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Police decisions to record or not record incidents as crimes are an important but neglected aspect of discretionary decision making in the criminal justice system. This study examines the effects of neighborhood characteristics on the extent to which police do not record citizens' complaints of burglaries and assaults. The findings show that poverty increases nonrecording of burglaries, while increases in the percentage foreign-born and in the mobility rate, decrease nonrecording. Demand for service also increases nonrecording, but only when neighborhoods with extremely high demand are included. There is considerably less evidence for effects of neighborhood characteristics on the recording of assaults. The findings have important implications for understanding both police decision making and potential biases in the distribution of official counts of recorded crime.
The views expressed in this paper, however, are mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of these agencies.
The views expressed in this paper, however, are mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of these agencies.
Notes
The views expressed in this paper, however, are mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of these agencies.