MoCSSy Program: Graduate Student Seminar Series "Not in Vancouver anymore, Toto: Explaining crime in rural and northern areas."

Abstract

While crime has been on the decline in most urban centers for the past few decades, this has not been the case in rural type areas. Despite the vast array of theoretical constructs purporting to explain crime and criminality, few, if any, have been specifically developed for a northern / rural context. This is particularly problematic for Canada since the vast majority of the population resides within 10 miles of the 49th parallel suggesting the vast majority of Canadian geography can be considered rural. While we do know that urban centers are distinct from rural areas, it is unclear whether traditional macro differences, and the corresponding macro criminological theories, are sufficient to account for crime disparities between these areas in any substantive manner. The current evidence suggests further theoretical development would be well suited with integration of cultural and social differences for the purposes of explaining the cause of crime and criminality in northern and rural contexts.