Racial Heterogeneity and Crime: Measuring Static and Dynamic Effects
Research in Community Sociology, Vol. 10, pp. 189-219, 2000
16 Pages Posted: 27 Mar 2012
Date Written: 2000
Abstract
Using a measure to distinguish between five racial groups, this study examines the relationship between racial heterogeneity and crime within neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington at two points in time - 1980 and 1990 - and, more importantly, determines whether changes in levels of racial heterogeneity are associated with changes in the crime rate over the 10-year period. There are three significant findings: 1) racial heterogeneity is a strong predictor of neighborhood violent crime independent of other socio-economic and demographic factors; 2) the inclusion of racial heterogeneity in the model reduces the predictive strength of percent black in explaining violent crime; and 3) changes in levels of racial heterogeneity are positively associated with changes in the violent crime rate.
Keywords: racial heterogeneity, crime, neighborhoods
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