Illegal Drug Markets: The Geographic Perspective and Crime Propensity (abstract)

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Online citation: Robinson, Jennifer B. and Rengert, George F. "Illegal drug markets: The geographic perspective and crime propensity." Western Criminology Review 7(1): 20-32 (2006) (http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n1/20/sexoffender.html).

Also available in .pdf format with page numbers: Robinson, Jennifer B. and Rengert, George F. "Illegal drug markets: The geographic perspective and crime propensity." Western Criminology Review 7(1): 20-32 (2006) (http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n1/20/sexoffender.pdf).

Illegal Drug Markets: The Geographic Perspective and Crime Propensity

Jennifer B. Robinson
Northeastern University

George F. Rengert
Temple University

Abstract: The geographic perspective argues that customers must be accessible to the drug market’s location for an illegal drug market to be sustained. Previous research illustrates that geographic and economic principles are key explanatory variables of the locations of illegal drug markets. The current study explores this assumption through an examination of drug sales arrests in Portland, Oregon from 1990 through 1998. Growth curve modeling is used to explore changes in patterns of drug sales arrests while controlling for drug free zones, natural change over time, police officer allocation, population, and crime propensity (spatial autocorrelation). The findings of this research indicate a strong effect of crime propensity but a non-significant statistical effect for drug free zones on explaining the potential locations of drug markets.

Keywords: drug free zones, geography of crime, drug crimes, Portland, OR, offender decision making, policing

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