Estimating Crime in Place: Moving Beyond Residence Location. (October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cernat, Alexandru; Buil-Gil, David; Brunton-Smith, Ian; Pina-Sánchez, Jose; Murrià-Sangenís, Marta
• Is Part Of: Crime and delinquency. Volume 68:Number 11(2022)
• Page Start: 2061
• Page End: 2091
• Publication Date: 2022-10
• Subjects: measurement error -- reporting -- crime mapping -- police data -- crime surveys -- Barcelona; Crime -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile delinquency -- United States -- Periodicals; 364.05
• DOI: 10.1177/00111287211064779
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0011-1287

Abstract

We assess if asking victims about the places where crimes happen leads to estimates of "crime in place" with better measurement properties. We analyze data from the Barcelona Victimization Survey (2015–2020) aggregated in 73 neighborhoods using longitudinal quasi-simplex models and criterion validity to estimate the quality of four types of survey-based measures of crime. The distribution of survey-based offense location estimates, as opposed to victim residence estimates, is highly similar to police-recorded crime statistics, and there is little trade off in terms of the reliability and validity of offense location and victim residence measures. Estimates of crimes reported to the police show a better validity, but their reliability is lower and capture fewer crimes.