Download Social Disorganization Theory - Criminology - Lecture Slides and more Slides Criminology in PDF only on Docsity! Social Disorganization Theory docsity.com Understanding the Spatial Distribution of Crime • Why do crime rates differ from place to place within a city? docsity.com Crime and the Chicago School Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay • Mapped addresses of juvenile delinquents in Chicago from 1920-50 in conjunction with other social variables, including: – Poverty – Residential mobility – Ethnic heterogeneity • Found substantial correlations docsity.com Chicago School Findings • Crime was highest in zone of transition (Zone 2). where poverty, mobility, and ethnic heterogeneity also were highest • High crime persisted in Zone 2 regardless of which ethnic group lived there • Over time, ethnic groups that left Zone 2 committed less crime, ethnic groups that entered committed more crime docsity.com Why did the zone of transition have the most crime? • Poverty • Ethnic heterogeneity (foreign born) • Residential mobility (in and out) docsity.com What exactly is social disorganization? • Social disorganization: – Sparse local networks, weak social ties – Low organizational participation • Translates into: – Inability to solve local problems – Breakdown in surveillance – Adults less able to socialize and control youth docsity.com Recent Conceptualization: Social Control thru Social Ties • Private ties– close knit - friends, family, and neighbors – avoid their disapproval • Parochial ties – less frequent - schools, churches, and voluntary associations – enhance surveillance, information flow • Public ties – ties to government agencies – shape policing methods to suit community needs, acquire other social programs docsity.com How do Networks Work? • Disorganized community – few social ties X X X X X X X X X X Gov’t institutions X’s are people in a neighborhood, lines are social ties docsity.com How do Networks Matter? • Private, parochial and public social ties dominate –> maximum social control X X X X X X X X X X Gov’t institutions docsity.com Criminal Justice Policy • Disorganized communities are the largest contributors to the prison population • Can removing and returning criminals from a community be bad for the community’s social organization? docsity.com Implications for Crime Control Poverty Residential Mobility Ethnic Heterogeneity Social Disorganization Crime Criminal Subculture Structural Characteristics docsity.com
