatial-temporal variations in the intensity of violence, prior studies have all relied on frequency/prevalence, rather than the actual harm caused. As a result, merely counting the number of attacks, rather than the total harm associated with each attack, is necessarily missing important information. This study attempts to improve understanding of this issue by drawing on situational perspectives to develop a set of theoretically informed expectations about the impact of factors that structured maritime piracy as well as the presence of guardianship on maritime vessels on the total harm caused by pirate attacks. I exploit Group-Based Trajectory Analysis models to study the spatial-temporal variations in total harm, by operationalizing total harm using the Cambridge Crime Harm Index and the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990. Consistent with my theoretical predictions, the total harm is higher in activity nodes such as the choke points along the international maritime shipping paths. Second, I find that total harm of pirate attacks are highly dependent on the presence of guardianship on board of maritime vessels. I conclude by discussing implications for theory and policy.

Author

• Bo Jiang, University of Maryland