Methodological Difficulties to Explain the Observable Mapping Criminal Areas, Booze and Prostitution in Klaipeda ( ) Arūnas Acus Liutauras Kraniauskas Department of Sociology, Klaipeda University Research funded by the Research Council of Lithuania Grant MIP-085/2014

Mapping crime in Klaipeda Dataset of over recorded crime cases Period: Crimes: homicide, robbery, assaults, burglary, theft, shoplifting, narcotics, prostitution, rape and sexual assault, child sexual abuse, public order offences, privately distilled alcohol, extortion, criminal damage Spatial layout of the urban structure 62 neighborhoods (administrative units) Similar to Chicago

Methodological issues Inaccuracy of crime geocoding on micro level in parks, public spaces, industrial sites, non-residential areas Categories of crime and spatial references against property vs. against person in private place vs. in public space Changing categories of crime over the time Sociological interpretation of crime dynamics What are the underlying social and environmental risk factors that account for spatial occurrence of crime? What are the main pitfalls leading to incorrect interpretation of crime in the city?

Against morphological approach Counter-arguments Unchanging urban infrastructure ( ) Dynamics of crime and its fluctuations in particular areas Hypothesis 1: Increasing consumption generates more crime Hypothesis 2: Criminal areas as areas of vulnerable population

Crime trends at the indicated areas of Klaipeda ( )

Stigma of an area Žvejybos uostas - a district in the southern part of the city. The neighbourhood has one of the highest crime rates in Klaipėda (Wikipedia) Žvejybos uostas

2010

Stigma of an area Žvejybos uostas - a district in the southern part of the city. The neighbourhood has one of the highest crime rates in Klaipėda (Wikipedia) Žvejybos uostas Recursive interpretion of safety issues in particular urban areas Projection of the past to the present Biased assumptions about socio-demographic characteristics of the residents No socio-demographical data available for a particular neighborhood Social images ---> sociological interpretation

Individually distilled alcohol: production and selling places

Strange fellowship Sex & Drugs & Rock’n’Roll? Sex and drugs and rock and roll Is all my brain and body need Sex and drugs and rock and roll Are very good indeed Ian Dury and the Blockheads (1977) No, just sex with booze…

Strange fellowship Booze Drugs Prostitution

How to explain the observable? Any suggestion or interpretation on the strange fellowship is welcome…