Date of Award

10-19-2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Criminal Justice

First Advisor

Tusty ten Bensel

Abstract

Criminologists have long established an association between social disorganization factors and crime. The majority of criminological literature on social disorganization, however, has overlooked the role that certain social institutions play into the equation. Specifically, the degree to which military presence, manifested by the exposure to the military institution and its personnel, influences local areas has yet to be examined from a criminological perspective. This dissertation was designed to extend this body of research by envisioning the military as a social institution salient in understanding variation in the of crime and delinquency across communities. To accomplish this, I relied on data from the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), the American Community Survey (ACS), and the 2014 United States Department of Defense Demographics Report – Profile of the Military. Independent samples t-tests revealed statistically significant differences in crime rates and social disorganization levels among counties with different levels of military presence. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and negative binomial multiple-regression analyses indicated that military presence had an impact on crime rates in American communities. Results further suggested that military presence significantly moderates the effects of social disorganization on county crime rates, yet only marginally. Based on these findings, I discussed research and policy implications, as well as future directions for research.

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