Two college professors have teamed up to study the impact of community demographics and local liquor establishments on violence in the community. Professor William Alex Pridemore at Indiana University Bloomington and his co-author Tony Grubesic, Associate Professor at Drexel University, have come to the conclusion that communities with more socially disorganized layouts combined with higher poverty and single mom households were hit hardest.
The study found that these types of communities had the most violence due to the amount of liquor establishments in a small area. According to an article in Medical News Today, Pridemore found that the social cohesion in organized communities having common values resulted in a better ability to regulate behaviors of local retailers and those who frequented liquor outlets.
Pridemore added that stronger communities more often have bigger social capital, effective informal surveillance and friends working at City Hall. Combining these three factors gets the attention of police and authorities who establish liquor licensing. Trying to change local and state alcohol policies can be overwhelming due to the complex commercial and political context. However, it might be easier to accomplish changes in policy than it is to change things like poverty and social disarray.
The professors’ latest findings showed that the correlation between alcohol and assaults in such disorganized communities weakened their social organization. As assaults increased so did the level of disorganization. Communities that have neighborhood watches and associations lessen this problem because residents demand business owners be more responsible. These residents will call on their social connections with police and local authorities when they see problems begin.
The researchers compiled their information using geocoded data from local police and geocoded data from alcohol outlets and their locations in the Cincinnati, Ohio area in a 298 block area.
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