Crime Contagion

There are a pair core assumptions underlying what's commonly called the "crime contagion" theory of criminality.

The first is that there's a tendency for folks who live in high-crime areas to normalize crime in a way that makes it more likely to happen.

The most well-known version of this argument is probably the Broken Windows Theory of policing, which posits (among other things) that visible signs of criminality—like broken windows on cars and buildings, graffiti, day-drinking, and the like—can create a sort of background, subconscious assumption that crime is okay and normal in an area, which in turn leads to more crime.

This theory was originally coined in the early 1980s, and has been challenged quite a lot in the decades since.