Summary Of Social Disorganization Theory

Chapter four is about the topic of social structural causes of delinquency. Areas covered are theories such as disorganization theory, cultural deviance theories, and many more. It also includes information to structural explanations and the contribution they play in juvenile delinquency.
Social Disorganization theory is a well-known approach created by Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay. It discusses the inability of a community structure to realize the common values of its residents and maintain effective social control. It is focusing on the macro level of practice compared to mezzo or micro. Communities play a big role in an individual’s life, especially when they are growing up and watching what is done around them. An insight into this is

a community with negative actions being taken can affect a child into following in other’s footsteps. History, politics, and other social forces play a role into the disorganization each community may have going on in it. Another aspect when it comes to this theory is the research behind centric zones in Chicago. The center zone of this study had the highest rates of crime in it even when different ethnicities moved in and out of it, which shows that generations living in the area are what passes down the delinquency. Social Disorganization theory addressed and analyzed the problem within communities with the delinquency occurring.
Cultural Deviance Theory is another topic covered in this chapter. It is said in the textbook that the belief with this theory is based on the delinquent and criminal behaviors that are outcomes of conformity towards cultural values and norms. Ruth Rosner Kornhauser said that this model is socialization to subcultural values condoning as right conduct what the controlling legal system defines as crime. This is an insight in itself, but also shows that social and cultural influences affect a person a lot more than other areas in one’s life. Lower-class culture is what is focused on the most because of the greater direct influence there is compared to middle-class culture. There are six main concerns that are trouble, toughness, smartness, excitement, fate, and autonomy, which all demand a lot of attention and emotions to them. These concerns are what contribute the most to juvenile delinquency because the individual wants to show others that are tough and deal with anything. An insight connected to this is that gang members use cultural deviance to show their fellow members that nothing can stop them from living the gang life they are a part of. Culture, especially in the lower-class, is a big part of life whether people realize it.
The next point of discussion is the delinquent subcultures. Middle-class norms and standards are what children are held to in this day and age. It was thought at one time that lower-class had different values than middle-class society but really they are the same, they just don’t have the means to achieve them. It becomes a problem when lower-class children try to uphold these standards but can’t because of status frustration when they can’t attain that goal. Reactions or defense mechanisms are then brought out by the individual which can be regression, repression, rationality, sublimation, and many more to protect themselves from not being able to achieve what they wanted. The nine norms from middle-class that lower-class children try to attain are ambition, individual responsibility, achievement, temperance, rationality, courtesy and likeability, lowered physical aggression, educational recreation, and respect for property. An insight with these nine norms is that an individual who cannot achieve them doesn’t believe they can do much use to larger parts of society and turns to delinquency instead because they know they are good at that. This theory views delinquency as interactions within society and subcultures which is important.
Prevention of delinquency is a very important and difficult area to achieve.

There are many various actions that have been taken to help with the prevention such as the Chicago Area Project. It was created by Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay with the hopes that it would problem solve in the local areas. They believed instead of sending troubled youth straight into the system, their community should deal with the problems in it and intervene for the sake of the youth. The three main focuses of this project was to provide a forum for locals to become aware of new perspectives with social thing such as child welfare and juvenile delinquency, to initiate new ways of communication between the locals and the representative of the larger community, and to bring adults into contact with the local youths. This prevention program worked well for many years with a decrease in drug use, until workers started have burn out. Overall though, community policing and efforts for prevention have been based off of this program to help better

communities.
There are a few explanations in this chapter as to why delinquency occurs.

One of them is the reduced or lack of social capital which are resources that reside in the social structure itself such as norms, social networks, and interpersonal relationships. An insight with this is that these contributions to the growth of a child can either create a negative or positive reaction due to the strength of the social capitalism. Lower-class youth are the most common to lack the social capital needed to realize and reach the potential they have which can be connected to many things such as economic struggle, family problems, and many other things. The lack of success in life is what can be a main cause of delinquent acts because they may have a hard time coping with the issues going on. Poverty is one of the main issues social capital is referring to because the youth can lack the basic needs they should get, which means they also aren’t receiving the parts of life like social connection. Within the textbook, Steven F. Messner collected data and found that child poverty is related to the arrest rates in delinquency. Overall, reduction in social capital can take a toll on the developing youth and the life they have ahead of

them.