Spencer 1

Eric Spencer

Professor Mattern

Juvenile Delinquency & Juvenile Justice System

19 September 2010

Gentrification

Gentrification is the process in which wealthier citizens purchase homes and properties in an

impoverished community in order to rejuvenate the local economy. With wealthier families moving

into the neighborhood the property values will increase due to higher value homes being built. A great

way of encouraging gentrification is by fostering the arts in impoverished communities. With more art

being produced and prominently displayed in a community, wealthier families will become attracted to

the community, causing gentrification to occur. A prime example of this in Cleveland is the Waterloo

Arts District in Collinwood. Increased arts programs are leading to gentrification and slowly beginning

to reverse the white flight that occurred in the 1960's.

With gentrification occurring, it is predictable that juvenile crime will be on the downturn for a

variety of reasons. One reason is that with wealthier families, the average family unit size decreases,

meaning fewer juveniles will be in the community, leading to less crime. Having wealthier

homeowners will also likely result in more tax revenue going to the school district, and as a result, a

higher amount of support for a wide variety of extracurricular activities. These activities keep juveniles

occupied after school, resulting in less time spent committing criminal activities. Finally, the increased

rent and taxes that result from wealthier families moving in slowly causes the lower income families to

be forced out of the neighborhood, and with them, some of the juvenile crime is forced out as well.