Crime Patterns & Neighborhood Characteristics in Social Disorganization Theory, Slides of Criminology

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Section II: Social Disorganization

Theory

Social Disorganization Lecture Outline

1. Pre-history of Social Disorganization Cartographic School of Criminology
2. Early Social Disorganization theorists Thomas and Znaniecki Park and Burgess
3. The Chicago School Shaw and McKay
4. Modern Social Disorganization Theory Bursik Sampson and Groves Bursik and Grasmik Sampson and Wilson
5. Derivatives of Social Disorganization Stark
6. Summary of Major Findings and Implications

CARTOGRAPHIC SCHOOL

Developed social statistics for the use in

studying crime and other social patterns.

Studies were conducted only in France

Main Research:

Investigated the influence of social factors on

the propensity to commit crime.

Social factors: population density, religious

affiliation, gender, and wealth.

Major Findings of Cartographic School

Overall Crime is highest in the southern region of France. Personal Crime Higher in South Property Crime Higher in North Personal Crime is Highest in Summer. Property Crime is Highest in Winter. Crime is highest amongst heterogeneous populations. Populations with large mix of ethnic and racial groups. Crime is highest in areas with high population density. Crime is highest in areas of high poverty. Crime is high in areas with high amounts of uneducated individuals. Crime is related to alcohol and places where drinking habits are high.

EARLY SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION THEORY After the work by Quetelet and Guerry the next most important work was done by researchers at the University of Chicago. Most of the research took place here because of two things:

1. Top school at the time.
2. Incredible change in Chicago Chicago in early 1900’s Growing in population at a phenomenal rate. Growth was due largely to immigration from Europe and the South From 1860-1910 the population doubled every 10 years

EARLY SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION THEORY Importantly, as with the Cartographic school, these researchers helped set the stage for the development of Social Disorganization theory through their research and theories. Early Social Disorganization Theorists Thomas and Znaniecki The Polish Peasant in Europe and America (1920) Park and Burgess: More important of the two The City (1925)

Importance of Thomas and Znaniecki Established the idea of cultural conflicts and their importance to creating crime at the neighborhood level. Crime was high because of the lack of norms in the neighborhood that act to control the activities of juveniles. Those areas that had a high amount of second generation immigrants had the highest level of crime in Chicago.

Park and Burgess

“The City” Main Concepts: Research focused more on spatial aspects of urban settlement and patterns in which people lived within cities. Their theories were greatly influenced by plant ecology and how natural systems developed. Their theory was called Human Ecology. Their work was grounded in the assumption that competition was the fundamental form of social interaction that determined the territorial distribution of populations in a community. Concentric Zones Invasion, Domination, and Succession

Concentric Zones Continued

Importantly, these low rent areas were characterized by high residential mobility, poverty, and low education as people moved out as soon as economically feasible. You lived in these “transition” areas only because you could not afford to live anywhere else. In general these areas were occupied by the lowest group on the social and economic ladder. The further away from the central business district the nicer the neighborhoods and more expensive the land. Obviously the “transition” areas had the highest THEORIZED crime rates, with crime decreasing the further from the city center you moved.

Concentric Zones

Central Business District: Best land in the city and most expensive.

Concentric Zones

The further out you move from the central business district the better the neighborhoods.

Invasion, Domination, and Succession

Concept borrowed also borrowed from Plant Ecology that dealt with how areas changed over time. New plant species invade an area, dominate the original plant inhabitants and then through succession flourish. Change in Urban Areas Invasion : Immigrants move into an already established community. Domination : New groups begin to “dominate” original neighborhood residents. Succession : New residents become established within the neighborhood, completely supplanting original residents. Can be for the good or harm of a neighborhoods health.

Classic Social Disorganization Theory

Classic Social Disorganization theory was developed by two researchers. Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay, who began their research while working for a state social service agency. Main research was a book named “Juvenile Delinquency in Urban Areas” published in 1942. They were interested in how crime developed within a changing urban environment and how ecological factors impacted crime rates at the neighborhood level.

MAIN IDEA OF SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION THEORY Social Disorganization links crime rates to neighborhood characteristics and the impact that these neighborhood characteristics have on a neighborhoods ability to institute social control for the prevention of criminal victimization.