The social impact in a high-risk community: A cellular automata model

This research examines the spread of criminal behavior and hard drug consumption using a mathematical approach called cellular automata (CA). This CA model is based on two behavioral concepts. Firstly, peer association impacts criminal involvement. Secondly, addiction can heighten criminal activity. The model incorporates four types of actors who interact in a high-risk social community and one intervention method. The actors exert a social influence on each other by encouraging or discouraging drug use and criminal behavior. The intervention method called Incapacitation has a probabilistic impact on the individuals in the model. The results identify the threshold where positive influences on a population reduce the number of high-rate offenders in the community. These results are discussed to further the knowledge about the social influences in a high-risk community and how these influences can effect decisions on offender management.

► Cellular automata model captures the social interactions of individuals in a high-risk community.
► Behavioral concepts are integrated into the model to contrast various types of actors in the system.
► MATLAB, a numerical computing environment, is used to simulate the CA model.
► The results reveal the threshold where high-risk individuals are eliminated in the model.