Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Douglas J. MacKinnon

Abstract

AbstractSeveral recent debates have occurred about the effects that immigration has on crime in the United States, and although most studies indicate that increased immigration does not increase crime, some research indicates that immigration affects crime in some ways. With some noted recent attacks by immigrants on U.S. citizens, politicians and citizens are calling for lawmakers to implement more laws that will reduce immigration. The purpose of this quantitative study was to bridge this gap in literature by comparing the number violent crimes to the number of immigrants from 1970 through 2010 in Georgia. The goal of this study was to identify any trends in the total number of violent crimes with the percentage of the different races, foreign-born population, and urbanicity. The theoretical framework for this study was Shaw and McKay’s social disorganization theory. This research focused on the relationship between the total violent crimes in various counties in Georgia and the immigrant and racial populations in these same areas through the decades. Analysis of variance, binary logistic regression, and chi-square tests were employed to identify any differences between mean levels and the total number of violent crimes from decade to decade. The implications for social change include informing politicians and lawmakers about the data-grounded relationship between immigration and the total number of violent crimes in Georgia from 1970 to 2010 so that plans and policies can be implemented to address the causes of violent crimes.

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