The Application of Social Disorganization Theory
Social disorganization theory is amongst the most crucial theories developed by the Chicago School. This theory directly connects the rates of crime to neighborhood ecological characteristics; a key concept of the social disorganization theory (Armstrong 23). In other words, this theory implies that an individual’s residential location is a significant factor that shapes the possibility that such a person might get involved in criminal activities. The social disorganization theory posits that, among the determinants of an individual’s later criminal activity, place of residence is as important as the person’s individual characteristics, such as age, gender, or even race. For instance, the theory suggests that young adults from poor neighborhoods tend to get involved in a subculture that permits delinquency and, therefore, these youths acquire criminality from such a cultural and social setting (Armstrong 25).
Crime can be considered as being largely a result of unfavorable conditions in certain community settings. According to the social disorganization theory, several ecological factors may result into high crime rates in these communities, and such factors may be linked to the continuous rising levels of unemployment, school dropouts, deteriorating infrastructures, and homes that have single parents (Armstron 67). Thus, the theory is not specifically intended to be applied to all the types of crimes as it is mainly applied to street crime at the neighborhood level. This theory, however, has not been employed to explain corporate crime, deviant behavior, or organized crime that occurs outside the community or neighborhood setting. In the recent past, this theory was only reserved to the psychological explanation of crime.
In 1918-1920, Thomas and Znaniecki introduced the idea that an individual’s thinking attitudes and processes are created by the interactions between such a person’s situation and his or her demeanor. They suggested that attitudes are not innate as they arise from acculturation process (Gladney 67). As such, any proposed action will have social significance to a person both due to the fact that it is related to the objective situation within which the subject has to act, and because it has been shaped by the attitudes formulated through a lifetime of cultural and social experiences. This is based on the assumption that, if a people define a situation as real, they are real in their consequences.Shaw and McKay suggested that social disorganization was endemic to the urban areas, which were the only places the disadvantaged immigrants could afford to settle. They demonstrated that in these areas, there was residential instability and ethnic diversity (Gladney 78).
Drug-related crimes in the US during the past two decades have soared, accompanying the rise of the uptown crack markets. However as the crack markets subsided during the 1990s, the rate of crime also waned. Despite this, illegal drug use and trafficking has continued to flourish and instigate violence in many cities, Miami being the most affected. Regrettably, few systematic evaluations exist about the neighborhood conditions that shape the trafficking and distribution of …
