Neighborhood disorder and juvenile drug arrests: a preliminary investigation using the NIfETy instrument.
BACKGROUND
Disordered neighborhood environments are associated with crime, drug use, and poor health outcomes. However, research utilizing objective instruments to characterize the neighborhood environment is lacking.


OBJECTIVE
This investigation examines the relationship between objective measures of neighborhood disorder and juvenile drug arrests (JDAs) in an urban locale.


METHODS
The neighborhood disorder scale was developed using indicators from the Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology (NIfETy) instrument; a valid and reliable tool that assesses physical and social disorder. Data on 3146 JDAs from 2006 were obtained from the police department.


RESULTS
Negative binomial regression models revealed a significant association between neighborhood disorder and the count of JDAs in the neighborhood (β == .34, p < .001). The relationship between neighborhood disorder and JDAs remained significant after adjusting for percent African-Americans in the neighborhood (β == .24, p < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
This preliminary investigation identified a positive and statistically significant relationship between an objective measure of neighborhood disorder and JDAs. Future investigations should examine strategies to reduce drug-related crime by addressing the larger neighborhood and social context in which drug involvement and crime occurs.
Department of Mental Health, Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. amilam@jhsph.edu
Adam J
AJ
Milam
C Debra M
CD
Furr-Holden
Paul T
PT
Harrell
Damiya E
DE
Whitaker
Philip J
PJ
Leaf
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015142:Baltimore; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*