Document Type
Honors Project
First Advisor
Dr. Benjamin D. Albers
Second Advisor
Dr. Edgar Lickey
Third Advisor
Dr. Erin M. Miller
Degree Award Date
Spring 5-3-2025
Keywords
General Strain Theory, Flint Michigan, Man-made Disaster, Corporate Crime, Lead-Poisoning, Legionnaires' Disease, Community Health, Crime Rates
Disciplines
Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance
Abstract
Flint, Michigan suffered a city water change from the Great Lake’s Lake Huron water pipeline to an old system using the Flint River as the main source of water (Reuben, et al., 2022). The change took place in an effort to make budget cuts (Denchak, 2024). The switch occurred before checking the safety of the pipes, which were severely corroded (Reuben, et al., 2022). Lead poisoning and Legionnaires disease spread through the Flint community and the water was visibly not safe for use (Reuben, et al., 2022). The people of Flint experienced stress that they could not control. They feared for their children contracting lead poisoning and getting skin rashes, as well as themselves (Reuben, et al., 2022). An analysis using Robert Agnew’s general strain theory, was performed assuming crime rates would rise in response to the added stress on Flint, Michigan residents. Pontiac, Michigan was used as the control in the study, since the two cities have similar racial, socio-economic, and geographic features (Pontiac, MI, 2025). Several indications of stress were assessed including M-STAT scores taken by younger children, SAT scores, fertility rates, and population change. Significant variation in these factors suggest Flint did in fact undergo high levels of strain. Further findings suggest the crime rate in Flint, Michigan decreased in 2015, indicating other potential variables and sociological explanations at work.
Recommended Citation
Harrison, J. (2025). Assessing Implication Through General Strain Theory: Comparative Analysis of Crime Rates in Flint and Pontiac Michigan. Bridgewater College Digital Commons. 1(1), 1-31.
Recommended Citation
Harrison, J. (2025). Assessing Implication Through General Strain Theory: Comparative Analysis of Crime Rates in Flint and Pontiac Michigan. Bridgewater College Digital Commons. 1(1), 1-31.
Force Open Access
1
