Spatial Distributions of Domestic and Non-Domestic Violence by Firearm Involvement
Date
2023-12
Authors
Soares, Raphael
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Abstract
The present study examines whether the spatial distribution of serious violence is influenced by whether the incident was domestic or not, firearm-involved or not, and any combination of these characteristics, to determine if disaggregation of the data into subgroups may aid in policy development. Data on murder, non-negligent manslaughter, and aggravated assault incidents reported to Austin Police Department in the city of Austin, Texas, throughout 2020 and 2021 (n = 5,727) were used for the study. Kernel density estimation maps were produced for each of the relevant subgroups, and compared pairwise using spatial point pattern testing to establish if significant differences exist between subgroup crime occurrence rates for each of the census block groups that make up the city of Austin (n = 582). Incident subgroups were found to be different based on whether there was a reported domestic relationship between offender and victim, and whether a firearm was reportedly used in the incident. Differences were found between subgroups in pairwise comparisons, with non-domestic, non-firearm-involved incidents being most distinct from the other three subgroups. This suggests that the subgroups studied may benefit from more tailored prevention strategies, as opposed to a generalized approach.
Description
Keywords
domestic violence, firearm violence, data disaggregation, spatial crime analysis, spatial point pattern testing, SPPT
Citation
Soares, R. (2023). Spatial distributions of domestic and non-domestic violence by firearm involvement (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.