Testing effects of hospitality employment on property crime in the United States

This study aims to model the effect of hospitality employment on property crime in economic crime equations, in which unemployment either indicates the opportunity cost of crime or suggests the decrease of targets. We developed a model of property crime that incorporates both unemployment rate and hospitality employment, in which the effect of unemployment rate on property crime is controlled to isolate the net effect of hospitality employment. We tested the model with the data of hospitality employment and property crime rates in the United States from 1972 to 2012, for which the date are available. On the one hand, we verified a negative causation from unemployment rate to property crime, suggesting that high unemployment rates reduce the targets of criminal activities, which in turn reduces property crime. On the other hand, by controlling for the effect of unemployment rate, we found a significantly negative causation from hospitality employment to property crime, suggesting that the decrease in property crime is due to hospitality employment that increases the opportunity cost of property crime.

Relevant issues of crime prevention in the sphere of state procurement

Based on the normative acts in force and domestic scientific literature, this article analyzes social relations associated with the implementation of state procurement procedures. The goal is set to examine criminal activity in the sphere of state procurement for outlining the relevant vectors of crime prevention therein. The article identifies the gaps in the current legislation that negatively affect the dynamics of crime in this sphere. Special attention is given to the statistical method that reveals the key characteristics of criminologically significant information, such as circumstances of crime, classification of crime, and cost of crime. The author offers a range of ideas, the realization of which would help to reduce the amount of crime committed in the process of implementation of state order. The structure of this work includes the analysis of the determinants of crime discovered within the framework of studying the normative-legal, investigative-judicial, and domestic doctrinal sources. The novelty of this research lies in outlining the following vectors leaning on the latest information: improvement of current legislation for increasing the effectiveness of the mechanism of determination of formal-legitimate organizations and failure of cash-out transactions, reference to advanced foreign experience, revision of the mechanism of for assessing the activity of authorized budget holders, give due attention to the question of interaction of various regulatory agencies in terms of implementation of their activity.

Definition and classification of crime for calculation of its social consequences (cost)

The scientific community still does not have uniformity with regards to the definition of crime, although this concept is crucial in criminology, without which the existence and development of this science is impossible. Crime is a multifaceted phenomenon; thus, its examination within the framework of a single science does not reflect all of the aspects. The author examines various existing approaches towards the definition of crime; analyzes the concepts of natural criminal and the counter-theories. The question of the immanence of crime is explored. However, it does not seem possible to determine the only reasonable viewpoint and deny the rational kernel of other approaches. The analysis of the existing concepts and approaches towards definition of crime once again demonstrates the controversy of the question. Therefore, the analysis of opinions allows concluding on the need for classification crime, including via specific understanding of this concept. Such classification sufficiently reflects the extent of current public awareness of the criminal law, while retaining semantic load from the perspective of criminology. It also prompts the development of research on the social consequences (cost) of crime, since namely this approach seems logical for calculation of the social consequences (cost) of crime.

Redrawing hot spots of crime in Dallas, Texas

In this work we evaluate the predictive capability of identifying long term, micro place hot spots in Dallas, Texas. We create hot spots using a hierarchical clustering algorithm, using law enforcement cost of crime estimates as weights. Relative to the much larger current hot spot areas defined by the Dallas Police Department, our identified hot spots are much smaller (under 3 square miles), and capture crime harm at a higher density per the Predictive Accuracy Index statistic. We also show that the hierarchical clustering algorithm captures a wide array of hot spot types; some one or two addresses, some street segments, and others an agglomeration of larger areas. This suggests identifying hot spots based on a specific unit of aggregation (e.g. addresses, street segments), may be less efficient than using a hierarchical clustering technique in practice. Code and data to reproduce the analysis can be downloaded from https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kcask6pinaaaz4v/AAC4CXk6NzUweyld2n4OznzWa?dl=0

Cost of crime in Ukraine: an empirical analysis

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the cost of crime as understood in Ukrainian and foreign criminology, investigating both the direct and indirect damage caused by crime, its social consequences and Ukrainians’ attitudes toward its costs. Design/methodology/approach From January 2018 to May 2019, data were gathered using an online questionnaire from 717 respondents between 14 and 65 years of age residing in all regions of Ukraine. Findings Results suggest a high level of concern among Ukrainian citizens regarding security and crime. Latent criminality, crime rates and mistrust of law enforcement are high in Ukraine. It was found that the total cost of crime to the respondents (losses from crimes) reached UAH2m, and 69.3 per cent reported fear of becoming a victim of crime, with 26.2 per cent indicating that they had already been victims. Practical implications The knowledge of the cost of crime obtained in this study is vital for understanding crime in Ukraine. The results could be effectively leveraged to develop effective and cost-efficient means of combating crime. They could also be used to forecast crime rates, and thus, optimize future responses to the challenges of crime. Originality/value This is the first comprehensive study of the cost of crime in Ukraine and it indicates both the tangible and intangible costs of the damage it inflicts. Notwithstanding the country-specific case-study context, the results could inform discussions and decisions at a broader international scale, subject to the usual caveats.