| Ecological theory is used to examine the relative impacts of structural conditions on the violent juvenile crime rate across the population density continuum. The study examines the effects of five structural variables (population density, socioeconomic status, residential mobility, racial composition and family disruption) on the juvenile violent crime rate for counties of the Census Bureau's East North Central Region. This rate is hypothesized to be higher in counties with: greater population density, higher percentage of black residents, higher residential mobility, greater family disruption, and lower socioeconomic status. OLS regression indicated that three variables (family disruption, population density, and residential mobility) had a significant effect on the violent juvenile crime rate. The model explained just under one-third of the variation in county level rates of violent juvenile crime. |
