How Do Criminals Locate? Crime and Spatial Dependence in Minas Gerais

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate the existence of a spatial dependence of crime rates at a local level in the case of municipalities of Minas Gerais, one of the 26 Brazilian states. Results suggest the existence of a positive spatial autocorrelation of municipal violent crime rates. However, it also appears that violent crime against property and against persons do not follow the same spatial behavior. While violent economic crime seems to spread a lot, interpersonal violence is a much more localized phenomenon.violent crime, spatial autocorrelation, Brazil