CRJU 304- Sociological Positivism/Chicago school

what did the chicago school and progressives push for?

for social services and polices aimed at treating individuals needs

Significance of Chicago’s growth to criminology

19th-century Chicago was the fastest-growing city in U.S history

the population went from about 5,000 in the early 1800s to more than 2 million by 1900. 

This growth was due to Chicago's central geographic position. Chicago represented the archetype of a society in an anomic state, with almost a complete breakdown in control. 

Delinquency was soaring and it appeared that the gangs controlled the streets as much as any other groups. 

Leaders of Chicago needed guidance to develop solutions to their problems, particularly regarding the high rates of delinquency. 

This was the key factor in why the department of sociology at the university of Chicago became so important and dominant in the early 1900s

What is this theory and fill in the blank

cities are complete organisms that should be studied to examine the natural area in cities, virtually all cities historically developed and grew in concentric circles

• _____ aka zone of transition had the highest crime rate regardless of race and ethnicity

Parks and Burgess concentric zone theory, zone 2

What did the Chicago school conclude about crime and environment?

Crime is not caused by individuals, but by neighbourhood conditions, Social disorganization pushes people into crime, Policy should focus on social services and community improvement

empirical support for Parks and Burgess

the high rates of delinquency and other social problems and other social problems were consistent with Burgess and Parks framework of concentric circles in that the highest rates were observed for the areas in zone 2, the zone in transition

Shaw and Mckay’s theory of social disorganization says the main causes are

poverty, ethnic heterogeneity, physical dilapidation, high mobility of residents, and other social ills like high rates of diseases

no structure no support -> lack of collective efficacy -> = crime

What was Sampson and Groves contribution to social disorganization?

Tested from McKays theory by including intervening variables

Found that sparse social networks, unsupervised teens, and low community involvement led to higher crime

What is collective efficacy

A communities’s ability to regulate behaviour through informal social control

Requires mutual trust and cooperation among neighbours

What is legal cynicism theory

Crime perception is shared by community experiences with the legal system

High crime neighbourhoods distrust the police and view laws as illegitimate

empirical support for social disorganization theory

the data from U.S census and city records, showing that neighborhoods with high rates of delinquency and crime did come from areas like Zone 2

-> one exception: the gold coast area along the northern coast of Lake

Michigan, which is just north of the shopping mecca of the miracle mile, did not have high rates of social problems, particularly delinquency, even though it was geographically in zone 2

Link btwn social disorganization and exposure to environmental toxins

-> prenatal tobacco and drug exposure, lead, toxic fumes and pollution

criticisms of social disorganization

they blatantly neglected to propose ways to help the most problematic source of criminality in zone II neighborhoods. Tho they clearly point to the invasion of factories and businesses into residential areas as a problem, they do not recommend how to slow such invasion likely due to political and financial concerns: owners of factories and businesses partially financed their research and later were the primary funders of implementation of their policies

what is this theory? culture= a distinct set of norms and values among a

group of people, socialization that is favorable to law violation

subculture

limitations for subculture theory

findings do not consist across all “low income” or “inner city” communities, no single group wholly disregards middle-class norms, subcultures make up a very small % of the population, rooted in racism and classism

Name the theory

ethnography on inner city neighborhood

deprivation and hopelessness, found among males and females

issues with value-laden language

how values of a subculture lead to criminality

-inability to achieve middle-class values (go to college, save money to buy a house)

Andersons code of the street

Walter Millers 6 focal concerns were

fate, autonomy, trouble, toughness, smartness, excitement

is engagement in activities, some illegal

excitement

emphasizes street smarts or the ability to con others

smartness

the value of independence from authority

autonomy

luck

fate

maintaining your reputation on the street in many ways

toughness

means staying out of legal problems

trouble

policy implications for Chicago school

decrease poverty, community groups and programs, community level crime prevention e.g neighborhood watch

research implications for subculture theories

shifted focus from individual to community, shift to qualitive methods, focus on community level research, illustrated merit of macro level research and theory

what is this theory

suggests that visible signs of disorder lead to more disorder and crime

Wilson and Kellings broken window theory

application of broken windows theory

Zero Tolerance - strict endorsement on minor crimes

Quality of life policing- controlling public disorder e.g homelessness laws

Stop and frisk police’s - criticized for racial profiling

limitations of broken windows

theory is FLAWED, the casual order of the theory is in question does disorder lead to crime or does crime lead to disorder? Answer neither crime is caused by crime

empirical non support for broken windows

Some research shows the link between crime and disorder is fake, crime and discorder stem from deeper social conditions like economic inequality

Policy implications for social disorganization theory

Individual level- reform offenders criminal thinking

Parenting program as to reduce poor supervision

Peer counseling and behavioral therapy

Community level- strengthen social institutions and organizations, promote pro, social, pure interactions, improve collective efficacy, and community engagement

ethical concerns for the theory of sociological positivism/Chicago shcool overall

determinism: the belief that factors beyond an individual's control drive criminal behavior can undermine the concept of free will.

Stigmatization Labeling people as "criminal" or "high-risk" can reinforce negative stereotypes and lead to self-fulfilling prophecies.

Misuse of findings Findings from positivist criminology could be used to justify discriminatory practices or policies.

Privacy and consent Genetic and neurological research raises questions about privacy and consent.