Social Service Organizations, Discretionary Funding, and Neighborhood Crime Rates

Abstract

This article explores whether or not the presence and funding of neighborhood organizations are associated with local crime rates and how this impact differs by level of crime. The small body of literature on social organizations suggests there are no associations between social organizations and crime. Furthermore, the link between community organizations and neighborhood crime rates has not been analyzed longitudinally. Based on an analysis of two time periods, this article reveals causal mechanisms that influence neighborhood crime rates. The article uses geocoded incident-level crime and discretionary funding data from New York City for both 2010 and 2015. The analysis shows that neighborhood organizations supported by discretionary funding drive down crime rates, although this effect varies by initial level of crime in 2010.