Putting Crime in its Place: Units of Analysis in Geographic Criminology focuses on the units of analysis used in geographic criminology. While crime and place studies have been a part of criminology from the early 19th century, growing interest in crime places over the last two decades demands critical reflection on the units of analysis that should form the focus of geographic analysis of crime. Should the focus be on very small units such as street addresses or street segments, or on larger aggregates such as census tracts or communities? Academic researchers, as well as practical crime analysts, are confronted routinely with the dilemma of deciding what the unit of analysis should be when reporting on trends in crime, when identifying crime hot spots or when mapping crime in cities. In place-based crime prevention, the choice of the level of aggregation plays a particularly critical role. This peer reviewed collection of essays aims to contribute to crime and place studies by making explicit the problems involved in choosing units of analysis in geographic criminology. Written by renowned experts in the field, the chapters in this book address basic academic questions, and also provide real-life examples and applications of how they are resolved in cutting-edge research. Crime analysts in police and law enforcement agencies as well as academic researchers studying the spatial distributions of crime and victimization will learn from the discussions and tools presented.
Author(s): David Weisburd, Wim Bernasco, Gerben Bruinsma
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 268
0387096876......Page 1
Contents......Page 7
Part I: Introduction......Page 12
1. Units of Analysis in Geographic Criminology: Historical Development, Critical Issues, and Open Questions......Page 13
Part II: What Is the Appropriate Level of Investigation of Crime at Place? Theoretical and Methodological Issues......Page 42
2. Why Small Is Better: Advancing the Study of the Role of Behavioral Contexts in Crime Causation......Page 43
3. Where the Action Is at Places: Examining Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Juvenile Crime at Places Using Trajectory Analysis and GIS......Page 68
4. Crime Analysis at Multiple Scales of Aggregation: A Topological Approach......Page 94
5. Geographical Units of Analysis and the Analysis of Crime......Page 115
6. Waves, Particles, and Crime......Page 129
Part III: Empirical Examples of Crime Place Studies: What Can We Learn?......Page 149
7. Crime, Neighborhoods, and Units of Analysis: Putting Space in Its Place......Page 150
8. Predictive Mapping of Crime by ProMap: Accuracy, Units of Analysis, and the Environmental Backcloth......Page 176
9. Urban Streets as Micro Contexts to Commit Violence......Page 204
10. Determining How Journeys-to-Crime Vary: Measuring Inter and Intra-Offender Crime Trip Distributions......Page 222
About the Authors......Page 242
B......Page 249
C......Page 250
D......Page 251
G......Page 252
K......Page 253
N......Page 254
P......Page 255
S......Page 256
V......Page 257
Z......Page 258
