Social Disorganization Theory Of Crime

The criminal rates in the United States continue to skyrocket. The social theories explain how society influences people greatly. There are two theories in social theories. The first one is the social structure theory, which is also made up of two theories, that focuses on how individuals are influenced by social institutions that make up organized social institutions. The social structure criminologists study categories such as poverty, disorganized neighborhoods, school systems, and gangs. All of those categories can influence individuals to commit criminal acts. This theory includes two more theories called social disorganization theory and the strain theory. The social disorganization theory ties into what the social structure criminologists …show more content…
Having people who are struggling or having problems that negatively affect their lives living in the same environment should be a crime itself. However, the strain theory paints the picture that individuals are pressured to commit criminal acts just so that they will fit into society. The textbook uses an example from Robert Merton who talks about the American dream. The American dream is basically having enough money to achieve your goals and live a very comfortable life. Some people will commit criminal acts just to try and achieve the American dream. Merton points out that a person who believes in achieving their goals and works hard to achieve them or maintain them would be called a conformist. A conformist is a person who accepts the two values (goals and the means to achieve them) and is a law abiding citizen. He mentions four other types of people, which are an innovator, a ritualist, a retreatist, and a rebel; he rates them on how they are towards the two values. He states that if a person rejects one or both of those values then criminal behavior can be the …show more content…
As I stated, a crime is a crime and everyone should be punished. There are so many people who commit crimes and are let off with a “warning”. Being that society influences a lot of individuals, that would give them a reason to go and commit the same crime or one similar to it. They are going to think that if they get caught then they will get off with a warning as well. All crimes deserves punishment whether it is several hours of community service or time behind bars. They should use the criminals as an example for general public. There is show called “Beyond Scared Straight” that teaches adolescents a lesson by making them go to jail and see what actual criminals go through in there. Although it scares them, I think the technique is amazing and should be used as an advantage. I am not sure if other states do it, but I do know that in Nevada when jails fill up then they start releasing inmates earlier. I believe that it is a horrible thing to do because the criminal did not finish their punishment. They are being let out before they have done their time. Our system needs to crack down and stop letting people off easily. If someone commits a crime then gets off easy because the jail got too crowded, that makes it seems as if what they did is not anything to be worried about. Instead of letting them out early, they should start relocating them. They need to serve the amount of time