NCJ Number
197973
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 30 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2002 Pages: 589-601
Editor(s)
Kent B. Joscelyn
Date Published
November 2002
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This analysis examines whether an inverse relationship between social support and violent crime, measured by homicide rates, will be found after controlling for other structural characteristics of nations, thereby building on previous work and subjecting the social support theory to an empirical test in a cross-national context.
Abstract
Social support theory was developed to explain how certain characteristics of social aggregates, through social support and/or altruistic actions may insulate them from experiencing high rates of crime. This study assessed the relationship between state-based social support policies and violent crime, specifically homicides in the cross-national setting. The study sample consists of 46 nations covering the time period of 1989-1995. The analysis showed that the indicator of social support was inversely and significantly related to rates of violent crime, measured by homicides. The analysis resulted in a number of important implications for both criminological theory and research and for the development of effective crime control policies. The most obvious implication is that the work presented represents another addition to the growing roster of studies that have offered empirical support to the social support perspective. References