Crime

An act committed or omitted in violation of law; an unlawful activity. The following is a brief exploration of rural crime by way of comparisons to urban crime and pointed differences in the operations of the criminal justice system in rural America. It includes discussions of crime rates, fear of crime, organized crime, and the migration to rural areas by violent groups such as hate groups and youth gangs.

Introduction

For many in the general population, what comes to mind first when references to crime are made is the inner city. This can be partly attributed to mass media coverage of crime and crime trends, which is partly informed by previous research on crime that has mainly focused on crime as an urban problem. But rural America, which has often been thought of as a shelter from the evils of inner city crime, is quickly becoming a significant part of the crime experience in America. Thus, crime is no longer just an urban problem.

Crime Rates

Although crime rates in rural and urban America are increasing steadily, rural crime rates remain lower than the rates in urban areas. And while reports show that the occurrence of crime in rural America is growing at an unprecedented pace, some of the information on rural crime may not be totally representative since most rural areas are frequently governed by informal social controls. This tends to decrease the amount of information gathered about violent crimes specifically, especially interpersonal crimes such as domestic violence and child abuse.

Even so, there are noticeable differences when comparing specific types of crime in rural areas to those in urban areas. For example, rural crimes have historically consisted primarily of property crimes, whereas urban crimes have consisted of both property crimes and violent crimes. McDonald, Wood, and Pflug (1996) attributed the common occurrence of property crimes in rural areas to the vulnerability of rural residents. This is in part due to the greater distances which must be traveled by rural residents to purchase goods and services, leaving their households more susceptible to burglary and theft. Rural homes are also more isolated, making them less likely to be monitored by neighbors and impeding the mobilization of law enforcement officials (McDonald, et al. 1996). Regarding violent crimes, the gap in violent crime rates between rural and urban has been slowly narrowing over the last few years, with urban and suburban areas experiencing greater rates of decrease in both property and violent crime trends than rural areas (Duhart 2000). The hypothesis is that the causes of violence in urban areas are beginning to “spill over” into the rural areas (McDonald, et al. 1996). Researchers speculate that disproportionately large increases in crime will occur in rural areas that experience rapid growth.

Although the numbers of violent and property crimes vary between rural and urban areas, the types of offenses most commonly committed are somewhat similar, especially for property crimes. For example, for both rural and urban communities, larceny is one of the most common crimes, and motor vehicle theft among the least common. Recognizable differences do exist, however, between crime victims in rural areas and urban areas. For example, elderly people in rural areas were victimized almost as frequently as other citizens, which is contrary to national studies that indicate the elderly population is victimized less frequently than other age groups (Donnermeyer 1982). Trends in rural crime also show that victims of violent crimes such as homicide, rape, and assault are more likely to be victimized by acquaintances, due to the nature of rural interaction, than urban victims of the same crimes (Duhart 2000).

Fear of Crime

Victimization and fear of crime are rural crime issues which are frequently studied. The most important factor relating to fear of crime among rural residents is the degree to which these residents view their neighbors as trustworthy and attentive to surrounding activity. Studies on fear of crime in rural areas generally conclude that, outside of violent street crime, rural residents share many of the same anxieties about crime as do urban residents (Weisheit, Falcone, and Wells 1994).

Hate Groups

Closely related to the issue of violent crime is the prevalence of hate groups in rural areas. Hate groups and hate movements are by no means a recent phenomenon of rural America. The notorious Ku Klux Klan began its intimidating efforts in rural Polaski, Tennessee in 1865. Although much of the attention of hate activity in the past few years has been diverted to big cities, recruiting efforts in rural areas has remained steady. This is due in part to the attention drawn to hate groups in the larger cities. Hate groups have a high potential for crime, especially violent crime, and rural residents find it easy to identify with members of these hate groups, possibly because of similar demographic characteristics.

Rural hate groups usually are composed of average people with no interest in public attention for themselves or their cause. Their deep suspicion of government combined with racism, anti-Semitism, and fundamentalist Christianity is the main basis of many of these rural hate groups. These groups base their beliefs on distortions of existing rural values and emphasize religion, patriotism, and independence from government tyranny (Weisheit, et al. 1994).

