O município de Chimoio tem registrado nos últimos anos um crescimento demográfico assinalável, resultante do processo de industrialização crescente. Na sequência deste crescimento demográfico, assiste-se, por um lado, uma rápida expansão urbana, caracterizada pelo surgimento brusco de novos bairros residenciais como forma de atender à demanda. Em contrapartida, verifica-se a presença quase constante de comportamentos violentos adversos ao tempo anterior a este crescimento, sobretudo nos seus bairros periféricos. A prática reiterada de casos criminais violentos com recurso a armas brancas (facão) e de fogo nestes municípios torna apreensiva aos poderes governativos e a sociedade civil pelo seu impacto na vida social e econômica, sugerindo debates em nível acadêmico e político no intuito de procurar conter a sua ocorrência. Neste contexto, propusemo-nos entender a distribuição social e espacial da violência criminal, suas motivações e sua relação com os processos de controle social formal e informal fazendo uma análise comparativa com o Brasil. Para analisar a evolução da criminalidade violenta neste município, optou-se pela pesquisa descritiva baseada nas abordagens qualitativa e quantitativa, bem como análise documental, entrevistas semiestruturadas e observação direta. / The municipality of Chimoio has registered in recent years a remarkable demographic growth, resulting from the growing industrialization process. On the one hand, as a result of this demographic growth, there is a rapid urban expansion characterized by the emergence of new residential neighborhoods as a way to meet the demand. On the other hand, there is an almost constant presence of violent behavior adverse to the time before this growth, especially in its peripheral neighborhoods. The repeated practice of violent criminal cases involving the use of firearms in these municipalities makes the government and civil society apprehensive, suggesting debates at academic and political levels in an attempt to contain their occurrence. In this context, we intend to understand the social and spatial distribution of criminal violence, its motivations, as well as its relation with the processes of formal and informal social control. In order to analyze the evolution of violent crime in these municipalities, a descriptive research oriented by qualitative and quantitative approaches was used, based on documentary analysis, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and direct observation.

There is a growing recognition that to more fully understand the complex dynamics of neighborhoods and communities, we must effectively link the micro- and macro-level dimensions of community processes. As important as collective efficacy at the macro level has been shown to be, literature looking at factors shaping the individual-level experience is relatively scarce. Since the latent community attribute of collective efficacy is largely measured as a function of individual perceptions, understanding what affects the individual is vital, especially in light of within-neighborhood heterogeneity. In this study, I use insights from social disorganization theory, the systemic model to community attachment, and a life-course perspective in order to examine why age is associated with perceptions of collective efficacy. Utilizing Wave 1 L.A.FANS data (N=2,619), results show that age is positively associated with perceptions of collective efficacy, but that this relationship is indirect, with plans to move as the key mediator between age and perceptions of collective efficacy. Surprisingly, other factors linked to social disorganization theory and the systemic model of community attachment are not important for explaining the age relationship. Overall, this study takes the next step at identifying significant predictors of individual perceptions of collective efficacy both from the structural macro-level perspective and the individual micro-level perspective. Additionally, this analysis adds another urban context to the literature by analyzing Los Angeles County, a distinct area from those most looked at in previous studies.

Research suggests evidence of an association between sociodemographic determinants and illicit drug use. However, these data do not take into consideration the effect an economic obstacle, such as a recession, could have on an individual's urge to cope with this stressful period with illicit drugs. Furthermore, there is no research to suggest how clinicians and/or treatment institutions can forecast whether the use of monetary resources will be sustainable due to private and/or governmental fund reductions during an economic recession. Based on theories of social learning and social disorganization within an ecological framework, this study employed a quantitative trend analysis to explore the impact the 2007-2009 economic recession had on illicit drug use throughout the United States. A sample of respondents from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive from 2006 to 2010 surveys was used to run the statistical analysis. Based on the analyses, age and gender (covariates) and all variables (social disorganization and Gross Domestic Product) were found to be significant predictors of illicit drug use. Although methamphetamine was not significant for prevalence over time, total drug use, cocaine, and heroin were prevalent over time based on predictors. These findings suggest local, state, and federal policies regarding the prosecution and imprisonment of nonviolent and minor drug offenders should be reprioritized towards the rehabilitation of addicts while enforcing firmer laws upon the most disruptive and severe aspects of the drug trade in order to promote a genuine positive change towards social organization.

