Uncovering the spatial patterning of crimes: A Criminal Movement Model (CriMM)

Andrew A. Reid; Richard Frank; Natalia Iwanski; Vahid Dabbaghian; Patricia Brantingham

Summary

Collection(s)	Collection(s) DC Faculty Research & Scholarship
Content type	Content type Digital Document
Resource Type	Resource Type Text
Genre	Genre article
Language	Language English
Peer Review Status	Peer Review Status Peer Reviewed

Persons and Affiliations

Persons	Author (aut): Reid, Andrew A. Author (aut): Frank, Richard Author (aut): Iwanski, Natalia Author (aut): Dabbaghian, Vahid Author (aut): Brantingham, Patricia

Origin Information

Date Created/Date Issued	2013
Publisher	SAGE Publications

Abstract/Description

Abstract

Objectives:
The main objective of this study was to see if the characteristics of offenders’ crimes exhibit spatial patterning in crime neutral areas by examining the relationship between simulated travel routes of offenders along the physical road network and the actual locations of their crimes in the same geographic space.

Method:
This study introduced a Criminal Movement model (CriMM) that simulates travel patterns of known offenders. Using offenders’ home locations, locations of major attractors (e.g., shopping centers), and variations of Dijkstra’s shortest path algorithm we modeled the routes that offenders are likely to take when traveling from their home to an attractor. We then compare the locations of offenders’ crimes to these paths and analyze their proximity characteristics. This process was carried out using data on 7,807 property offenders from five municipalities in the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) in British Columbia, Canada.

Results:
The results show that a great proportion of crimes tend to be located geographically proximal to the simulated travel paths with a distance decay pattern characterizing the distribution of distance measures.

Conclusion: These results lend support to Crime Pattern Theory and the idea that there is an underlying pattern to crimes in crime neutral areas.

Publication/Container Information

Publication Title	Publication Title Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency
Publication Number	Publication Number Volume 51, Issue 2

Identifiers

DOI	DOI 10.1177/0022427813483753
ISSN	ISSN 0022-4278

Notes

Note

Note	publication status: Final article published

Access and Rights

URL	URL https://go.openathens.net/redirector/douglascollege.ca?url=https%3A//journals.s…
Use and Reproduction	Use and Reproduction ©2013. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. SAGE.
Rights Statement	Rights Statement IN COPYRIGHT - EDUCATIONAL USE PERMITTED

Subjects and Classifications

Keywords	Keywords crime attractor road network target selection journey to crime crime pattern theory

Relationships

Uncovering the spatial patterning of crimes: A Criminal Movement Model (CriMM)

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