A longitudinal examination of the influence of a smoke-free law on the bar-crime relationship

Researchers frequently identify relationships between categories of facilities and crime, particularly between alcohol-serving businesses and violent crimes. One question facing this research is whether categories of facilities, including bars, function as crime generators or whether analyses may be identifying spurious relationships that are the result of facilities locating in spaces encompassed by higher criminal opportunities. One technique for addressing this question is to examine whether policy changes that alter social functioning of facilities are associated with changes in criminal offending around the effected facilities. Previous research utilized pre-and post-policy change examinations. This paper offers a different method. Using time series analysis spanning multiple years, this paper examines the relationship between the implementation of a law prohibiting smoking in most public facilities, including bars and taverns, and reported crimes across aggregates in Minneapolis. Results indicate no change in crimes associated with the implementation of a smoke-free law, regardless of the number of bars within an aggregate. Implications for policy and examinations of categories of facilities as crime generators are discussed.