U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Assessing the Generalizability of the Near Repeat Phenomenon

NCJ Number
237475
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 38 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2011 Pages: 1042-1063
Author(s)
Tasha J. Youstin; Matt R. Nobles; Jeffrey T. Ward; Carrie L. Cook
Date Published
October 2011
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the "near repeat" phenomenon.
Abstract
The "near repeat" phenomenon suggests that when a crime occurs in a given area, the surrounding area may exhibit an increased risk for subsequent crime in the days following the original incident. The present study assesses the extent to which near repeats generalize across three different crimes, including shootings, robbery, and auto theft. A series of near repeat models was estimated to further specify the temporal proximity of near repeats for each crime type under investigation. Results showed that a near repeat pattern exists across crime types; however, each crime type has a unique spatiotemporal pattern. Implications for police strategies, such as geographical profiling and future research connecting near repeat patterns to repeat offenders, are discussed. (Published Abstract)