Evaluation of the Association of Micro-Level Crime and Infant Maltreatment in Texas
Abstract
Infancy, or the period of 3 days to one year of age, serves as the life stage with the greatest risk for maltreatment. Community contextual and structural factors have been linked to infant maltreatment outcomes, however, neither have been completely explored through the lens of law enforcement, particularly micro-level crime in the form of traffic stops. As the most common interaction with law enforcement, its frequency and nature should be examined to determine if its presence in a community is associated with infant maltreatment rates at the community level (Bureau of Justice Statistics). It was hypothesized that all variables considered would be significantly associated with infant maltreatment. Thus, this paper examines the relationship between non-speeding micro-level crimes and the rate of infant maltreatment at the zip code level in Texas. It also contributes to the discourse on the role of law-enforcement in community level outcomes.
Subject Area
Public health|Criminology
Recommended Citation
Rana, Rachel, "Evaluation of the Association of Micro-Level Crime and Infant Maltreatment in Texas" (2018). Texas Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI10790873.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI10790873