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Partners in Crime: Schools, Neighborhoods and the Formation of Criminal Networks

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  • Stephen B. Billings
  • David J. Deming
  • Stephen L. Ross

Abstract

Why do crime rates differ greatly across neighborhoods and schools? Comparing youth who were assigned to opposite sides of newly drawn school boundaries, we show that concentrating disadvantaged youth together in the same schools and neighborhoods increases total crime. We then show that these youth are more likely to be arrested for committing crimes together – to be “partners in crime”. Our results suggest that direct peer interaction is a key mechanism for social multipliers in criminal behavior. As a result, policies that increase residential and school segregation will – all else equal – increase crime through the formation of denser criminal networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen B. Billings & David J. Deming & Stephen L. Ross, 2016. "Partners in Crime: Schools, Neighborhoods and the Formation of Criminal Networks," NBER Working Papers 21962, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:21962
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Patrick Bayer & Stephen L. Ross & Giorgio Topa, 2008. "Place of Work and Place of Residence: Informal Hiring Networks and Labor Market Outcomes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 116(6), pages 1150-1196, December.
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    14. Jason M. Fletcher & Stephen L. Ross & Yuxiu Zhang, 2013. "The Determinants and Consequences of Friendship Composition," Working papers 2013-31, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    15. Stephen B. Billings & Jonah Rockoff, 2014. "School Segregation, Educational Attainment, and Crime: Evidence from the End of Busing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(1), pages 435-476.
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    19. Bruce A. Weinberg, 2007. "Social Interactions with Endogenous Associations," NBER Working Papers 13038, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Partners in Crime: Schools, Neighborhoods and the Formation of Criminal Networks
      by maximorossi in NEP-LTV blog on 2016-03-29 19:11:30

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Fletcher, Jason M. & Ross, Stephen L. & Zhang, Yuxiu, 2020. "The consequences of friendships: Evidence on the effect of social relationships in school on academic achievement," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    2. Fang Di & Richards Timothy J. & Grebitus Carola, 2019. "Modeling Product Choices in a Peer Network," Forum for Health Economics & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 22(1), pages 1-13, June.
    3. Jean-William Laliberté, "undated". "Long-term Contextual Effects in Education: Schools and Neighborhoods," Working Papers 2019-01, Department of Economics, University of Calgary.
    4. Bryan A. Stuart & Evan J. Taylor, 2021. "The Effect of Social Connectedness on Crime: Evidence from the Great Migration," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 103(1), pages 18-33, March.
    5. Brett Watson & Mouhcine Guettabi & Matthew Reimer, 2020. "Universal Cash and Crime," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 102(4), pages 678-689, October.
    6. Dinarte Diaz,Lelys Ileana, 2020. "Peer Effects on Violence : Experimental Evidence from El Salvador," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9187, The World Bank.
    7. Stephen L. Ross & Zhentao Shi, 2022. "Measuring Social Interaction Effects When Instruments Are Weak," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 995-1006, June.
    8. Nishijima, Marislei & Pal, Sarmistha, 2020. "Do Compulsory Schooling Laws Always Work? A Study of Youth Crime in Brazilian Municipalities," IZA Discussion Papers 13097, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Billings, Stephen B. & Phillips, David C., 2017. "Why do kids get into trouble on school days?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 16-24.
    10. Christian Dustmann & Rasmus Landersø, 2021. "Child’s Gender, Young Fathers’ Crime, and Spillover Effects in Criminal Behavior," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(12), pages 3261-3301.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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