Seasonal Assault and Neighborhood Deprivation in South Africa

2011/02/10 by Gregory D. Breetzke, Ellen G. Cohn · 8 citations
Social Sciences · Health Professions · #Crime Patterns and Interventions #Intimate Partner and Family Violence #Homelessness and Social Issues

paper · doi:10.1177/0013916510397758

Abstract

Little is known about spatial and temporal variations of violent crime in South Africa. This article addresses this gap by investigating the seasonality of assault at a neighborhood level in the city of Tshwane. The authors first investigate whether assault is seasonal, and then examine the association between seasonal levels of assault and area measures of social deprivation for urban neighborhoods in Tshwane. Similar to previous international research, the authors found that assault is seasonal, with higher incidences of assault in summer. Deprived neighborhoods exhibited higher rates of assault than more affluent neighborhoods. Assault levels in urban neighborhoods were found to be socially stratified and spatially patterned regardless of the season of the year. More deprived neighborhoods had higher assault rates in summer, whereas in winter, assault rates were more equably split over neighborhoods ranging from high to low deprivation. More affluent neighborhoods typically exhibited lower assault rates in summer.

Citations

• Social Change and Crime Rate Trends: A Routine Activity Approach

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