Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

Criminology and Criminal Justice

First Advisor

Scott E Wolfe

Abstract

While lead exposure during childhood has been linked to criminal activity later in life, prior research has failed to develop a theoretical foundation explaining why lead and crime rates are positively related at the aggregate level. Utilizing tract-level data, I examine the relationship among elevated blood lead level rates, levels of concentrated disadvantage, and crime rates. Through a biosocial approach, I explore the lead-crime relationship using a measure of concentrated disadvantage to account for the variations across tracts. Finally, I discuss the results of this study as well as implications for public policy and future research.

Rights

© 2014, Tara Elaine Martin

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