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An Examination of the Assumption that Adult Businesses Are Associated with Crime in Surrounding Areas: A Secondary Effects Study in Charlotte, North Carolina

Publication ,  Journal Article
Linz, D; Land, KC; Williams, JR; Paul, B; Ezell, ME
Published in: Law and Society Review
January 1, 2004

Recent Supreme Court decisions have signaled the need for sound empirical studies of the secondary effects of adult businesses on the surrounding areas for use in conjunction with local zoning restrictions. This study seeks to determine whether a relationship exists between adult erotic dance clubs and negative secondary effects in the form of increased numbers of crimes reported in the areas surrounding the adult businesses, in Charlotte, North Carolina. For each of 20 businesses, a control site (matched on the basis of demographic characteristics related to crime risk) is compared for crime events over the period of three years (1998-2000) using data on crime incidents reported to the police. We find that the presence of an adult nightclub does not increase the number of crime incidents reported in localized areas surrounding the club (defined by circular areas of 500- and 1,000-foot radii) as compared to the number of crime incidents reported in comparable localized areas that do not contain such an adult business. Indeed, the analyses imply the opposite, namely, that the nearby areas surrounding the adult business sites have smaller numbers of reported crime incidents than do corresponding areas surrounding the three control sites studied. These findings are interpreted in terms of the business mandates of profitability and continuity of existence of the businesses.

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Published In

Law and Society Review

DOI

ISSN

0023-9216

Publication Date

January 1, 2004

Volume

38

Issue

1

Start / End Page

69 / 104

Related Subject Headings

  • Criminology
  • 4804 Law in context
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 4402 Criminology
  • 1801 Law
  • 1608 Sociology
  • 1602 Criminology
 

Citation

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Linz, D., Land, K. C., Williams, J. R., Paul, B., & Ezell, M. E. (2004). An Examination of the Assumption that Adult Businesses Are Associated with Crime in Surrounding Areas: A Secondary Effects Study in Charlotte, North Carolina. Law and Society Review, 38(1), 69–104. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0023-9216.2004.03801003.x
Linz, D., K. C. Land, J. R. Williams, B. Paul, and M. E. Ezell. “An Examination of the Assumption that Adult Businesses Are Associated with Crime in Surrounding Areas: A Secondary Effects Study in Charlotte, North Carolina.” Law and Society Review 38, no. 1 (January 1, 2004): 69–104. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0023-9216.2004.03801003.x.
Linz, D., et al. “An Examination of the Assumption that Adult Businesses Are Associated with Crime in Surrounding Areas: A Secondary Effects Study in Charlotte, North Carolina.” Law and Society Review, vol. 38, no. 1, Jan. 2004, pp. 69–104. Scopus, doi:10.1111/j.0023-9216.2004.03801003.x.
Journal cover image

Published In

Law and Society Review

DOI

ISSN

0023-9216

Publication Date

January 1, 2004

Volume

38

Issue

1

Start / End Page

69 / 104

Related Subject Headings

  • Criminology
  • 4804 Law in context
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 4402 Criminology
  • 1801 Law
  • 1608 Sociology
  • 1602 Criminology