Disorganization Theory - Criminology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Criminal Justice

Download Disorganization Theory - Criminology - Lecture Slides and more Slides Criminal Justice in PDF only on Docsity! 1. Social Structure 2. Disorganization Theory Docsity.com What is social structure? • Constellation (or arrangement) of statuses, roles, norms, and values • How is it different from any other structure? • Does everything have structure? • Friendship, classroom, gangs, intimate homicide Docsity.com What is social structure? • Social structure is flexible • A particular social setting/interaction has its own structure • Ascribed/achieved status Docsity.com Social Structure Theories • Explain crime by reference to the institutional structure of society • Agents are passive • Social structure is imposed on them • Social structure theorists view members of economically disadvantaged groups as being more likely to commit crimes (structure made them disadvantaged) Docsity.com Social Structure Theories • They see economic and social disenfranchisement as fundamental cause of crime • Structure causes crime Docsity.com Social Disorganization Theory • Crime is caused primarily by social factors • Official statistics are OK, but fieldwork is better (acceptance of official arrest data) • The city is a perfect natural laboratory (Chicago reflects society as a whole) • Components of social structure are unstable (conflict, anomie, social disorganization) Docsity.com Social Disorganization Theory • Instabilities and their effects are worse for the lower classes (lower class crime focus) • Human nature is basically good but subject to vulnerability and inability to resist temptation Docsity.com Social disorganization definition • Social disorganization is defined as an inability of community members to achieve shared values or to solve jointly experienced problems (Bursik, 1988). Docsity.com CONCENTRIC ZONE THEORY • Crime rates were then monitored for each of these geographic regions. • The highest crime rate was found to be located in the zone that had been labeled Zone II (zone of transition) • Zone II was marked by a high level of transition, people moving in and out of the area • It was hypothesized that this "zone of transition" led to social disorganization. Docsity.com CONCENTRIC ZONE THEORY • They defined social disorganization as "the inability of a group to engage in self- regulation" which is a social control theoretic formulation • Their model of the city tested well in most modern planned cities Docsity.com Shaw and McKay (1930s) • Inspired by Park and Burgess • They collected their data from over 56,000 juvenile court records with covered a period of time from 1900-1933. • They found that delinquency occurred in the areas nearest to the business district • Those areas were characterized by a high percentage of immigrants, non-whites, lower income familes • High-delinquency areas had an acceptance of nonconventional norms, which competed with conventional ones Docsity.com City of Lowell Data Classes Percent 27-31 39.5 - 49.6 Renter 55.9 - 65.9 . 67.9 - 80.0 Occupied 17.983 Housing Features of Mazor Road Street Stream/Waterbody Stream/Waterbady Aforie, 4rnilus aeroas’ _| Data Classes Percent 1.7 - 16.3 20.0 - 32.1 34.1 - 44.1 50.4 - 60.5 66.9 - 72.3 Features 7 major Road J Street Stream/Waterbody Stream/Waterbody Owner Occupied Housing Docsity.com  LOWELL CALLS FOR SERVICE - 2003 Assult, Burglary, Homicide, Motor Vehicle Theft, Robbery, Sex, Forcible, Armed Home Invasion For, All Days of the Week with Mo Time Rastictipass Excluding Fitered Address: P.D. TRC LEGEND Total Calls Total Gals Selected = 905 88 bbeves Sto 4 660 22 sa tot ea Ote 0 550 Patrol Sectors Clos ransition Zones 3,4, &5: Suburban Area Scale 1 inch = 0.73 ries (ages Prater ey on OEMMG PIN Oy Crvwelato’ Viergean foo 3 Docsity.com CHELMSFORD  The Zone of Transition has old, dilapidated housing that is cheaper than the nicer suburban residences on the outskirts. Housing in this zone also packs as many people into the space as possible. Docsity.com Ethnic diversity • According to Shaw and McKay (1942), ethnic diversity interferes with communication among adults. Effective communication is less likely in the face of ethnic diversity because differences in customs and a lack of shared experiences may breed fear and mistrust (Sampson and Groves, 1989). Docsity.com Family disruption • Sampson (1985) argued that unshared parenting strains parents' resources of time, money, and energy, which interferes with their ability to supervise their children and communicate with other adults in the neighborhood • The smaller the number of parents in a community relative to the number of children, the more limited the networks of adult supervision will be for all the children Docsity.com Economic status • Areas with the lowest average socioeconomic status will also have the greatest residential instability and ethnic diversity, which in turn will create social disorganization (Bursik and Grasmick, 1993) • Many studies have found that urban neighborhoods with high rates of poverty also have greater rates of delinquency (Warner and Pierce, 1993). Docsity.com