(TWO NOTES ON THE ECONOMICS OF CRIME: THE CHOICE OF CRIMINAL VICTIMS AND FACTORS IN. URBAN CRIME: COMMENT

Economic Opportunity pursuant to the provisions of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Philip Spevak provided valuable research assistance. The opinions expressed are those of the author.:t:. This discussion paper presents two empirical studies concerning urban crime rates. ·"The Choice of Criminal Victims " focuses on crime within New York City precincts. and estimates a model in which criminals are ·assumed to choose their victims so as to maximize expected gains from illegal activity. Wealthy individuals are more likely to be victims, but they can lower their probability of victimization by forming homogeneous neighborhoods. "Factors in Urban Crime: 'Comment " applies a framework in which the distribution of income is ·an important determinant of the level of criminal activity. A previous paper failed to analyze urban crime rates within an economic framework, and as a result, overstated the propensity of blacks to commit crime. I