Green Crime Havens: A Spatial Cluster Analysis of Environmental Crime
Ryan Thomson, Johanna Espín, Tameka Samuels‐Jones
Abstract
Objectives The following study contributes to the bridging green criminology's quantitative research gap by analyzing the spatial distribution of environmental crimes throughout the United States. In doing so, we consider the possibility of green crime havens; areas with elevated health risks associated with dense concentrations of green criminal behavior. Methods Using data obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ECHO database, we conduct a spatial cluster analysis to identify counties bearing a disproportionate number of the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act violations. Results Findings affirm the existence of numerous green crime havens with violations occurring both within and across different types of pollution cases. Conclusions The study concludes with a theoretical reflection of the treadmill of crime and corresponding series of policy recommendations.