Human Mobility and Crime: Theoretical Approaches and Novel Data Collection Strategies

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Geography
• Sociology

Background:

• Traditional crime explanations often overlook human movement.
• Understanding spatial patterns of individuals and populations is crucial for crime analysis.
• Geographically referenced data on mobility patterns offers novel insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review approaches explaining crime through human mobility.
• To focus on innovative strategies for collecting mobility data.
• To assess the challenges and potential of mobility-based criminology.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of mobility-crime linkage approaches.
• Identification and categorization of three main analytical frameworks.
• Examination of data collection methods for mobility patterns.

Main Results:

• Three distinct approaches to mobility-crime linkages were identified: place/neighborhood, person-centered, and ecological network.
• Each approach offers a unique lens for analyzing crime risk based on spatial interactions.
• Novel data collection strategies are emerging for measuring mobility.

Conclusions:

• Human mobility is a critical, yet often underutilized, factor in understanding crime.
• Mobility-based research, supported by advanced data collection, promises to enhance criminological theories and practices.
• Integrating mobility into crime explanations requires diverse methodological approaches.