Social Disorganization Theory Case Study

Superior Essays
Register to read the introduction… When most community or neighborhood members are acquainted and on good terms with one another, a substantial portion of the adult population has the potential to influence each child. Modern Social disorganization theory is more complex than the classical theory. They linked structural aspects of neighborhoods (Poverty, Residential mobility, heterogeneity, and broken homes.) to a neighborhoods ability to institute social control (Interpersonal friendship networks, ability to monitor teens, and public organization) and found it a good predictor of criminal victimization. Placed an emphasis on how disorganization reduced social control and impacted other neighborhood aspects that also enhanced the amount of crime that occurred. This theory statistically speaking, those that grow up in poverty areas generally do not finish school and most likely have parent who did not either. This theory shows that in the poorer neighborhoods the crime is elevated due to the neighborhood having a high turnover; neighbors do not get to know each other because most people do not want to live in a low income neighborhood that is run down. These neighborhoods are not where you would want to raise a child, for those that live in these neighborhoods long term will stick to themselves knowing that there are a high number of turnovers …show more content…
The broken windows theory argues that “just as a broken window left untended is a sign that nobody cares and invites more broken windows, so disorderly behavior left untended is a sign that nobody cares and leads to the fear of crime, more serious crime and urban decay” (Sousa, 77). The pros of the broken windows theory is that this allows the police and the communities to manage minor disorders which in turn reduces criminal activity. By fixing street lamps, abandoned houses, arresting people for misdemeanor crimes will lead to reduction in the amount of calls the police are receiving in those areas where they policed using the broken windows theory. If we as a community allow the misdemeanor crimes to happen as well as leaving the neighborhoods in shambles i.e. graffiti, and dilapidated houses then we are invited the misdemeanor crimes to turn into more serious crimes. By understanding the social disorganization theory and the broken windows theory we as a community as well as law enforcement know what needs to be done to keep crime from happening in our neighborhoods. Over the last five years the state of Arizona has changed tremendously on how the police department patrols and prevents crime. Our police departments are using crime prevention technique to reduce the amount of crime especially violent crimes. As you can

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Eastlake

    • 1753 Words
    • 8 Pages

    “The oft-cited broken windows theory posited by J.Q. Wilson and Kelling (1982), suggests that mirror crime and incivilities such as public drinking and neighborhood blight invite predatory crime because they are a cue for potential criminals that the neighborhood is indifferent and unwilling to intervene in crime” (Teixeira 250). Citizens living on these blocks with abandoned homes and buildings feel unsafe. They fear for not only their safety but for the safety of their children. Parents do not want their children walking to school and passing by these homes where drugs are sold. During a five-year study period, the majority of block groups in Philadelphia County had aggravated assaults and vacant properties; 89% of the block groups experienced one or more aggravated assaults (Branas 3).…

    • 1753 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Later, Kelling and Coles (1996) further developed the broken windows model by placing it in a broader legal context. They argued that the retreat from order maintenance policing to concentrate on serious crimes was a mistake (Kelling & Coles, 1996). Failure to address order maintenance by the police led to the increase in the level of incivilities. Increased incivilities became the signal for more serious crimes and further deterioration of the neighborhoods. Kelling and Coles (1996) linked broken windows to both community- and problem- oriented policing strategies.…

    • 254 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1. How does Sir Robert Peel’s Principles of Policing relate to today’s law enforcement community? Sir Robert peel’s Principles of policing they are relate to today’s law enforcement community, in that way that they are the foundations on which U.S community policing is created. Referring that new metropolitan police force is known as Peelers, created by Sir Robert Peel. These are some of the example policing that we still us in todays law, like police should not use any type of force unless is absolutely necessary.…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Social Disorganization Theory gives weight to the notion that place really does matter when observing one’s predisposition to deviant behaviors (Samson and Groves 1994). At its core, the theory gives a direct connection to crime rates and the neighborhood that the individual lives in (Samson and Groves…

    • 1630 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Broken windows theory is a belief that the environment has an effect to crime and the anti-social behavior of the neighborhood. If the environment is vandalized or is run down that alone would cause the area to be on that is high in crime and with anti-social behavior. The Broken windows theory has been subject to a lot of scrutiny from the public, many point out that they target poor and minority filled communities. The theory itself states that if an environment is broken down or vandalized there would be a higher rate of crime in that area. This would mean that poor and minority areas would be targeted more by police and impacted more than a neighborhood that is economically better and has a lower percentage of minorities living tin the area.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Broken windows theory is a criminological theory of the norm setting and being able to indicate urban disorder. Broken windows theory is also the belief that ignoring public order violations and disruptive behavior leads to community neglect, which fosters further disorder and crime. If you were to go to an unfamiliar neighborhood and see broken windows, spray painted walls, and abandon cars, your first instinct would tell you that the neighborhood must be unsafe. This theory is based off of one’s perception without any knowledge of the community.…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The broken window theory was proposed in 1982 by two men; James Q. Wilson and George Kelling. The theory itself was used as a metaphor for disorder in neighborhoods and or large cities. Throughout the 1990s and early 21st century police policies were heavily impacted by this theory. The people who live within the city are more applicable to this idea, because in this community eventually they will get tired of living in this type of environment and try to change it for the "better". The broken window theory revolves around a community and its people as a whole.…

