Alyssa Chamberlain | Arizona State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Alyssa Chamberlain

Certain establishments (e.g., alcohol outlets or pawnshops) attract or generate crime because the... more Certain establishments (e.g., alcohol outlets or pawnshops) attract or generate crime because they operate with little oversight and are often located in poor or disordered neighborhoods. Single room occupancy (SRO) facilities share some of these characteristics. SROs tend to be rundown motels or apartment buildings that offer affordable housing for low-income clientele. It is likely that SROs also generate and attract criminal activity that affects the neighborhood. Using police incident report data for St. Petersburg, FL, this study examines the impact of SROs on violent, property, and nuisance crimes at the neighborhood level. Negative binomial regression models suggest that the presence of an SRO in the focal or nearby neighborhood increases local crime, with the impact varying by crime type.

We examine whether the clustering of certain types of higher-likelihood-ofrecidivating parolees i... more We examine whether the clustering of certain types of higher-likelihood-ofrecidivating parolees in neighborhoods differentially influences violent and property crime. We also test whether the relationship between the concentration of certain types of parolees and crime is moderated by disadvantage. We examine parolees released between 2000 and 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio, and neighborhood crime data. Results suggest that increases in certain types of parolees contribute to a corresponding increase in crime. This suggests that risk factors associated with reoffending might explain larger crime trends in neighborhoods. Furthermore, the broader neighborhood context compounds these risk factors, resulting in higher rates of crime.

Objectives: We draw upon theories of social disorganization, strain, and subculture of violence t... more Objectives: We draw upon theories of social disorganization, strain, and subculture of violence to examine how sex and race/ethnicity intersect to inform nonlethal violent offending at the macrolevel. Methods: Using neighborhood-level incidents, we examine (1) the structural correlates of male and female nonlethal violence and (2) whether ecological conditions have variable impacts on the prevalence of White, Black, and Latino male and female offenses above and beyond differential exposure to disadvantage. We use multivariate negative binomial regression within a structural equation modeling framework which allows for the examination of the same set of indicator variables on more than one dependent variable simultaneously while accounting for covariance between the dependent /home/jrc variables. Results: We find few significant differences in the salience of disadvantage on female and male violence across race and ethnicity although some differences emerge for White men and women. Structural factors are largely sex invariant within race and ethnicity. Conclusions: Despite expectations that disadvantage would have differential effects across sex and race/ ethnicity, we uncover only minor differences. This suggests that structural effects are more invariant than variant across subgroups and highlights the importance of investigating both similarities and differences when examining neighborhood structure, intersectionality, and criminal behavior.

Agencies incorporating new technology inevitably face challenges in the implementation process. I... more Agencies incorporating new technology inevitably face challenges in the implementation process. In response to the passage of Proposition 83, which mandated lifelong supervision of people convicted of sex offenses in California, San Diego County initiated a pilot program assessing Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring of such offenders considered high risk for reoffending. Using interviews of parole agents and administrators, parole agent records of supervision, and GPS monitoring data, we assess the challenges and lessons learned from the program which help inform the current policy context of electronic monitoring. Results show that rigorous GPS supervision involves substantial workload and resource increases for parole agencies, and may not be appropriate for all individuals convicted of sex offenses. The ethical and legal challenges of electronic monitoring, more generally, require further attention. The future of GPS monitoring will depend on how programs are implemented and resources are managed, as well as how ethical issues are addressed.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming increasingly popular, both for hobbyists and within ... more Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming increasingly popular, both for hobbyists and within the commercial, industrial, and military sectors. Approximately one million new UAVs have been registered in the United States, with the majority being recreational UAVs. This growth of UAV activity and their increasingly common public presence engenders a wide variety of opinions, perceptions, and concerns among individuals about UAVs, particularly concerning personal privacy. Drawing from the privacy and emerging technology literature, the purpose of this paper is to identify how individuals' perceptions of privacy explain their attitudes on the use of UAVs and whether this aligns with what we would expect from an emerging technology. Utilizing Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) for survey delivery to 2,108 respondents we conducted a descriptive statistical analysis of response frequency and t-tests of group mean differences. The results suggest that individuals who use UAVs, maintain a familiarity with the capabilities of UAVs, and have a basic understanding of UAV regulations, are somewhat less concerned about the growing presence of UAVs as it relates to privacy than individuals who are generally unfamiliar with UAVs, their capabilities, and UAV regulations. Policy implications of these results are discussed.

Parole officers are an integral part of parolees' reentry process and success. Few studies, howev... more Parole officers are an integral part of parolees' reentry process and success. Few studies, however, have examined whether the quality of the relationship between parolees and their parole officer influences outcomes such as recidivism. This study assesses how recidivism is affected by the quality of the relationship that parolees have with their parole officers. Using the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) dataset, we use parolees' perceptions of their relationship with their parole officer to determine whether they have established a positive or negative relationship, and whether these types of relationships differentially affect recidivism. Results show that parolees who have a negative relationship with their parole officer have higher rates of recidivism, while a positive relationship lowers parolees' likelihood of recidivating. An implication of this study emphasizes parole officer training that develops positive, high-quality relationships with parolees. Further implications are discussed below.

