Assessing Spatial Pattern of Crime in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico (2009): The Macrolevel, Mesolevel and Microlevel Approaches

Abstract

The aim of this research is analyze the spatial relationship between aspects of place (socioeconomic, demographic, land use) and the clustering of crime activity in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. The framework proposed in this analysis combines a macrolevel, mesolevel and microlevel approaches at the census block level to identify problem neighborhoods and associated characteristics to determine the relationship between crime incidents and site-specific physical features, socioeconomic, demographic and land use characteristics. The data that were collected by Population and Housing Census (Inegi, 2010) for the socioeconomic variables and the violence and property crimes statistics geocoded by the Municipal Observatory of Security and Citizenship at census tract and block level. The results show the pattern of violent crime at the macrolevel has remained concentrated in low socioeconomic status. Microlevel research emphasizes the analysis of crime at individual locations (hot spots). Findings are expected to enhance crime monitoring and policing capabilities across the urban size spectrum.