Measuring Immediate Spatial Displacement: Methodological Issues and Problems

While much attention has been paid to the idea of displacement in crime place theory and research, methodological problems associated with its measurement have often been overlooked. We focus on such issues in the context of immediate spatial displacement around hot spots of crime. Using the Minneapolis Hot Spots Experiment (Sherman and Weisburd, 1995) as an example, we identify specific problems investigators are likely to face in documenting displacement effects. We argue that conventional studies are unlikely to provide a powerful research design for examining displacement, in part because of efforts to maximize the identification of main program effects. In conclusion, we suggest that studies specifically designed for measuring displacement (and the related phenomenon of diffusion) must be developed if criminologists are to make significant advances in this area.