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Partners in Crime: Schools, Neighborhoods and the Formation of Criminal Networks

Author

Listed:
  • Stephen B. Billings

    (University of North Carolina-Charlotte)

  • David J. Deming

    (Harvard University)

  • Stephen L. Ross

    (University of Connecticut)

Abstract

Why do crime rates differ greatly across neighborhoods and schools? Comparing youth who were assigned to opposite sides of newly drawn school boundaries, we show that concentrating disadvantaged youth together in the same schools and neighborhoods increases total crime. We then show that these youth are more likely to be arrested for committing crimes together – to be “partners in crime”. Our results suggest that direct peer interaction is a key mechanism for social multipliers in criminal behavior. As a result, policies that increase residential and school segregation will – all else equal – increase crime through the formation of denser criminal networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen B. Billings & David J. Deming & Stephen L. Ross, 2016. "Partners in Crime: Schools, Neighborhoods and the Formation of Criminal Networks," Working papers 2016-03, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:uct:uconnp:2016-03
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    15. Stephen B. Billings & Jonah Rockoff, 2014. "School Segregation, Educational Attainment, and Crime: Evidence from the End of Busing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(1), pages 435-476.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Partners in Crime: Schools, Neighborhoods and the Formation of Criminal Networks
      by maximorossi in NEP-LTV blog on 2016-03-29 19:11:30

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Fletcher, Jason M. & Ross, Stephen L. & Zhang, Yuxiu, 2020. "The consequences of friendships: Evidence on the effect of social relationships in school on academic achievement," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    2. Stephen L. Ross & Zhentao Shi, 2022. "Measuring Social Interaction Effects When Instruments Are Weak," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 995-1006, June.
    3. Nishijima, Marislei & Pal, Sarmistha, 2020. "Do Compulsory Schooling Laws Always Work? A Study of Youth Crime in Brazilian Municipalities," IZA Discussion Papers 13097, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Fang Di & Richards Timothy J. & Grebitus Carola, 2019. "Modeling Product Choices in a Peer Network," Forum for Health Economics & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 22(1), pages 1-13, June.
    5. Billings, Stephen B. & Phillips, David C., 2017. "Why do kids get into trouble on school days?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 16-24.
    6. Jean-William Laliberté, "undated". "Long-term Contextual Effects in Education: Schools and Neighborhoods," Working Papers 2019-01, Department of Economics, University of Calgary.
    7. Christian Dustmann & Rasmus Landersø, 2021. "Child’s Gender, Young Fathers’ Crime, and Spillover Effects in Criminal Behavior," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(12), pages 3261-3301.
    8. Bryan A. Stuart & Evan J. Taylor, 2021. "The Effect of Social Connectedness on Crime: Evidence from the Great Migration," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 103(1), pages 18-33, March.
    9. Brett Watson & Mouhcine Guettabi & Matthew Reimer, 2020. "Universal Cash and Crime," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 102(4), pages 678-689, October.
    10. Dinarte Diaz,Lelys Ileana, 2020. "Peer Effects on Violence : Experimental Evidence from El Salvador," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9187, The World Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Youth Crime; Schools; Criminal Partnerships; Neighborhood Effects; Social Interactions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • K4 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior
    • R2 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis

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