Putting Crime in its Place: Units of Analysis in Geographic Criminology focuses on the units of analysis used in geographic criminology. While crime and place studies have been a part of criminology from the early 19th century, growing interest in crime places over the last two decades demands critical reflection on the units of analysis that should form the focus of geographic analysis of crime. Should the focus be on very small units such as street addresses or street segments, or on larger aggregates such as census tracts or communities? Academic researchers, as well as practical crime analysts, are confronted routinely with the dilemma of deciding what the unit of analysis should be when reporting on trends in crime, when identifying crime hot spots or when mapping crime in cities. In place-based crime prevention, the choice of the level of aggregation plays a particularly critical role. This peer reviewed collection of essays aims to contribute to crime and place studies by making explicit the problems involved in choosing units of analysis in geographic criminology. Written by renowned experts in the field, the chapters in this book address basic academic questions, and also provide real-life examples and applications of how they are resolved in cutting-edge research. Crime analysts in police and law enforcement agencies as well as academic researchers studying the spatial distributions of crime and victimization will learn from the discussions and tools presented.

Well-defined focus on how one should go about choosing a level of aggregation in research of crime at places

Putting Crime in its Place: Units of Analysis in Geographic Criminology Edited by David Weisburd, Wim Bernasco and Gerben J.N. Bruinsma Table of Contents Introduction 1-Units of Analysis in Geographic Criminology: Historical Development, Critical Issues and Open Questions David Weisburd, Gerben J.N. Bruinsma, Wim Bernasco Part IWhat is the Appropriate Level of Investigation of Crime At Place?Theoretical and Methodological Issues in Defining Units of Place 2-Why Small is Better: Advancing the Study of the Role of Behavioral Contexts in Crime CausationDietrich Oberwittler, Per-Olof H. Wikström 3-Where the Action is at Places: Examining Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Juvenile Crime at Places Using Trajectory Analysis and GIS Elizabeth Groff, David Weisburd, Nancy A. Morris 4-Crime Analysis at Multiple Scales of Aggregation: A Topological Approach Patricia L. Brantingham, Paul J. Brantingham, Mona Vajihollahi, Kathryn Wuschke 5-Geographical Units of Analysis and the Analysis of Crime George F. Rengert, Brian Lockwood 6-Waves, Particles and Crime Michael D. Maltz Part IIEmpirical Examples of Crime Place Studies: What Can We Learn? 7-Crime, Neighborhoods and Units of Analysis: Putting Space in its Place George E. Tita, Robert T. Greenbaum 8-Predictive Mapping of Crime by ProMap: Accuracy, Units of Analysis and the Environmental Backcloth Shane D. Johnson, Kate J. Bowers, Daniel J. Birks, Ken Pease 9-Urban Streets as MicroContexts to Commit Violence Johan van Wilsem 10-Determining How Journeys-To-Crime Vary: Measuring Inter- and Intra-Offender Crime Trip Distributions William Smith, John W. Bond, Michael Townsley