Neighborhoods-not immigrants-determining factor for homicides

Extending Immigration and Crime Studie National Implications and Local Settings

From The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 

Public opinion and public policy often assume that immigration is directly related to higher rates of crime, but the social conditions of neighborhoods actually have a more significant effect on violent crimes than immigrant populations. This study examines the issue using local and national data over several decades. The researchers selected two cities affected by immigration in different ways during different time periods, as well as recent national data that compare violent crime rates to immigration concentration levels. They concluded that immigration does not necessarily mean more homicide, location and neighborhood characteristics were the most significant influencers of homicide rates. “Neighborhoods with higher levels of disadvantage experience significantly more homicides, including those that are gang- and drug-related,” wrote the authors. “Residential stability, percentage professional, adult to child ratio, and young male emerges (but the latter two in opposite directions) for total and gang homicide.” They feel their findings could be used to help direct immigrant crime prevention resources to other more influential areas, such as help to encourage Latinos to seek employment in professional occupations.

Renewed interest in criminal careers

Special issue

From European Journal Of Criminology

This ‘criminal careers’ special issue showcases some of the best studies by respected European researchers exploring engagement in crime over the life course. Attention to the subject has been prompted by renewed interest in why people stop offending, and the processes by which they are rehabilitated or resettled back into the community. The issue includes re-analysis of existing data and some new cohort studies. The articles examine typology of offenders, the impact of social environment and consider a range of factors such as: parental income; ADHD; violence; aggression and gender. This collection points to useful directions for future research, particularly for European longitudinal research projects.

War crimes and the ruin of law

From Millennium – Journal of International Studies

The Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has acted as a prototype for international criminal justice in the aftermath of violent conflict and stated that ‘those who perpetrate horrific war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity will not go unpunished’. It poses the question if such differentiation between acceptable / unacceptable, justifiable / unjustifiable, and right / wrong war killings normalize and legitimize the brutal violence, injuries and deaths through war. This article considers the socio-political effects of the war crimes tribunal in terms of its conceptual impact on our collective understanding of war itself. it concludes with a number of strategies for rethinking what it means to account for violence. It argues that as tribunals function to exceptionalize certain behaviors in war as uniquely abhorrent perhaps pacifism is the only real alternative to work toward.

Links between animal cruelty and domestic violence

Is animal cruelty a “red flag” for family violence? investigating co-occurring violence toward children, partners, and pets

From Journal of Interpersonal Violence

This week in the UK a nation of animal lovers were horrified at the CCTV footage circulated on YouTube that caught a woman throwing a cat in a wheely bin. For all who cannot comprehend the motivation to perform such an act of cruelty this article may offer some clues as it examines links between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence. Such links have been recognized throughout history. This study highlights formal indications of support by policy makers for a link between animal- and human-directed violence through recent legislation. Several U.S. states have started to codify colloquial belief in these associations with the development of mandated cross-reporting systems for child protection and animal welfare agencies. The research considers if the identification of animal cruelty in a home may serve as a reliable red flag for the presence of child maltreatment or severe domestic violence.