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks exposed vulnerabilities to U.S. homeland security and defense, leading U.S. officials to analyze threats to domestic and international interests. Terrorist attacks against food and water supplies (agro-terrorism), were deemed a national security threat because of the assessed fear, economic instability, and social instability that could occur following a food shortage. Research indicated a comprehensive response plan does not exist across the federal, state, and local levels of government to mitigate the public's possible responses to a perceived threat to food security and food shortages following an agro-terrorist attack. This ethnographic case study analyzed the perceived threats to food security and the possible responses to food shortages in Yuma, Arizona (the 'winter lettuce capitol of the world'). Coleman and Putnam's theories of social capital served as the theoretical framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of nine residents and six experts from Yuma's departments of government to examine the relative atmospherics between the citizens and government officials. Findings indicated that a comprehensive plan does not exist, and perceived fears and the lack of knowledge about emergency preparedness in a society with high social capital and community resilience can still create the conditions for chaos and anomie. Recommendations include improving communication, education, and expectation management of citizens. Implications for social change include improving public awareness and individual responsibility for preparedness, as well as assisting policymakers in maintaining social capital to deter social disorganization and anomie during disasters.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this thesis is to investigate the role architecture plays in both causing and ameliorating cycles of crime and punishment. To accomplish this task, the study combines an investigation of historical prison typologies, with an investigation into the philosophical and ethical questions surrounding the practice of imprisonment itself, as well as in depth sociological and criminological studies of the ways in which crime and incarceration affect the health of communities over time. It then employs the tools and conclusions of these studies to investigate the change over time in a singe community in North Memphis, Tennessee from its roots as a thriving, multi-racial industrial hub to a community defined by endemic crime, poverty, and violence and, finally, to suggest a way to improve the health of the community through the prison system itself. The study concludes that the prison system as it currently exists must undergo a fundamental philosophical and physical change in order to actually meet the goals of reducing crime and improving community health for which it was intended. To that end, the thesis suggests a vision of an incarceration facility for a single community in North Memphis that uses architecture as a vehicle to instrumentalize the key emotion that defines imprisonment -- how to escape from it -- in order to reconcile prisoners back to the communities they have offended.

Numerous medical and environmental toxicology studies have established a link between lead (Pb) exposure, crime, and delinquency. In human environments, lead pollution- like crime- is unequally distributed, creating lead hot spots. In spite of this, studies of crime hotspots have routinely focused on traditional sociological predictors of crime, leaving environmental predictors of crime like lead and other neurotoxins relatively unaddressed. This study attends to this gap in the literature by asking a very straightforward research question: Is there a relationship between hotspots of lead and hotspots of crime? Furthermore, what is the nature and extent of this relationship? Lastly, is the distribution of lead across communities relative to race, class, and/or ethnicity? To explore these issues, a series of thirteen research hypotheses are derived based on findings from previous lead and crime studies. To test these research hypotheses, data was collected from the city of Chicago's Community Areas (n = 77) in Cook County, Illinois. Information from a range of secondary sources including the U.S. Census, Environmental Protection Agency, Chicago Police Department, and City of Chicago are merged and analyzed. Cross sectional and longitudinal assessments are conducted, and results from a series of negative binomial regressions, fixed effects negative binomial regressions, and correlations are presented. Findings suggest the association between lead and crime appeared particularly robust with respect to rates of violent index crime, but less so for rates of property index crime. Contrary to what prior research suggests, the association between lead and crime appears stronger for rates of arrests for adult index crimes than rates of arrests for juvenile index crime arrests. This study concludes by discussing theory and policy implications alongside recommendations for future study.

