Environmental conditions associated with young delinquency events: a temporal, meteorological, and contextual perspective
Environment and Behavior 54(3) : 1-26 (2022)
Abstract
Research on youth delinquency has been essential for gaining a deeper
understanding of the etiology of delinquent behavior. Studies considering
the environmental perspective have increased during the last decade, but
relatively little attention has been paid to temporal patterns and weather
conditions. The present study explores the seasonality of youth delinquency
as well as the association between violent and non-violent youth offenses
and temperature, rainfall, level of darkness, type of day, type of place, and
companionship, using data gathered by the police along with data obtained
from official weather agencies. To this end, we conducted ANOVA and
contingency table analyses. Seasonality was found for non-violent crimes.
Companionship, semi-public, and public places were all associated with a
higher likelihood of non-violent crime, while darkness and public holidays
raise the odds of violent crime to happen. No direct association was found
between temperature and type of crime.