Andrew S. Denney, Christopher E. Torres, Christina Oram, M. Sutton
{"title":"Crime at places of worship: a geospatial analysis","authors":"Andrew S. Denney, Christopher E. Torres, Christina Oram, M. Sutton","doi":"10.1080/1478601X.2022.2141890","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Many religions often require followers to attend services at physical places of worship (PWs). However, the combination of individuals interacting with one another and the mere presence of physical structures for worship create numerous crime opportunities. The current study examines 6,772 crimes reported to police that occurred at PWs over a two-calendar year period (2009–2010) in one large Southern U.S. metropolitan city. Specifically, this study examines the types/frequencies of crime reported to police at PWs and the geospatial characteristics of PWs that were hotspots. In total, 78 crime categories occurred in the 1,081 unique cases, with theft being the most common offense. Additionally, most hotspot PWs were located near major intersections or bypasses. Policy implications and directions for future research will also be discussed.","PeriodicalId":45877,"journal":{"name":"CRIMINAL JUSTICE STUDIES","volume":"35 1","pages":"347 - 363"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2022-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"CRIMINAL JUSTICE STUDIES","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1478601X.2022.2141890","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"OPERATIONS RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
ABSTRACT Many religions often require followers to attend services at physical places of worship (PWs). However, the combination of individuals interacting with one another and the mere presence of physical structures for worship create numerous crime opportunities. The current study examines 6,772 crimes reported to police that occurred at PWs over a two-calendar year period (2009–2010) in one large Southern U.S. metropolitan city. Specifically, this study examines the types/frequencies of crime reported to police at PWs and the geospatial characteristics of PWs that were hotspots. In total, 78 crime categories occurred in the 1,081 unique cases, with theft being the most common offense. Additionally, most hotspot PWs were located near major intersections or bypasses. Policy implications and directions for future research will also be discussed.
期刊介绍:
Criminal Justice Studies, a quarterly refereed journal, publishes articles that deal with substantive criminal justice and criminological issues. The journal welcomes all articles that are relevant to the issue of criminal justice, as well as those that may be outside the field but have relevancy to the topic of criminal justice. Articles that cover public administration, issues of public policy, as well as public affairs issues are welcome. The journal also publishes relevant literature reviews, research notes and summary reports of innovative research projects in criminal justice. Qualitative and quantifiable articles are sought mainly from academics and researchers in the field, though articles from professionals will also be considered.