Using data from the Arizona public sex offender registry (SOR) and interview data from 30 registered sex offenders (RSOs), two probation officers, and one homeless shelter worker, this study addresses RSO housing experiences by placing RSOs at the center of the analysis. First, using a framework of social disorganization, I find RSOs are moderately segregated according to the index of dissimilarity, and tend to reside in areas characterized by lower than average median income and higher than average housing vacancies. The presence of RSOs is another indicator of social disorganization for these neighborhoods. Second, I identify issues faced by RSOs as they search for housing and the strategies they use to obtain housing. Commonly used strategies are being upfront and honest, using the assistance of friends and family members, and finding housing through private owners. Third, I assess the extent to which the RSO label operates to deter interactions or serves as the basis of harassment. Findings indicate that the RSO label can limit interactions between RSOs and others living near them. It also motivates avoidance particularly among those living in areas of low and moderate social disorganization. Many RSOs or their co-habitants have also experienced harassment due to the RSO label. These findings are problematic in terms of RSO reintegration. Lastly, I explore RSO assessments of the SOR. Many RSOs indicate concern over whether the SOR makes all RSOs appear the same. I offer a social process model in which I consider the process of labeling, stereotyping, and discrimination along with the potential for those who are stigmatized to seek out a basis to stigmatize others or distance themselves from others they perceive of as worthy of separation. I conclude by offering policy implications that are focused on the needs of communities and RSO reintegration issues.

This thesis investigated the role that local environmental factors play in influencing perceptions of crime and safety across three neighbourhoods within the Region of Peel, Ontario. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with local experts to examine their perceptions of crime and safety, and elements of the built and social environment that may influence these perceptions and identified dimensions of social capital that serve as pathways through which broader environmental determinants of crime and safety can become embedded at the local neighbourhood level. Findings of this research revealed that the perceived relationships between the social and built environment and crime are complex and that dimensions of social capital such as informal social ties serve as a mediator between the environment and perceptions about crime and how perceived and actual crime may be reduced by modifying elements of the built and social environment in order to strengthen local dimensions of social capital.

This thesis investigated the role that local environmental factors play in influencing perceptions of crime and safety across three neighbourhoods within the Region of Peel, Ontario. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with local experts to examine their perceptions of crime and safety, and elements of the built and social environment that may influence these perceptions and identified dimensions of social capital that serve as pathways through which broader environmental determinants of crime and safety can become embedded at the local neighbourhood level. Findings of this research revealed that the perceived relationships between the social and built environment and crime are complex and that dimensions of social capital such as informal social ties serve as a mediator between the environment and perceptions about crime and how perceived and actual crime may be reduced by modifying elements of the built and social environment in order to strengthen local dimensions of social capital.

O município de Chimoio tem registrado nos últimos anos um crescimento demográfico assinalável, resultante do processo de industrialização crescente. Na sequência deste crescimento demográfico, assiste-se, por um lado, uma rápida expansão urbana, caracterizada pelo surgimento brusco de novos bairros residenciais como forma de atender à demanda. Em contrapartida, verifica-se a presença quase constante de comportamentos violentos adversos ao tempo anterior a este crescimento, sobretudo nos seus bairros periféricos. A prática reiterada de casos criminais violentos com recurso a armas brancas (facão) e de fogo nestes municípios torna apreensiva aos poderes governativos e a sociedade civil pelo seu impacto na vida social e econômica, sugerindo debates em nível acadêmico e político no intuito de procurar conter a sua ocorrência. Neste contexto, propusemo-nos entender a distribuição social e espacial da violência criminal, suas motivações e sua relação com os processos de controle social formal e informal fazendo uma análise comparativa com o Brasil. Para analisar a evolução da criminalidade violenta neste município, optou-se pela pesquisa descritiva baseada nas abordagens qualitativa e quantitativa, bem como análise documental, entrevistas semiestruturadas e observação direta. / The municipality of Chimoio has registered in recent years a remarkable demographic growth, resulting from the growing industrialization process. On the one hand, as a result of this demographic growth, there is a rapid urban expansion characterized by the emergence of new residential neighborhoods as a way to meet the demand. On the other hand, there is an almost constant presence of violent behavior adverse to the time before this growth, especially in its peripheral neighborhoods. The repeated practice of violent criminal cases involving the use of firearms in these municipalities makes the government and civil society apprehensive, suggesting debates at academic and political levels in an attempt to contain their occurrence. In this context, we intend to understand the social and spatial distribution of criminal violence, its motivations, as well as its relation with the processes of formal and informal social control. In order to analyze the evolution of violent crime in these municipalities, a descriptive research oriented by qualitative and quantitative approaches was used, based on documentary analysis, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and direct observation.