11 - Disorder

Summary

The first criminal is the landlord

– Lena Boone, long-time president of the Upton Improvement Association (Baltimore)

This chapter considers disorder, in particular, the issues of crime, fear of crime, and vandalism. It addresses the question: How is territorial functioning relevant to these outcomes? Where territorial functioning is “stronger,” are crime, fear of crime, and vandalism less evident? If so, why?

Organization of the chapter

The chapter opens with an outline of the three related social problems to be addressed. Following this introduction a general model linking territorial functioning to these outcomes is presented. The model constitutes an application and extension of the general model we have been relying on throughout the volume. Next, the theoretical processes linking territorial functioning to crime, fear of crime, and vandalism are outlined. This preliminary orientation completed, we examine the empirical work on each of the “predictors” of disorder used in our model: physical and social factors, context, territorial functioning, and offender perceptions. The final sections of the chapter consider the practical implications of research to date, future research needs, and conclusions.

The nature of the problems

Crime

Crime has insinuated itself into the lives of millions of Americans. The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that about one quarter of all households in America are “touched” by crime in a year. Luckily, the number of households experiencing serious or violent crime is much smaller.

Nonetheless, it is clear that in the last 25 years this country has witnessed a sizable increase in crime rates (Figure 11.1).