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 2016

Objectives: Neighborhood characteristics predict burglary targets, but target attractiveness may ... more Objectives: Neighborhood characteristics predict burglary targets, but target attractiveness may be colored by the conditions in which a potential offender resides. We test whether relative differences in concentrated disadvantage, racial/ethnic composition, and ethnic heterogeneity influence where burglars offend, controlling for distance. From a relative deprivation perspective, economically advantaged areas make more attractive targets to burglars residing in disadvantage neighborhoods, but a social disorganization perspective predicts areas lower in social cohesion are most attractive, which may be neighborhoods with greater disadvantage. Methods: Drawing upon a unique sample of cleared burglaries in the City of Tampa, Florida

In the wake of the U.S. housing crisis, a flurry of research has examined the consequences of for... more In the wake of the U.S. housing crisis, a flurry of research has examined the
consequences of foreclosure for crime, and much of the literature suggests
that foreclosure impacts crime through vacancy. We suggest that foreclosure
and vacancy have distinct crime processes and their effects should be
examined in tandem. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of foreclosure
and vacancy, particularly in surrounding neighborhoods, may have different
consequences for crime. We examine these questions using quarterly
neighborhood data from Cleveland, Ohio, from 2006 to 2011 for both
property and violent crimes. We find that foreclosures only impact crime
through the broader nearby area, whereas vacancies appear to only be of
consequence within the focal neighborhood. Our findings suggest distinct and spatialized differences between foreclosures and vacancies in their consequences for crime.

A B S T R A C T Place and local milieu have always been important considerations in the study of ... more A B S T R A C T Place and local milieu have always been important considerations in the study of human behavior. However, place is typically measured with secondary data in aggregate form, obfuscating crucial, hyper-local information on neighborhood ecological conditions contributing to larger social, criminological, and public health processes. Hyper-local information, which is rarely available via traditional neighborhood audits or secondary data, should include information on neighborhood aesthetics (e.g., architecture, trees, public art), physical disorder (e.g., litter, unkempt lots, building decay), pedestrian safety (e.g., lighting, curb cuts), and related street characteristics. When this information is absent, the ability to connect and interpret the underlying effects of place on social problems is severely compromised. Using two neighborhoods in Phoenix, Arizona as case studies, we employ a novel strategy to collect hyper-local ecological information on physical disorder using unmanned aerial systems (UAS). We compare the collected data to more widely available sources and methods, including systematic social observation, as well as the use of satellite and street imagery. Finally, we discuss the operational challenges, constraints and data quality issues that emerge from implementing a UAS-based approach.

This study examines the direct, reciprocal, and indirect effects of parolees on neighborhoods, in... more This study examines the direct, reciprocal, and indirect effects of parolees on neighborhoods, including residential vacancies, property sales, public assistance, and crime. Cross-lagged autoregressive models are estimated using a unique data set containing annual neighborhood information on parolees, crime rates, and neighborhood structure in the city of Cleveland, Ohio, between 2000 and 2008. Results suggest parolees degrade neighborhood structure, and these effects are direct, reciprocal, and indirect. Understanding how the presence of parolees can contribute to changes in neighborhood processes linked to crime will broaden our understanding of the effects that parolees have on communities and highlight additional areas for intervention.

Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets, 2000

Criminal Justice Review, 2009

Although a growing body of research has examined and found a positive relationship between neighb... more Although a growing body of research has examined and found a positive relationship between neighborhood crime and home foreclosures, some research suggests this relationship may not hold in all cities. This study uses city-level data to assess the relationship between foreclosures and crime by estimating longitudinal models with lags for monthly foreclosure and crime data in 128 cities from 1996 to 2011 in Southern California. We test whether these effects are stronger in cities with a combination of high economic inequality and high economic segregation; and whether they are stronger in cities with high racial/ ethnic heterogeneity and high racial segregation. One month, and cumulative three month, six month, and 12-month lags of foreclosures are found to increase city level crime for all crimes except motor vehicle theft. The effect of foreclosures on these crime types is stronger in cities with simultaneously high levels of inequality but low levels of economic segregation. The effect of foreclosures on aggravated assault, robbery, and burglary is stronger in cities with simultaneously high levels of racial heterogeneity and low levels of racial segregation. On the other hand, foreclosures had a stronger effect on larceny and motor vehicle theft when they occurred in a city with simultaneously high levels of racial heterogeneity and high levels of racial segregation. There is evidence that the foreclo-sure crisis had large scale impacts on cities, leading to higher crime rates in cities hit harder by foreclosures. Nonetheless, the economic and racial characteristics of the city altered this effect.

The supervision and monitoring of sex offenders has been one of the most hotly contested areas in... more The supervision and monitoring of sex offenders has been one of the most hotly contested areas in corrections policy in recent years. The public has called for greater levels of offender scrutiny as the result of heinous acts perpetrated by sex offenders, while critics point to recent legislation with onerous housing restrictions coupled with public censure that prevent many offenders from reentering successfully into society. The current study provides a test of the effectiveness of GPS monitoring for high risk sex offender parolees over and above surveillance and monitoring provided by specialized sex offender caseloads. Using data from a GPS pilot program, 94 high risk sex offenders monitored by GPS and 91 high risk sex offenders on specialized caseloads were followed for 12 months. GPS sex offenders were less likely to be found guilty of failing to register as non-GPS sex offenders and marginally less likely This research was conducted under the Center for Evidence-Based Corrections contract 1 Downloaded by [Arizona State University] at 07:49 23 January 2015 S. Turner et al.

