Spatial Distribution of Criminal Offenses by States, 1970-76

Abstract

The geographic, or spatial, analysis of crime in the United States has been relatively slighted by investigators interested in criminality and criminal justice. This paper treats the distribution of crime across the fifty states using crime rates from the Uniform Crime Reports, 1970-76. Our analysis indicates the pattern in which vi olent crime, with the exception of homicide, and property crime of all types are shifting away from the North and East to the Sun Belt and West. These shifts have definite policy implications for the criminal justice system. Effective responses to criminal activity must begin with an overall assessment of a locality's, state's, or region's major crime problem. This paper is one initial effort in this direction.