Social Support and Crime: A State-Level Analysis of Social Support Policies

Authors

Jessica Brown, Utica CollegeFollow

Keywords

Social support, crime, social policy

Abstract

There is a growing theoretical and empirical tradition that examines the relationship between social support and crime. While academic research supports the idea that social support inhibits crime, public discourse and the popular media often assert that support, especially instrumental support to the poor, can increase crime. This article adds to the growing literature by including multiple forms of social support in an investigation of the relationship between social support and property crime and violent crime over a ten year period. Results indicate that while some forms of support have the expected negative relationship with crime, others displayed a significant positive relationship, and others had no significant relationship. Implications for these findings are discussed.

Recommended Citation

Brown, Jessica (2016) "Social Support and Crime: A State-Level Analysis of Social Support Policies," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 43: Iss. 2, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.4015
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol43/iss2/7