Criminal Behavior and Distribution of Criminal Offenses: An Exploratory Analysis of Crime in Chicago.

Keywords: Criminal behavior, crime patterns, rationality, routine activities, Chicago
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Crime is one of the major concerns facing many cities in the United States. Crime prevention practitioners and criminologists are increasingly aware of the importance of geographies of crime. Although many studies have explored the spatial patterns of crime, there is still limited understanding of offenders' spatial decision-making. Three theoretical perspectives, rational choice, routine activity, and crime patterns theory, have influenced our understanding of place in crime prevention and criminal behavior. The three theories can be used to develop testable hypotheses describing crime events and offenders' behavior. Using crime, arrest, and socioeconomic data, this study examines the spatial patterns of crime to explain the criminal behaviors of robbery, burglary, and motor vehicle theft offenders at the block group level in Chicago. The study adopts exploratory data analysis methods involving spatial statics and regression analysis to develop Hypotheses concerning offenders' criminal behavior. The result of the study will improve the understanding of crime and how it can be prevented. Additionally, the study will improve the understanding of criminal spatial behavior by using the observed spatial patterns of crime events to hypothesize and test the rationality of criminal behavior.