With the continuing fallout from the housing crisis, the results of a study showing a correlation between foreclosures and neighborhood crime rates is a must for your 2008 reading list.

The study conducted at the end of 2007 (by Dan Immergluck of Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta & Geoff Smith of Woodstock Institute in Chicago) shows that where foreclosures increase by 1%, neighborhood violent crime increases by 2.33%.

Now let’s just cut to the chase – skip all the psychological whys and wherefores, the practical impact of abandoned houses standing empty alongside your’s or your neighbor’s house – and go figure, if you have foreclosures in your neighborhood, you need to reassess your home security. It’s the least you can do.

Want some help with that? Take a look at this - Part 1 of a series of articles about the need to reassess your risk and your home security response . It doesn’t matter that this article is targeting folks with a home based business, I’d rank your need for home security up there with these folk.

And no need to tackle the issue from scratch, someone else has done the initial thinking part, you just need to apply the checklist to your home, your neighborhood situation, and identify the best options for you and your family.