Youth Gangs and Juvenile Delinquency

Just as hate groups are motivated by ignorance and stereotyped attitudes, youth gangs are created by the need for a family, economic benefits, excitement, and a sense of power that is provided by societal reactions to their deviations. Joining a gang gives these individuals a sense of place and importance, consequently providing them with social relationships. Many young individuals are driven to join gangs because of their minority status, economic situations, and the prevalence of gang activity in their neighborhoods. As a result of the prevalence of these youth gangs, the individuals who choose not to join a gang are constantly at risk of being victimized by members of the gangs. Thus, membership in a gang offers a sense of belonging and protection from rival gangs. It also promises reprisal if an attack does take place.

Traditional youth gangs only recently have come to the rural areas. The influx of gang activity is attributed mostly to out-migration from the northern urban areas, combined with readily available automobiles, and an improved interstate highway system. Urban families who become aware their children are involved in gang activities sometimes send their children to rural areas with the hope of precluding gang activity. However, exportation of gang members from urban to rural areas has caused many new youth gangs to be established.

Rural youth report less serious delinquent behavior than youth from urban areas. This could be credited partly to socially integrating factors such as family, church, and school, which are typically more influential in rural settings than are the various deviant influences found in urban areas. Rural juveniles are more integrated into society, commit less serious offenses, and have fewer court appearances than their urban counterparts. Another contributing factor to the lower number of reported incidents of delinquency in rural areas is informal social control. In most rural communities, residents know each other socially, leaving many incidents of juvenile delinquency to be handled by the private citizens themselves rather than the authorities.

Rural-Specific Crimes

Some crimes are specific to rural areas, such as agricultural crime and wildlife crime. Although these crimes may seem trivial compared to violent or property crime, they have a tremendous impact on the U.S. as a whole. The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) lists several items stolen each year as an agricultural crime. Each item’s recovery rate also is documented. Among the items listed by UCR were livestock, which accounts for approximately $20 million each year and a recovery rate of 17 percent; $30 million lost each year to theft from California farmers; and $1 million lost annually to timber thieves and vandals in western Washington alone (Weisheit, et al. 1994).

Wildlife crimes such as poaching, or the taking of game or fish illegally, are other growing concerns in rural areas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported value of wildlife shipments entering and leaving the U. S. at more than $1 billion. Examples of replacement costs of such activities include the estimated $45 million annually for illegally harvested fish and wildlife in Illinois, and more than $93 million each year spent on deer poaching in Pennsylvania alone (Weisheit, et al. 1994).

Organized Crime

Vice and organized crime are also features of the rural environment. Some of the same routes and expertise traditionally used for bootlegging and moonshining in rural areas are being used to transport other illegal merchandise, such as drugs and stolen auto parts. Small communities near major highways are experiencing increasing problems with prostitution, set up for truck drivers traveling these highways (Weisheit, et al. 1994). The Dixie Mafia, who elicit an occasional reference by researchers, is the most well-known of the rural organized criminal enterprises.

Rural America can no longer be considered a safehaven from the criminal activities of its urban counterpart. Although research indicates that rural crime rates are lower than urban crime rates, rural crime is on the rise. Organized crime, gang activity, and hate crimes are no longer unique to the urban setting. Still, little is known about the phenomenon of rural crime or that of rural policing. More comparisons must be done between rural and urban crime to better aid in the understanding of these processes. However, to appreciate and understand the phenomenon of rural crime, one must also understand how rural justice and rural crime vary across rural communities; not just how rural and urban areas differ (Weisheit, et al.1994).

— Terri L. Earnest, Phyllis Gray-Ray, Melvin C. Ray, and Sandra Rutland

See also

Addiction; Agricultural Law; Domestic Violence; Marijuana; Methamphetamine Use; Policing

References

• Donnermeyer, Joseph F. “Patterns of Criminal Victimization in a Rural Setting: The Case of Pike County Indiana.” In Rural Crime. Edited by T.J. Carter, G.H. Phillips, J.F. Donnermeyer, and Todd N. Wurschmidt. Totowa, NJ: Allenheld, Osmun Publishers, 1982.
• Duhart, Detis T. Urban, Suburban, and Rural Victimization, 1993-98. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, October 2000.
• McDonald, Thomas D., Robert A. Wood, and Melissa A Pflug. Rural Criminal Justice: Conditions, Constraints and Challenges. Salem, WI: Sheffield Publishing Company, 1996.
• Weisheit, Ralph A., David N. Falcone, and L. Edward Wells. Rural Crime and Rural Policing. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 1994