Social Disorganization Theory, Slides of Criminology

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Social Disorganization Theory

Understanding the Spatial

Distribution of Crime

• Why do crime rates differ from place to place within a city?

Chicago School Model

Concentric zone model I. CBD II. Zone of Transition III. Working Class Zone IV. Residential Zone V. Commuter Zone I II III IV V Growing cities expand outward as people compete for good space

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

Why did the zone of transition

have the most crime?

• Poverty
• Ethnic heterogeneity (foreign born)
• Residential mobility (in and out)

Shaw and McKay’s Conclusion

• Place matters
• Crime was NOT due to inferior biology or ethnic pathology
• Sociology is a relevant discipline

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

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

How do Networks Work?

• Private social ties dominate, social control limited to immediate network members X X X

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Gov’t institutions

How do Networks Matter?

• Parochial and public social ties dominate - > social controls has a wider reach X X X

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Gov’t institutions

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?

Implications for Crime Control

Poverty Residential Mobility Ethnic Heterogeneity Social Disorganization Crime Criminal Subculture Structural Characteristics