Climate and Crime

Ashutosh Mishra

Authors

Ashutosh Mishra

violent offenses, social interaction theory, ambient temperature, geographic resolution

Abstract

Few issues provoke as much public concern as violence. Persistent variations in the homicide rates of different countries have led sociologists, criminologists and geographers to question why violence, and lethal violence as an extreme example, is more common in some societies than in others. This paper focuses on one possible explanation: climate, and especially temperature. The analysis is based on monthly crime, temperature, relative humidity and precipitation data of 62-year period (1952 to 2013) of Allahabad city, India. Results show that temperature has a significant positive impact on criminal behavior, and murder incidences in Allahabad city were high in hot months. Relative humidity too seems having significant and positive influence on crime rate, while rainfall showed a negative correlation with crime pattern. Results reveal that climate-crime association follow a linear relationship and crime rate increases with rise in temperature.

Downloads

How to Cite

Climate and Crime. (2014). Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, 14(48), 39-42. https://journalofscience.org/index.php/GJSFR/article/view/

Download Citation

References

Craig Anderson, Kathryn Anderson, Nancy Dorr, Kristina Deneve, Mindy Flanagan (2000) Temperature and aggression. 32, 63-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0065-2601(00)80004-0

C. Brunsdon, C. Jonathan, H. Gary, W. Andrew (2009) The Influence of Weather on Local Geographical Patterns of Police Calls for Service. 36(5), 906-926. https://doi.org/10.1068/b32133

Brad Bushman, Morgan Wang, Craig Anderson (2005) Is the Curve Relating Temperature to Aggression Linear or Curvilinear? Assaults and Temperature in Minneapolis Reexamined. 89(1), 62-66. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.89.1.62

Ellen Cohn, James Rotton (2000) Weather, Seasonal Trends, and Property Crimes in Minneapolis, 1987- 1988: A Moderator-Variable Time-Series Analysis of Routine Activities. 20(3), 257-272. https://doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1999.0157

Ellen Cohn (1990) WEATHER AND CRIME. 30(1), 51-64. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bjc.a047980

B. Jacob, L. Lefgren, E. Moretti (2007) The Dynamics of Criminal Behavior: Evidence from Weather Shocks. 42(3), 489-527.

P. Parker (2000) Physioeconomics: The Basis for Long-run Economic Growth.

James Rotton (1986) Determinism Redux: Climate and Cultural Correlates of Violence. 18, 346-368.

James Rotton (1993) Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LXXIII. Ubiquitous Errors: A Reanalysis of Anderson's (1987) "Temperature and Aggression". 73, 259-271.

J. Rotton, E. Cohn (2002) Climate. 481-498.

John Simister, Cary Cooper (2005) Thermal stress in the U.S.A.: effects on violence and on employee behaviour. 21(1), 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1029

P. Sorokin (1928) Contemporary Sociological Theories, Harper and Brothers, New York.

Van, Vliert, S. Evert, E. Sipke, H. Geert, D. Serge (1999) Temperature, Cultural Masculinity, and Domestic Political Violence: A Cross-National Study. 30, 291-314.