Social Disorganization Theory

1. Social Disorganization Theory

2. Understanding the Spatial Distribution of Crime • Why do crime rates differ from place to place within a city?

3. Chicago School Social EcologyPark and Burgess (1928) • Studied Chicago in the early 20th century • Wanted to understand the spatial distribution of social problems

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

5. Crime and the Chicago SchoolClifford 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

6. 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

7. Why did the zone of transition have the most crime? • Poverty • Ethnic heterogeneity (foreign born) • Residential mobility (in and out)

8. Shaw and McKay’s Conclusion • Place matters • Crime was NOT due to inferior biology or ethnic pathology • Sociology is a relevant discipline

9. The Social DisorganizationModel Structural Characteristics Poverty Residential Mobility Ethnic Heterogeneity Social Disorganization Crime Criminal Subculture

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. How do Networks Work? • Private social ties dominate, social control limited to immediate network members X X X X X X X X X X Gov’t institutions

14. How do Networks Matter? • Parochial and public social ties dominate –> social controls has a wider reach X X X X X X X X X X Gov’t institutions

15. 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

16. 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?

17. Implications for Crime Control Structural Characteristics Poverty Residential Mobility Ethnic Heterogeneity Social Disorganization Crime Criminal Subculture