External investment in neighborhoods can inhibit crime. However, during the housing crisis, many ... more External investment in neighborhoods can inhibit crime. However, during the housing crisis, many investors were foreclosed upon, triggering large-scale community disinvestment. Yet the impact of this type of disinvestment on crime is currently unknown. Combining data on crime incidents with foreclosure, home sales, and sociodemographic data, this research assesses whether the foreclosure of properties owned by investors has an effect on crime in neighborhoods in Chandler, Arizona, a suburb in the heavily affected Phoenix region. Neighborhoods with a greater proportion of foreclosures on investors (FOIs) have higher total and property crime rates in the short term. In Hispanic neighborhoods, a greater proportion of FOIs result in lower rates of crime. Results suggest that neighborhood stabilization efforts should consider the role of investors in driving short-term crime rates, and that police and code enforcement strategies might prioritize neighborhoods with a high proportion of investor foreclosures.

Prior research has shown that employed parolees are less likely to recidivate. Yet, these studies... more Prior research has shown that employed parolees are less likely to recidivate. Yet, these studies often ignore the underlying employment context of the neighborhoods to which parolees return. Given that parolees often reside in disadvantaged neighborhoods, it is likely that few potential employment opportunities exist nearby, and those opportunities that do exist are of relatively poor quality. This study examines the influence of geographic access to employment opportunities on the likelihood of recidivism. We use a unique data set of parolees and jobs in Ohio to determine whether parolees living closer to a greater number of potential employers or higher-paying jobs are less likely to recidivate. Further, we examine if these relationships are conditioned by parolee race. More job opportunities and higher paying jobs closer to the parolees' homes increase recidivism, and the likelihood of recidivating is highest within smaller geographic distances. Because many parolees reside in the inner city, jobs located within close proximity of parolees are likely white-collar, reflecting the increased competition for low-skill jobs close to where the parolee lives. Our findings indicate that this may be particularly true for black parolees. This suggests policy changes that reduce competition for low-skill positions and facilitate parolees' ability to secure employment are needed.

Recent scholarship focuses on the role neighborhood context plays in reoffending. These studies l... more Recent scholarship focuses on the role neighborhood context plays in reoffending. These studies lack an examination of how the size of the parolee population at the neighborhood-level impacts individual recidivism. We examine how the size and clustering of parolee populations within and across neighborhoods impacts individual-level recidivism. Using data from parolees returning to three Ohio cities from 2000 to 2009, we examine how concentrations of parolees in neighborhoods and in the surrounding neighborhoods impact the likelihood of reoffending. We also examine whether parolee clustering conditions the relationship between neighborhood-level characteristics and recidivism. Results show concentrated reentry increases recidivism, while parolees in stable neighborhoods are less likely to recidivate. Also, the positive effect of parolee concentration is tempered when parolees return to stable neighborhoods. These findings suggest that augmenting resources available in neighborhoods saturated by parolees, as well as bolstering residential stability in these same neighborhoods might reduce reoffending. Alyssa W. Chamberlain is an assistant professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University. Her research interests focus on the nexus between neighborhood dynamics and crime, more specifically, the spatial and temporal relationship between neighborhood structural characteristics, social inequality and crime and how those factors shape neighborhood change over time. She also examines issues related to prisoner reentry and corrections. Danielle Wallace is currently an assistant professor at Arizona State University in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. She received her PhD in sociology from the University of Chicago in 2009. Her research interests include neighborhoods and crime, theories of disorder, and parolee reentry and recidivism. Her current work examines the relationship between health and re-entry outcomes.

Purpose: Prior studies have largely been unable to account for how variations in inequality acros... more Purpose: Prior studies have largely been unable to account for how variations in inequality across larger areas might impact crime rates in neighborhoods. We examine this broader context both in terms of the spatial area surrounding neighborhoods as well as the larger, city-level context. Although social disorganization, opportunity and relative deprivation theories are typically used to explain variations in neighborhood crime, these theories make differing predictions about crime when the broader areas that neighborhoods are embedded in are taken into account. Methods: We use data from the National Neighborhood Crime Study for 7956 neighborhoods in 79 cities. Multi-level models with spatial effects are estimated to explain the relationship between crime and city and neighborhood social and economic resources. Results: Disadvantage in the focal neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods increase neighborhood violent crime, consistent with social disorganization theory. However, relative deprivation provides a more robust explanation for understanding variation in property crime, as the difference in disadvantage between a neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods (or the broader community) explains higher levels of property crime. Conclusions: Criminologists need to account for the larger context of nearby neighborhoods, as well as the broader city, when understanding the effect of relative deprivation on neighborhood-level property crime rates.

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 2016

Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets, 2000

Criminal Justice Review, 2009