The Chicago School

Emphasis on ecology of crime The root of control / social learning Social Disorganization Theory

Chicago School
University of Chicago
Department of Sociology (but others also)

Social Context
Chicago as a microcosm of change in America Individual (especially biological) explanations seemed foolish

Earnest Burgess and Robert Parks

City comparable to ecosystem (Parks) How does a city grow and develop?
Concentric Zones Industrial zone

Zone in transition

Residential zones

Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay

Juvenile Delinquency in Urban Areas
Mapped addresses of delinquents (court records) Zone in transition had stable and high delinquency rates over three decades
Even through occupied by different waves of immigrants!!

Therefore, not feeble minded immigrants or the City in general.

Social Disorganization
What were the characteristics of the zone in transition that may cause high delinquency rates?
Population Heterogeneity Transient Population Physical Decay Poverty/Inequality

Why might these ecological characteristics lead to high crime rates? Shaw and McKay not clear on this pointdelinquent valueslack of control?

Shaw and McKay II

Why are the crime rates stable in the zone of transition?
1. Cultural Transmission of Values
Roots of Sutherlands Differential Association (micro) and Subculture of violence theories (macro)

2. Lack of Informal Social Control

Roots of control theories (micro) and modern social disorganization (macro)

Social Disorganization 1960-1980

Fell out of favor in sociology Individual theories gained popularity
Hirschi (1969); Burgess and Akers (1968)

Criticisms of Social Disorganization

Are these neighborhoods really disorganized? Cannot measure intervening variables Cannot get neighborhood level measures Chicago Specific

Modern S.D. Theory

Interest rekindled in the 1980s (continues today).
Theory Recast as a macro version of informal social control

Sampson and Groves (1989)

Ecological characteristics
Population turnover Poverty / inequality Divorce rates / single parents

social control
Street supervision Collective efficacy Friendship networks

Sampson and Groves

British Crime Survey Data (BCS)
Survey done based on neighborhood, so neighborhood measures of:
Poverty, Family disruption, Residential Mobility AND Supervision of street corners, friendship networks,participation in community organizations

Sampson et al. (1997)

Replicated results in Chicago
In areas with concentrated poverty, communities lack collective efficacy After controlling for composition, collective efficacy predicted:
UCR homicides Perception of Neighborhood Violence Violent Victimizations

Sampson and Wilson

Why are African Americans trapped in the inner city, whereas other immigrants escaped
Barriers disrupted natural flow

Rekindle delinquent culture ideas, but place them in proper context

Cognitive Landscape

Review of Social Disorganization

Macro (Ecological) Theory
Explains why certain neighborhoods have high crime rates Ecological variables (population density/turnover, poverty) influence a neighborhoods ability to bond and engage in informal control.

Policy Implications?
Build neighborhood collective efficacy
How do you do this?

Address ecological characteristics that ruin collective efficacy

Family disruption, concentrated poverty, residential mobility

Note the Control Theory Assumption in S.D.

Unless controlled, delinquency will fester in neighborhoods
Similar to individual level control theory Different from Anomie theory