Our current understanding of the role of the social environment in crime causation is at best rudimentary. Guided by the theoretical framework of Situational Action Theory, and using data from the ESRC financed Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study (PADS?), this paper aims to propose how we can better theorise and study the role of the social environment, particularly the person and place interaction, in crime causation. We will introduce, and illustrate the usefulness of, a space-time budget methodology as a means of capturing people's exposure to settings and describing their activity fields. We will suggest and demonstrate that, combined with a small area community survey and psychometric measures of individual characteristics, a space-time budget is a powerful tool for advancing our knowledge about the role of the social environment, and its interaction with people's crime propensity, in crime causation. Our unique data allows us to study the convergence in time and space of crime propensity, criminogenic exposure and crime events. As far as we are aware, such an analysis has never before been carried out. The findings show that there are (a) clear associations between young people's activity fields and their exposure to criminogenic settings, (b) clear associations between their exposure to criminogenic settings and their crime involvement, and, crucially, (c) that the influence of criminogenic exposure depends on a person's crime propensity. Having a crime-averse morality and strong ability to exercise self-control appears to make young people practically situationally immune to the influences of criminogenic settings, while having a crime-prone moralityThe Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study (PADS?) is funded by a large grant from the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). For further information about PADS? and its research see www.pads.ac.uk.
The aim of the study is to detect geographical clustering of offences over time using Kulldorff’s scan test (SaTScan version 9.01; Kulldorff, 2010) and police recorded data over Stockholm city, the capital of Sweden. This technique has a rigorous inference theory for identifying statistically significant clusters. The space–time scan statistics are used in a single retrospective analysis using data from 1st January 2006 to 31st December 2009. A four years’ dataset is collapsed into ‘one year’. All space-time dimensions of the data are kept except ‘year’. Clusters over the hours of the day, weekday and weekend and by seasons were tested. Total population but also day-time and night-time populations were used as reference. Findings show clear distinct patterns of concentration for violence (assault and threat) and property crimes (theft, robbery and burglary) over time and space. Whilst property crimes tend to happen more often in the afternoons in the center and regional commercial centers in the southern and western parts of Stockholm, violence takes place more often in the night, and is heavily concentrated in large parts of the city center. Weekends are more targeted than weekdays for both offences. Regardless of day of the week, the main urban core of the city contains the most likely cluster that extends to commercial and socially disorganized areas in the west and south Stockholm. Whilst property crime levels do not show significant differences over the seasons, violent crimes levels do (winter and summer). The most likely clusters tend to be fairly constant in space over time. The article ends with implications of the results for both research and practice
This article discusses the nature of environmental and wildlife crime (EWC) in Sweden. A review of the international literature helps to frame the Swedish case study. The novelty of this study lies in using 11 years of police records as well as newspaper articles (Media archives) as a basis for analysis. Geographical Information System (GIS) supports the spatial analysis of EWC at municipal and coordinate levels. Since most EWCs take place outside large urban areas, this study looks closely at the cases of EWC in the rural county of Västernorrland. Findings show an increase in both EWCs recorded by the police and covered by the media in the last decade. EWC-geography varies by crime type: rural areas are in general more prone to unlawful handling of chemicals and to nature and wildlife crimes than are urban areas, where dumping and other minor EWCs are more common. Detection of EWCs is highly dependent on people's routine activities and accessibility. Drawing upon the Swedish evidence, the article closes with suggestions for improvements in research on environmental and wildlife crimes.
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