Effects of Public School Closures on Crime: The Case of the 2013 Chicago Mass School Closure
Public school closures are increasing in number and size in U.S. cities. In response, parents, teachers, and public school advocates argue that closures carry negative consequences for multiple institutions across a wide set of outcomes. One such institution is the local neighborhood, and a negative...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Society for Sociological Science
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Sociological Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.sociologicalscience.com/articles-v7-6-128/ |
| _version_ | 1818891539702611968 |
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| author | Noli Brazil |
| author_facet | Noli Brazil |
| author_sort | Noli Brazil |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Public school closures are increasing in number and size in U.S. cities. In response, parents, teachers, and public school advocates argue that closures carry negative consequences for multiple institutions across a wide set of outcomes. One such institution is the local neighborhood, and a negative consequence that is frequently raised is increased crime. I test this claim by using the 2013 Chicago mass school closure as a case study. Rather than conceiving of a school closure as a binary event (closed or not closed) I break it out according to a school’s status after closure: vacant, repurposed, and merged with an existing school. I find that vacancy and repurposing into a nonschool are associated with decreased crime. In contrast, merging a closed school with an existing school is associated with increased crime. The vacancy and repurposing effects are spatiotemporally localized, concentrated in the 75-meter area surrounding the school and disappearing after a year, whereas the student merger effect persisted over time across larger spatial scales. My results suggest that the relationship between closure and neighborhood crime is not straightforward, varying by postclosure land use status and spatiotemporal factors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T17:42:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-54b317237ace443c9667bcd39f55fb93 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2330-6696 2330-6696 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T17:42:25Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | Society for Sociological Science |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sociological Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-54b317237ace443c9667bcd39f55fb932022-12-21T20:12:11ZengSociety for Sociological ScienceSociological Science2330-66962330-66962020-04-017612815110.15195/v7.a6Effects of Public School Closures on Crime: The Case of the 2013 Chicago Mass School ClosureNoli Brazil0University of California, DavisPublic school closures are increasing in number and size in U.S. cities. In response, parents, teachers, and public school advocates argue that closures carry negative consequences for multiple institutions across a wide set of outcomes. One such institution is the local neighborhood, and a negative consequence that is frequently raised is increased crime. I test this claim by using the 2013 Chicago mass school closure as a case study. Rather than conceiving of a school closure as a binary event (closed or not closed) I break it out according to a school’s status after closure: vacant, repurposed, and merged with an existing school. I find that vacancy and repurposing into a nonschool are associated with decreased crime. In contrast, merging a closed school with an existing school is associated with increased crime. The vacancy and repurposing effects are spatiotemporally localized, concentrated in the 75-meter area surrounding the school and disappearing after a year, whereas the student merger effect persisted over time across larger spatial scales. My results suggest that the relationship between closure and neighborhood crime is not straightforward, varying by postclosure land use status and spatiotemporal factors.https://www.sociologicalscience.com/articles-v7-6-128/school closurescrimeneighborhoodsschools |
| spellingShingle | Noli Brazil Effects of Public School Closures on Crime: The Case of the 2013 Chicago Mass School Closure Sociological Science school closures crime neighborhoods schools |
| title | Effects of Public School Closures on Crime: The Case of the 2013 Chicago Mass School Closure |
| title_full | Effects of Public School Closures on Crime: The Case of the 2013 Chicago Mass School Closure |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Public School Closures on Crime: The Case of the 2013 Chicago Mass School Closure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Public School Closures on Crime: The Case of the 2013 Chicago Mass School Closure |
| title_short | Effects of Public School Closures on Crime: The Case of the 2013 Chicago Mass School Closure |
| title_sort | effects of public school closures on crime the case of the 2013 chicago mass school closure |
| topic | school closures crime neighborhoods schools |
| url | https://www.sociologicalscience.com/articles-v7-6-128/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nolibrazil effectsofpublicschoolclosuresoncrimethecaseofthe2013chicagomassschoolclosure |