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POPULATION DENSITY AND CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION Some Unexpected Findings in Central Cities
Author(s) -
SHICHOR DAVID,
DECKER DAVID L.,
O'BRIEN ROBERT M.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
criminology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.467
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1745-9125
pISSN - 0011-1384
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-9125.1979.tb01285.x
Subject(s) - criminology , property crime , population , property (philosophy) , psychology , geography , demography , violent crime , sociology , philosophy , epistemology
Criminal behavior and criminal victimization have been associated with population density in the criminological literature. and this has led re‐ searchers to argue that there is a positive zero‐order relationship between population density and crime rates. However, using National Crime Survey victimization data we found that there is no simple relationship between population density and crime rates in 26 large American cities. Property crimes nith contact were, found 10 he positivelv correlated with population density. and thus are consistent with traditional criminological explana‐ tions. All other crimes, which we classified as property crimes without contacl and nonproperty assaultive crimes. contradict most previous research findings because of significant negative correlations with popula‐ tion density.