REASSESSING THE STRUCTURAL COVARIATES OF VIOLENT AND PROPERTY CRIMES IN THE USA - A COUNTY LEVEL ANALYSIS

With a large set of US counties, measures for the subculture of violen ce theory, economic deprivation, economic inequality, social integrati on and other structural variables are tested on property and violent c rime indices and homicide rates. Prior research based mainly on small samples of highly urban environments produced conflicting results, and was marred by serious methodological and theoretical problems. In add ition, the previous literature neglected non-urban areas, race and eth nic correlates of crime, and social integration and other structural f actors. Employing a variety of research strategies and techniques, we fail to support the subculture of violence theory as applied to the re gion of the South or blacks. With an important qualification, we simil arly fail to obtain support for economic inequality. Support is found for economic deprivation in the case of homicide and social integratio n across every dependent variable. Urbanity is the main determinant of property crime, urbanity and population density are important factors in violent crime, and poverty, divorce and density figure strongly in homicide. Poverty and divorce continue to be the strongest determinan ts of homicide in rural counties, while population mobility and urbani ty are the strongest factors in both rural violent and property crime. Unemployment also plays a strong role in rural property crime.