Evidence of the effect of wealth observed by criminals on the risk of becoming a victim of property crimes

Safety in the global south: Criminal victimization in Brazilian rural areas

“…Based on some previous studies, these authors expanded and formalized a sociological theory (which they refer to as the opportunity model of predatory victimization) to explain victimization risk. According to this approach, five factors are strongly related to risk: exposure, proximity, guardianship, target attractiveness, and definitional properties of specific crimes (Justus and Kassouf, 2013). We agree with Cerqueira and Lobão (2004), who argue that the lifestyle theory is not, stricto sensu, a crime causation theory.…”

“…Both aspects can be related to the attractiveness of the victim in relation to property crimes. In fact, Cohen et al (1981) state that wealthier people are more attractive for criminals, which is a result partially confirmed for Brazil by Justus and Kassouf (2013), who found an inverted U relationship between income and victimization risk in São Paulo; however, the maximum risk of personal victimization is reached at a monthly spending level of R$3,423 (about USD1,500). The income of most people in Brazil is such that any marginal increase in their income increases their risk of victimization.…”

“…This extensive literature includes studies by Sparks (1981), Miethe and McDowall (1993), Levitt (1999) and Gaviria and Pag es (2002), all presenting relevant empirical results. In Brazil, Carneiro (2000), Beato et al (2004), Gomes and Paz (2008), Carvalho and Lavor (2008), Madalozzo and Furtado (2011), and Justus and Kassouf (2013) also analyzed this issue. However, none of them performed empirical modeling using only individual data collected in rural areas.…”

Commuting time, public exposure and victimization: Evidence from Brazilian metropolitan regions

“…Peixoto, Andrade, and Moro (), using victimization data from the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro, Recife, São Paulo, and Vitória, demonstrated that individuals who go outside of their home daily or weekly have a higher chance of being the victims of urban theft. Justus and Kassouf (), using victimization surveys from the city of São Paulo, found that working outside the home increases the probability of being a victim of robbery or theft. However, to the best of our knowledge, studies have neither provided evidence about the causal influence of a longer commute time on the chance of being a victim of urban violence nor considered a set of all Brazilian metropolitan regions.…”

Classifying Residential Real Estate Based on Their Exposure to Crime: a Research Agenda

“…Several studies have shown that an increase in crime levels in residential areas is usually associated with an increased risk of experiencing psychological stress (e.g. Justus, Kassouf 2013;Janssen 2014). Crime is also related to health at a physical level (Kerr et al 2015), with young people being the most vulnerable.…”