The promise and challenge of activity-based crime rates: a comparison of the USA, Canada, and Australia

Alternatives to population-based crime rates were first introduced in 1965. Activity-based crime rates derive numerator data from activity-specific crime events, then match these to time spent in the same activities. Activity-based rates can produce a vastly different picture of risk, not captured b...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Vaughan, Adam D. (Author)
Contributors: Har, Timothy C. ; Hewitt, Ashley N. ; Felson, Marcus
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2021
In: European journal on criminal policy and research
Year: 2021, Volume: 27, Issue: 3, Pages: 397-395
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Alternative crime rates
Environmental Criminology
Routine Activities
exposure to risk
Description
Summary:Alternatives to population-based crime rates were first introduced in 1965. Activity-based crime rates derive numerator data from activity-specific crime events, then match these to time spent in the same activities. Activity-based rates can produce a vastly different picture of risk, not captured by population-based rates. Given that numerator and denominator data may be drawn from different sources using different methods, these rates can create a matching challenge. Yet, dramatic results justify that effort. This paper offers new activity-based crime rate calculations for Canada and Australia, then relates these to prior estimates in the USA. Despite data variations among the three nations, activity-based crime rates give us an overall understanding of crime risk not captured by population-based rates.
ISSN:1572-9869
DOI:10.1007/s10610-020-09461-4