“It’s All About Just Creating the Safe Space”: Barbershops and Beauty Salons as Community Anchors in Black Neighborhoods: Crime Prevention, Cohesion, and Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

We conducted 13 in-depth qualitative interviews with Black owners of barbershops or beauty salons within predominantly Black neighborhoods to explore the social mechanisms that aid in suppressing crime. Four emergent themes arose: (1) community anchors and safe havens, (2) violence interrupters, (3) life counselors, and (4) COVID-19 disruption and lessons of resiliency. Findings from this study contribute to the theoretical and empirical literature focused on “local institutions” and the importance of these businesses in building informal social control within Black communities. Further, these findings enhance our understanding of underlying place-based crime prevention mechanisms. This study promotes these institutions as key components in future crime prevention and public health interventions.