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Table of Contents | Background & Objective | Contributors
Spatially Integrated Social Science: Chapter 8
< Chapter 7 - Chapter 9 >
Spatial (Dis)Advantage and Homicide in Chicago Neighborhoods
Robert J. Sampson and Jeffrey D. Morenoff
Abstract
This study links police records, vital statistics, census data, and an original survey of 8,872 Chicago residents to assess the spatial interdependence of neighborhood-level homicide rates. Structural characteristics in 1990 and survey measures from 1995 are used to model variations in the event rate of homicide for 1996-1998 across 343 neighborhoods. Spatial proximity to homicide risk is strongly and positively related to variations in homicide rates, adjusting for internal structural characteristics, social processes, and even prior homicide. Concentrated disadvantage, along with low levels of social control and cohesion, predict higher rates of homicide. In addition to the extreme inequality of neighborhood resources, both economic and social in nature, spatial dynamics are therefore consequential for explaining urban violence.
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