Determining factors of criminality in Minas Gerais

The article has a double aim. It first discusses an approach dealing with the spatial distribution of crime and its theoretical consequences. It is argued that this kind of approach allows us to make an analysis of rational and utilitarian components of crime. This is possible by focusing the attention on local incidences of crime instead of the characteristics of the criminals. Secondly, crime incidence in the 756 cities of Minas Gerais throughout the year of 1991 is analyzed using the theoretical approach mentioned. For that, empirical Bayes indexes are used.