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Christmas Criminals: A Routine Activity Approach To Crime On U.S. Holidays, Wyatt Lam
Christmas Criminals: A Routine Activity Approach To Crime On U.S. Holidays, Wyatt Lam
James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)
Based on Cohen and Felson’s 1979 routine activity theory, this study examines crime rates on prominent U.S. holidays. Little research exists that analyzes crime patterns on holidays, despite the mass disruption of routine activities. Using data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), this study compares the average daily number of offenses per state on 15 holidays with the average daily number of offenses per state on non-holiday weekdays for the 2016 calendar year. The crimes under investigation are economically motivated crimes: burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and robbery. Holidays are divided into groups for analysis based on where activities …