    • 170 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Routine activities theory and Social disorganization theory can go hand in hand when looked at side by side. Both look at the environment of which and how one is raised. The ethnic and economic stability, as well as the education and parenting one, is given (“Social Disorganization and Rural Communities”, n.d.). What these individuals see on a daily basis such as areas in the inner city with higher minority groups, known drug houses, and gangs that control the streets, have a huge impact on crime now and in the future (Hoover, 2014).…

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Broken Windows theory, for example, focuses on the problems associated with the societal disorder and neighborhood decay and how that can increase the likelihood of crimes. However, Conklin’s two theories do not completely correlate with Broken window theory in the sense that they simply explain the individual motivation for committing a crime instead of the surrounding environment. They don't directly explain how lack of collectiveness or poor neighborhoods conditions can cause an individual to commit more crime. Rather they relate in that the explain the details about how and why someone might commit or be victimized by crime. But both authors theories do not explain other social or economic factors that could cause someone to commit crime rather they look at motivating factors that increase the likely hood of crime rather than root causes that contribute to an individual’s delinquent behavior in the first place like poverty or inequality.…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Studies show that underprivileged communities contain a high concentration of minorities throughout America’s top crime ridden cities. In these communities, there are large amounts of people with limited resources. Younger individuals tend to take on life at a much younger age with less supervision. This leads to criminal activity starting at a young age. As this grows within a community, the criminal culture compounds over time and is much stronger within these destitute communities.…

    • 1212 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Police Zero Tolerance

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Working backwards, zero tolerance is based off of the broken windows theory, which is derived from the psychological idea that humans tend to mirror that of the environment around them. The broken windows theory is that if a broken window is left as it is, it leads to more substantial property damage because the belief that no one cares is developed. This deterioration of neighborhoods is also stated as causing a sense of fear within residents. This theory mostly emphasizes the relationship between social disorder and major crime. With zero tolerance laws, Bratton and Kelling argue that the heart of crime is targeted rather than waiting for more serious crimes to occur (Bratton & Kelling, 2013).…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Trying to address the question of why youth join gangs requires the examination of multiple factors, and preferably, multiple theories. Social disorganization theory explains that the place where an individual grows up matters – disordered neighborhoods lead youth to join gangs. Due to its overemphasis on disorganization within neighbourhoods, however, social disorganization theory is not able to assess every factor that causes youth to join gangs. In this paper, I argue that youth join gangs because of neighborhood influence, poverty, and peer influence. Social disorganization theory is able to explain neighborhoods that lack resources and poverty as reasons for youth gang involvement, but it is unable to account for why gang-affiliated peers cause youth to join gangs.…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Within the vast multitude of social structural theories, two stand out among all the others. Shaw and Mckay’s Social Disorganization Theory serves as a unique theory that attempts to gauge the cause of the seemingly rampant crime occurring in society. Particularly, the Social Disorganization theory references an individual’s environment as a significant factor contributing to their moral fiber and ultimately their behavior. Henceforth, those individuals who are unfortunate to have to grow in an environment that is teeming with crime and composed of those with low socioeconomic status, they are likely to follow the common trend.…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Society has made bounds of progress over the past century developing criminological theories to help explain criminality, deviance, and conformity. A good theory provides a foundational lens for one to interpret and understand why a crime is committed. These theories seek to uncover more than what researchers have discovered in the past in order to understand every aspect of why a crime occurs. This research paper will evaluate five different theories; social disorganization, anomie, general strain, cultural deviance and labeling theory, presenting the theorist(s), theory premise, strengths and weaknesses and an analysis of how each theory has played a part in making me the person I am today. Ancient Roman Philosopher, Marcus Aurelius…

    • 1771 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Crime Pattern Theory (Brantingham and Brantingham 2008) examines people’s activity patterns, especially when traveling to, or gathering at particular places, in terms of ‘paths, nodes and edges’; and whether places are ‘crime generators’ (many crimes happen there simply because lots of people are passing through, some of whom happen to be opportunistic criminals) or ‘crime attractors’ (criminals are specifically attracted there because of features that make crime less risky, less effort or more rewarding). Broken Windows is a specific theory (Wilson and Kelling 1982) that suggests that if we fail to maintain the environment (for example by leaving broken windows unrepaired, or allowing litter to build up and public places to become dirty and…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics