Beyond the Social Production of Homicide Rates: Extending Social Disorganization Theory to Explain Homicide Case Outcomes

Abstract

This paper examines the intersection of social disorganization at a community level with responses to crime. In contrast to other works examining the impact of social disorganization on the production of crime rates, we examine the role of social disorganization theory in responses to crime rates (i.e. the arrest and conviction of perpetrators of crime). In an effort to examine these dynamics, we use law enforcement data from Cleveland, Ohio to explore the role of social disorganization in the ability of police and the courts to respond to homicide cases. Such an examination suggests not only how far the law extends in community responses to homicide but also reveals an extension of social disorganization theory beyond its established role in explaining the production of crime rates.

“Oh hell no, we don't talk to police”

“…Researchers have attributed variation in clearance rates to an array of factors, including victim–offender relationships (Dugan, Nagin, & Rosenfeld, ; Ousey & Lee, ), victim–offender characteristics (e.g., race, class, gender, and age; Braga, Turchan, & Barao, ; Lee, ; Roberts, ; Taylor, Holleran, & Topalli, ), investigative tactics (Braga & Dusseault, ; Carter & Carter, ; Gilbert, ; Jang, Hoover, & Lawton, ; Wellford & Cronin, ; Wellford et al., ), evidence processing (Baskin & Sommers, ; McEwen, ; Schroeder & White, ), community context (Borg & Parker, ; Ousey & Lee, ; Regoeczi & Jarvis, ; Roberts, ), and lack of citizen cooperation (Jarvis & Regoeczi, ; Regoeczi & Jarvis, ). Scholars have consistently shown that cooperating witnesses substantially increase the likelihood of cases being cleared (Baskin & Sommers, ; Peterson, Sommers, Baskin, & Johnson, ; Wellford et al., ), especially eyewitnesses (Regoeczi & Jarvis, ). Thus, improving fatal and nonfatal shooting clearance rates in disadvantaged urban areas—places disproportionately impacted by drug‐ and gang‐related incidents—requires increasing bystanders’ willingness to come forward with credible information.…”

Adjusting Rates of Homicide Clearance by Arrest for Investigation Difficulty

“…Because citizen cooperation plays a major role in investigators' ability to gather the information and evidence required for a successful arrest (e.g., Reiss, 1971), homicides in socially disorganized communities are harder to clear. Socially disorganized communities also tend to foster unfamiliarity among residents, making identification of perpetrators and witnesses more difficult (Regoeczi & Jarvis, 2013).…”

What clears burglary offenses? Estimating the influences of multiple perspectives of burglary clearance in Philadelphia

“…In contrast, some researchers have argued that the police always prioritize murder investigations (Gottfredson and Hindelang, 1979;Wolfgang, 1958) so that the likelihood of homicide clearance is based on non-discretionary, or legal factors, including the use of weapons (Roberts, 2007), availability of witnesses and evidence (Litwin, 2004), and workload of the police (Klinger, 1997), among others. More recently, studies have begun to inquire as to how community-level processes might influence the clearance of offenses by testing the potential effects of broken windows police enforcement ( Jang et al, 2008) and social disorganization theory (Mustaine et al, 2012(Mustaine et al, , 2013Regoeczi and Jarvis, 2013;Roberts, 2008) on varied offenses. This section will 747 Burglary clearance in Philadelphia review each of these theoretical perspectives and the corresponding predictors shown to influence crime clearance rates.…”