University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects January 2016 Anomie In The Oil Patch? An Examination Of Durkheim’s Anomie Theory Through A Case Study Of The akB ken Region Fred Matthew onesJ Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/theses Recommended Citation Jones, Fred Matthew, "Anomie In The Oil Patch? An Examination Of Durkheim’s Anomie Theory Through A Case Study Of The Bakken Region" (2016). Theses and Dissertations. 2031. https://commons.und.edu/theses/2031 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ANOMIE IN THE OIL PATCH? AN EXAMINATION OF DURKHEIM’S ANOMIE THEORY THROUGH A CASE STUDY OF THE BAKKEN REGION by Fred Matthew Jones Bachelor of Arts, University of Arkansas, 2003 Master of Science, Drury University, 2008 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of North Dakota In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Grand Forks, North Dakota December 2016 This dissertation, submitted by F. Matt Jones in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of North Dakota, has been read by the Faculty Advisory Committee under whom the work has been done and is hereby approved. _________________________________________ Name of Chairperson __________________________________________ Name of Committee Member __________________________________________ Name of Committee Member __________________________________________ Name of Committee Member __________________________________________ Name of Committee Member This dissertation is being submitted by the appointed advisory committee as having met all the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of North Dakota and is hereby approved. _____________________________ Grant McGimpsey Dean of the School of Graduate Studies _____________________________ Date ii PERMISSION Title Anomie in the Oil Patch? An Examination of Durkheim’s Anomie Theory through a Case Study of the Bakken Region Department Criminal Justice Degree Doctor of Philosophy In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the library of this University shall make it feely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my dissertation work, or in his absence, by the Chairperson of the department or the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this dissertation or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. F. Matt Jones December, 2016 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………………….v LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………...……….vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………….………………..…...viii ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….…………..ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………..…..1 II. DURKHEIM’S ANOMIE THEORY……………………………………..…….6 III. EMPIRICAL TEST’S OF DURKHEIM’S ANOMIE THEORY……….……..29 IV. BOOMTOWN LITERATURE……….………………………………………..40 V. METHOD……………………………………………………………………...68 VI. QUANTITATIVE INQUIRY…………………………………………………88 VII. QUALITATIVE INQUIRY………………………………………………….130 VIII. DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS…………………………………….165 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………….185 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Annual Oil Production for Bakken Region, 1999-2014…........................................91 2. Average Monthly Oil Production in Bakken Region, 1999-2014………………….92 3. Per-capita Income for Bakken, North Dakota (NDAB) and Iowa, 1999-2014…………………………………………………………………………..93 4. Median Household Income Bakken, North Dakota and Iowa, 1999-2014..………..94 5. Bakken Region Population, 1999-2014…………………………………………….97 6. Williston, North Dakota population, 1999-2014…………………………………...98 7. Rate of Aggravated Assault Rates in the Bakken region NDAB, 1999-2014…......102 8. Violent crime rates for the Bakken, NDAB and Iowa, 1999-2014………………..104 9. Bakken counties overall violent crime rate, 1999-2014…………………………...108 10. Rates of aggravated assault in Bakken Counties, 1999-2014……………………...113 11. Overall Violent Crime Rates for Major Bakken Cities, 1999-2014……………….114 12. Aggravated Assault Rates for Major Bakken Cities, 1999-2014………………….118 13. Suicide Rates for Bakken, NDAB and Iowa, 1999-2014………………………….125 14. Map of the Bakken Oil Patch…..………………………………………………….131 15. Photograph of trailers serving as long term residence for oil field workers……....132 16. Photograph of ruts created in the streets of Williston, North Dakota by oil trucks and increased traffic in 2010……………………………………………….134 17. Satellite image of the Bakken Region……………………………………………..135 v 18. Photograph of new residences being constructed in Williston, 2012……………...136 19. Photograph of truck parked in Wal-Mart parking lot in Williston, North Dakota……………………………………………………………………………...138 20. Photograph of Truck Traffic in the Bakken………………………………………..139 21. Photograph of Recently arrived individuals camping out in Wal-Mart parking lot in Williston……………………………………………………………………..142 22. Photograph of oil field worker residing in his van………………………………...144 23. Photograph of Williston’s new jail………………………………………………...148 24. Photograph of Bakken resident showing a handgun she uses for protection……...153 25. Photograph of aftermath of deadly explosion in the Bakken……………………...155 26. Photograph of oil worker who lost his legs in oil field explosion…………………157 27. Screenshot of oil worker’s phone voicing concerns over his working environment……………………………………………………………………….160 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Violent crime rates for Bakken region, 1999-2014……….…………..………..99 2. Violent crime rates for NDAB, 1999/2014……….………………….………..100 3. Violent crime rates for Iowa, 1999-2014……………………………….……..103 4. Violent crime rates for Bakken counties, 1999-2014………….……….……..107 5. Rates of rape for Bakken Counties, 1999-2014……………………………….108 6. Rates of robbery for the Bakken region counties, 1999-2014……………..….110 7. Aggravated assault rates of Bakken region Counties, 1999-2014.………..…..112 8. Violent Crime Rates for Bakken Cities, 1999-2014…………………………..114 9. Rape rates for Bakken Cities, 1999-2014………………………….………….116 10. Robbery rates for Bakken cities, 1999-2014………………………….............117 11. Rates of aggravated assault for major cities in the Bakken region, 1999- 2014…………………………………………………………………………...118 12. Alternative violent crime rates, 2012 & 2014…………………………………119 13. Oil and gas worker deaths compared to homicides in the Bakken Region, 2009-2014……………………………………………………………………...127 14. Bakken oil and gas worker death rates compared to Texas oil workers, 2010-2013……………………………………………………………………..128 vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is with sincere appreciation I recognize the time and effort Professor Bruce DiCristina dedicated to advising me throughout this project. Professor DiCristina’s patience and intelligence are beyond compare. I am truly grateful for his guidance in this endeavor and throughout my time at the University of North Dakota. I must also recognize the support of Professors Roni Mayzer, Martin Gottschalk and Mike Meyer during my time at UND. Also, if it were not for Professor A.L. Marsteller’s encouragement during my early academic career I would not have pursued my doctorate. Thanks Dr. M, I hope you are well. My parents Ted and Deborah Jones are my eternal cheerleaders. A brief mention here does not do justice to the support they have offered me throughout my life. I hope they know how much I appreciate them and everything they have done, and continue to do, for me. The love and support of my partner Kara has gotten me through countless frustrating nights. I may never find the words to thank her for all her support, and patience, but I hope this serves as starting point. Finally, the arrival of our daughter Mabel provided me with the motivation needed to finalize this work. viii Dedication For Mabel and HB…I cannot wait to see what comes next! ABSTRACT Emile Durkheim serves as one of the seminal contributors to the field of sociology; his contributions to criminology are numerous as well. Many authors consider Durkheim’s concept of anomie to be his most important contribution to the field of criminology (Lunden, 1972). Durkheim’s anomie theory has been subject to extensive empirical examination, these efforts have resulted in disparate findings. Graeff and Mehlkop (2007) insist this lack of coherence is due to improper operationalization of Durkheim’s anomie by some researchers. In particular, it is the utilization of cross sectional data in these previous studies which contributes to these disparate results. The current endeavor utilizes an opportunity for a unique natural experiment provided by the Bakken region in western North Dakota to test the empirical status of Durkheim’s anomie theory. The recent increase in oil production in western North Dakota has garnered a great deal of attention on both a national and international