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Social harms of crime: A geographical analysis of South Wales.

Leigh, Charlotte, Innes, Martin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8950-8147, Roberts, C. and Lowe, Trudy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6559-6640 2011. Social harms of crime: A geographical analysis of South Wales. Presented at: International Crime and Intelligence Analysis Conference, Manchester, UK, 21 November 2011.

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Abstract

The presentation reports findings from an exploratory study designed to conceptually and empirically develop the concept of social harm. Social harm is defined as the negative collective impacts associated with an illegal or disorderly act, or social control intervention. The principal focus of a harm‐oriented analysis is to understand the impacts and effects of crime and ASB, rather than the more orthodox approach of analysing prevalence rates. This is potentially important in recognising that some incidents and some types of crime are more corrosive of neighbourhood security and community well‐being than others. Some geographical areas may be more vulnerable to the impacts of crime than others and possess less resilience. This study draws upon data that was collected during a collaborative project between South Wales Police (SWP) and the Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil Community Safety Partnerships to gain an understanding of incidents functioning as ‘drivers’ of neighbourhood insecurity across South Wales. The Universities’ Police Science Institute (UPSI) and partners conducted 3664 face to face interviews with a representative sample of population across the South Wales Police Force area. During the interviews the respondents were asked about the different problems occurring locally and the impacts that these had up on them. By examining the distribution of different types of impacts it has been possible to calculate the relative impacts that crime and disorder are having across the whole of South Wales. The presentation discusses the methods used to develop a harm measure, presents the results from the study and examines the harm-multiplier effect in a geographical context. Using a variety of analytical techniques we gain an understanding of how the impact of crime and anti-social behaviour is affecting groups of people in different ways in different geographical locations and start to uncover how the impact of crime travels. The study identifies the main factors causing social harm in different areas and identifies vulnerable groups and locations at risk of harm. The relationship between reported crime and social harm is also explored. On the basis of the presented results it is evident that developing thinking around social harm offers several potential benefits for policy-makers and practitioners.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Date Type: Completion
Status: Unpublished
Schools: Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Universities' Police Science Institute (UPSI)
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Additional Information: Accepted for presentation.
Related URLs:
Last Modified: 06 Jul 2023 01:49
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/19785

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