Semester of Graduation

Spring 2025

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geography and Anthropology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The recent high-profile killings of people by the police brought attention to police violence, and prompted activists to call for an end to police violence. Drawing from an understanding of strain theory (Merton, 1938; Farnworth & Leiber, 1989; Agnew, 1992; Agnew, 2001; Agnew, 2008) and Tucker and Cadora’s (2003) ideas of justice reinvestment, this research was designed with the belief that police funding can be better used to help people meet their basic needs of housing, healthcare, and education. This research is concerned with the spatial relationship between crime and the quality of social infrastructure, or the programs in place to address economic problems and help people meet their basic needs, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Ordinary Least Squares regression analysis and Geographically Weighted Regression analysis are used to explore the relationship between arrests and the social infrastructure variables named by Tucker and Cadora (2003) in Baton Rouge during the five-year period from 2015 to 2019. The output of the Geographically Weighted Regression analysis provides maps of Baton Rouge that visualize the relationship between arrests and social infrastructure across the city. The maps reveal pockets of Baton Rouge where funding might be better spent on improving social infrastructure than investing in police. An understanding of the relationship between social infrastructure and arrests will help support any future efforts to address crime by addressing poverty first.

Date

12-19-2024

Committee Chair

Michael Leitner

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