Chapter 6 Notes - Criminology PDF

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Chapter 6 - Social Structure Theory 1. Background a. “Why do some people become criminals?” b. Criminal behavior is a direct result of destructive social force on human behavior c. It is social forces that cause crime i. Inner-city residents are the products 2. Economic Structure a. People live in a stratified society i. Social strata created by unequal distribution of wealth and power ii. Social class, segments of the population b. Problems of the lower class c. “Culture of poverty” i. Bad housing and healthcare, poor school, and high unemployment 3. Social structure perspective a. Link between poverty and crime b. Disadvantaged economic class position as a primary cause if crime 4. Social structure theories a. Chicago School of Criminology i. Criminal values in city slums ii. Robert Park, Ernest Burgess iii. Links crime rates to neighborhood ecological characteristics b. Cultural deviance theories i. Delinquent subculture c. Strain theories i. Conventional values in american society 5. Concentric zone a. Social disorganization through poverty distribution 6. Social disorganization theory a. Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay b. In the transitional zone… i. High transiency, heterogeneity, poverty ii. Communal ties weakened → social disorganization prevailed (the key to delinquent careers) 7. Transitional zone a. Transmission of criminal values i. Breakdown of conventional values + exposure to criminal value = delinquency 8. Collective efficacy → community stability a. Robert Sampson

i. Cohesive community attempts to seek solution ii. Mutual trust, cohesiveness, willingness to intervene iii. Ability to activate informal social control 9. Strain theories a. French sociologist Emile Durkheim i. “Anomie,” norm confusion ii. Crime is normal iii. Crime can be useful for society: social change b. Crime as conflict among different socio-sconomic class 10. Theory of anomie a. Robert Merton: America as criminogenic society b. Theory of anomie includes i. Socially-defined goals ii. Socially-approved means 11. American dream a. Goal in the U.S. is material success b. Over valuation of goals + inaccessibility to opportunity/means = strains 12. Social adaptations a. Conformity b. Innovation → closest to criminal behavior c. Ritualism d. Retreatism → drugs, drifters e. Rebellion → alternative, call for radical changes 13. General strain theory a. Robert Agnew i. Multiple sources of strain ii. (Non)delinquent coping with strain 14. Cultural deviance theories a. Delinquent subcultures i. The lower class creates its own subculture and values ii. Often clash with conventional values b. Frequently used to explain gang culture 15. Focal concerns a. Walter Millers i. Trouble ii. Toughness iii. Smartness iv. Excitement v. Fate

vi. Autonomy 16. Theory of delinquent subculture a. Delinquent behaviors is a protest against middle-class culture b. Middle-class culture c. Middle-class measuring rods d. Culture conflict → status frustration 17. Theory of differential opportunity a. Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin: “differential opportunity” b. Opportunities are closed for disadvantaged youths c. Social structure generates pressure d. One must have access to the requisite illegitimate means i. Criminal gangs ii. Conflict gangs iii. Retreatist gangs 18. Public policy based on social structure theories? a. Public assistance/welfare b. Improving community structure c. “War on poverty” program: headshot, neighborhood legal services, community action programs...