Low-income communities have always been plagued by neighborhood deterioration in the form of rundown or abandoned buildings, graffiti, and broken windows. This deterioration is said to be a major factor leading to increased crime within low-income communities. According to the Broken Windows Theory created by Wilson and Kelling (1982), when neighborhoods have physical signs of deterioration community members are less likely to make improvements to the neighborhood resulting in increased crime because of the appearance of the neighborhood (as citied in Tuthill, 2008). This relationship between higher crime rates and neighborhood deterioration has become more evident with the current economic crisis and the massive spike in residential foreclosures. At the peak of the crisis in 2007, one in every 196 homes in America was foreclosed (Whitworth, 2008). The numbers of foreclosures were much higher in low-income neighborhoods because residents within these communities obtained more subprime loans due to their lack of credit, low-income, and job status (Tuthill, 2008).
Foreclosures left low-income streets lined with houses where the lawns are overgrown, trash is left piled, and they are vacant. This attracts all sorts of criminal behavior. Vacant properties are very attractive to drug dealers and users, prostitutes, and burglars because they serve as the perfect place to commit illegal acts while providing shelter. In Modesto, California, police state that drug dealers have taken over many vacant homes and are using the yards to grow marijuana (Mummolo & Brubaker, 2008). Atlanta police state that drug users, prostitutes, and squatters have taken over a vast majority of the foreclosed homes inside low-income communities (Mummolo & Brubaker, 2008). According to Immergluck and Smith, for every one percent raise in the foreclosure rate the crime rate within Chicago rose 2.3 percent (as cited in Dalton, Gradeck, &Mercaldo, 2008). In a more alarming study researchers in Austin, Texas, claim that 83 percent of abandoned and foreclosed properties in Austin’s low-income neighborhoods show signs of illegal activities (Dalton, Gradeck, &Mercaldo, 2008). These studies show that there is a strong correlation between vacant properties and criminal activity.
When foreclosed and vacant properties are used for criminal activity they are often severely damaged and fall into a state of disrepair. Squatters will accidently set fire to the homes because they use candles and fires to light and heat the houses since there is no electricity. These fires often get out of control and end up burning the entire house down or causing massive structural damage (Dalton, Gradeck, &Mercaldo, 2008). Burglars will come into foreclosed properties and rip the walls apart in order to steal the copper water lines and electrical cables. This causes the values of the properties to be drastically reduced since they need so much repair. The decreased property value of foreclosed houses also causes the values of non-foreclosures to drop since there are so many houses for sale within the neighborhood and they have a negative impact on the appearance of the neighborhood. According to a study conducted by Temple University an abandoned house reduces the property values of adjacent homes by an average of $6,720 (as cited in Dalton, Gradeck, &Mercaldo, 2008).
In order to reduce the crime rates local governments need to develop plans that are tailored specifically to the neighborhood. Local governments need to work at improving the local economy by attracting businesses which will create jobs within the community (Tuthill, 2008). This will provide community members with an income that will aid them in paying their mortgage and reducing the potential for foreclosures. By improving the economy, community members will have more money to make improvements to their residents. Additionally, local governments will be able to collect more tax money that could be used to improve the community’s infrastructure (Tuthill, 2008). There is also evidence that shows the use of geographic information system is helpful. These systems compile data on foreclosures and crimes within a certain neighborhood, in order to aid in the creation of public policy and law enforcement efforts to reduce the crime rates. Many of these systems use maps to show where crimes occur and where foreclosed and abandoned homes are located, which allows law enforcement to increase patrols where needed (Dalton, Gradeck, & Mercaldo, 2008). Overall, the increased number of foreclosed homes in low-income communities has resulted in higher crime rates because the properties are not maintained. Community members, local governments, and the banks who own these properties all need to work together to improve the community environment in an effort to reduce crime.
References
Dalton, E., Gradeck, R., & Mercaldo, A. (2008). Using Maps of Home Foreclosures to Understand National and Local Problems. National Institute of Justice: Geography and Public Safety, 1(3). Retrieved November 20, 2010 from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/topics/GPSNewsletter.pdf
Munnolo, J. & Brubaker, B. (2008). As Foreclosed Homes Empty, Crime Arrives. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2010 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042601288.html
Tuthill, L. (2008). Breaking New Windows – Examining the Subprime Mortgage Crisis Using the Broken Windows Theory. National Institute of Justice: Geography and Public Safety, 1(3). Retrieved November 20, 2010 from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/topics/GPSNewsletter.pdf
Whitworth, A. (2008). High Rates of Foreclosures Lead to Crime Increases Nationwide. National Institute of Justice: Geography and Public Safety, 1(3). Retrieved November 20, 2010 from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/topics/GPSNewsletter.pdf
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