Untangling Eviction,Disadvantage,Race,and Social Processes: Neighborhood Factors Influencing Crime

Abstract

Eviction is concentrated in poor communities of color, and studies indicate eviction may affect social processes. Community and crime literature demonstrates that structural factors, such as socio-economic status and racial composition, are linked with crime and that social processes protect neighborhoods from crime. Therefore, eviction is likely concentrated in neighborhoods vulnerable to crime, but the connection between eviction and neighborhood violent crime has not yet been examined. Using data from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab National Database, the National Neighborhood Crime Study 2, and the Boston Neighborhood Survey, this Boston-based study is a first step in filling this knowledge gap. Findings indicate that eviction is positively associated with crime and partially explains why crime is concentrated in disadvantaged communities of color.