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Understanding Pathways to Crime: Can Anomie Theory Explain Higher Crime Rates Among Refugees? - Current Findings from a Swiss Survey

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Abstract

This study explores the extent to which the comparatively high crime rates among refugees in Switzerland can be explained once anomie theory is employed to take individual and social factors into account. The discrepancy between expectations and internalized goals on the one hand, and accessible legal opportunities on the other, may lead to heightened personal strain and anomic reactions such as innovation and deviance. This research tested this notion via statistical data and a survey of refugees in Switzerland. The results offer moderate support to anomie-centered explanations of crime among refugees.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Monika Simmler

  2. University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Monika Simmler

  3. Law School, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Isabelle Plassard & Noëmie Schär

  4. School of Management, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Maximilian Schuster

Authors
  1. Monika Simmler
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  2. Isabelle Plassard
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  3. Noëmie Schär
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  4. Maximilian Schuster
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Correspondence to Monika Simmler.

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Simmler, M., Plassard, I., Schär, N. et al. Understanding Pathways to Crime: Can Anomie Theory Explain Higher Crime Rates Among Refugees? - Current Findings from a Swiss Survey. Eur J Crim Policy Res 23, 539–558 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-017-9351-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-017-9351-4

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