The Southern Violence Construct: Evidence from the Survey of Youths in Custody, 1987-1988

The term "Southern Violence Construct" (SVC) reflects the persistent tendency for the American South to experience high rates of violent crime, particularly murder and its sibling, aggravated assault. This paper re-examines the issue of southern violence in light of evidence from the Survey of Youths in Custody. The Survey would be expected to reflect, in the behavior of young people, the general pattern of violence predicted by the SVC. Two measures of violence and two regional constructs were used to test for the predominance of southern violence. Results were ambiguous, offering little support for the SVC. However, it is recognized that sample survey data of a specific population cohort are not necessarily adequate as a vehicle for testing a hypothesis with broader relevance.