Matthew T. Lee

Lee finds that increased immigration is not directly related to increased homicide. Instead immigrants seem to play a positive role in creating social cohesion.

Studying El Paso, Miami, and San Diego over the years 1985-1995, Lee explores the complex relationship between ethnicity, immigration, and homicide. Popular opinion and sociological theory, particularly the social disorganization perspective, predict that immigration should increase levels of homicide where immigrants settle, but LeeÕs analysis (statistical, spatial, and temporal) generally finds that this is not the case. His results cast doubt on the taken-for-granted idea that immigration disrupts communities, weakens social control, and increases homicide levels. Rather, recent arrivals appear to play a positive role in these three cities, suggesting that conventional theories of crime be re-examined in light of the potentially revitalizing impact of immigration.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Immigration as an Important Criminological Concern
2. Immigration and Crime: What Do We Know and How Do We Know It?
3. Studying Immigration and Homicide
4. The Independent Effects of Immigration and Homicide
5. Time Trends and Geographic Patterns
6. Conclusion: Immigration and the Revitalization of Urban Communities
   
References
Index