The role of deprivation and alcohol availability in shaping trends in violent crime

Abstract

It is well known that both deprivation and alcohol availability are associated with violent crime. However, less is known about whether the former moderates the latter. Pioneering the linkage of novel alcohol availability measures derived from consumer data with police data and an index of deprivation, we examine inequalities in violent crime across small-level geography (LSOAs) for the whole of England. Our findings confirmed a recent upward trend in recorded violent crime in England between 2011 and 2018 and substantial between-area variability in recorded violent crime, as well as an increase in violent crime inequality across LSOAs during the period of analysis. Violent crime was higher in areas with increased deprivation and alcohol availability, especially in the form of on-licensed premises. On-licence availability, in the form of pubs, bars and nightclubs, explained variability in recorded violent crime more so when compared with off-licence availability. A positive interaction effect between alcohol availability (in the form of on-licensed premises) and deprivation showed how deprivation amplified the impact of alcohol availability, with more deprived areas having a stronger impact of on-licence availability on violent crime. Deprivation is thus an important contextual factor when considering rates and the social ecology of violence. Our findings suggest a need to respond to the disproportionate impact of violence on areas with higher levels of deprivation and availability of on-licensed premises.

Nightlife activity and crime: The impact of COVID-19 related nightlife restrictions on violent crime

“…First, we use 0.01 km 2 grid cells (100 m × 100 m) as our unit of analysis, which is more finely grained than most other analyses. The geographical unit used in most studies is based on census tract data or LSOA (Lower Super Output Area) ( Langton, Dixon, & Farrell, 2021a ; Lightowlers, Pina-Sánchez, & McLaughlin, 2021 ). Second, the gradual opening (and lockdown) of Danish society allows distinction to be drawn between different levels of opening-hour restrictions and, thus, different levels of nightlife activity.…”

Neighborhood Ecological Models of Alcohol Outlet Density and Male–on–Female Domestic Violence: Accounting for Adjacent Place and Neighborhood Characteristics

“…Other forms of disadvantage, such as lack of health insurance, also produce deleterious effects in communities as a consequence of delayed health care among victims of domestic violence due to a lack of health insurance (Stansfield & Doherty, 2019). Alcohol availability and concentrated disadvantage have direct effects on violence as illustrated by these studies, but the strength of the alcohol/violence association is greater in socially disorganized communities, with more deprived areas experiencing a stronger impact of on-premise outlets on violence (Lightowlers, Pina-Sánchez, & McLaughlin, 2021;Pridemore & Grubesic, 2012).…”

Crime Prevention Based on the Strategic Mapping of Living Conditions

“…The statistical data are mapped onto 250 × 250 m grids that cover mainly urban areas across Sweden with more than 200 inhabitants. These 250 × 250 m grids have a better geographical resolution than other Swedish geographical divisions, such as Demographic Statistics Areas (DeSO) or Small Areas for Market Statistics (SAMS) [36], and also compared to the Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOA) employed in similar research in England [18]. The indexation of living conditions is based on the following variables:…”

“…This research also indicated that vulnerable areas are exposed to crime to varying extents. Some deprived areas have high rates of both violent and other crimes, while others do not differ significantly from non-vulnerable residential areas [18]. These variations have been addressed using several criminological theories, such as the social disorganization theory and the collective efficacy theory.…”