The spatial dynamics of crime in nonmetropolitan
locations can be understood as a product of social, economic, and
demographic influences that are often unique to those areas. Thus
there is a need for research on nonmetropolitan crime that takes
location and geographic context seriously. This research project was
designed to demonstrate the contributions that Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis procedures can make to the study of
crime patterns in a largely nonmetropolitan region of the United
States. The project examined the extent to which the relationship
between various structural factors and crime varied across
metropolitan and nonmetropolitan locations in Appalachia over
time. GIS and crime mapping technologies enabled the researcher to
look more rigorously at the spatial patterns and ecological contexts
of crime.
To investigate the spatial patterns of crime for
this project, a georeferenced dataset was compiled at the county level
for each of the 399 counties comprising the Appalachian region. The
data came from numerous secondary data sources, including the Federal
Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports, the Decennial Census of
the United States, the Department of Agriculture, and the Appalachian
Regional Commission. Data were gathered on the demographic
distribution, change, and composition of each county, as well as other
socioeconomic indicators. The dependent variables were index crime
rates derived from the Uniform Crime Reports, with separate variables
for violent and property crimes. These data were integrated into a GIS
database in order to enhance the research with respect to: (1) data
integration and visualization, (2) exploratory spatial analysis, and
(3) confirmatory spatial analysis and statistical modeling. In order
to portray the contextual diversity of crime in Appalachia, three
different county classifications, each based on different criteria,
were employed: (1) Appalachian subregions, consisting of North,
Central, and South Appalachia, (2) Beale county codes based on
metro-nonmetro designations, population size, and adjacency to
metropolitan counties, and (3) distressed county codes based on
measures of poverty, unemployment, and per capita income.
All counties comprising the Appalachian region.
Counties.
Data were obtained from the Federal Bureau of
Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports, the Decennial Census of the
United States, the Department of Agriculture, and the Appalachian
Regional Commission.
aggregate data
Part 1 contains variables for Appalachian
subregions, Beale county codes, distress codes, number of families and
households, population size, racial and age composition of population,
dependency ratio, population growth, number of births and deaths, net
migration, education, household composition, median family income,
male and female employment status, and mobility. Part 2 variables
include county identifiers plus numbers of total index crimes, violent
index crimes, property index crimes, homicides, rapes, robberies,
assaults, burglaries, larcenies, and motor vehicle thefts annually
from 1977 to 1996.
Not applicable.
None.