Stark, Rodney: Deviant Places

Previous Research

Despite the original theory being over 50 years old, social disorganization theory remains one of the most influential contextual theories of crime and delinquency. Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay developed social disorganization theory. They first built their idea on Burgess's concentric zone theory. Burgess outlines the growth of the city of Chicago by describing five concentric zones. Zone I is the central business district and the industrial district; this is the center of the city. Zone II is the zone of transition, also known as the slum area. This zone is in transition from being a residential area to a business and industry area. Zone III is a residential area known as the zone of working men's homes. This zone consists of working-class [Page 881]families. Zone IV is known as the residential zone. This zone is residential, but it is nicer than zone III. Zone V is known as the commuters’ zone. This zone is also residential. It is generally located outside the city limits and is considered to be the suburb. Shaw and McKay used this information in conjunction with the data they collected to develop social disorganization theory.

Shaw and McKay collected data from juvenile court records. They plotted the addresses of the juvenile delinquents they obtained through court records on a map of the city of Chicago. They found that the highest rates of delinquency were in the zones closest to the center of the city and declined as one moved further out from the center of the city. They also discovered that rates of delinquency were highest in these areas despite different racial and ethnic groups inhabiting the areas over time. They found as these racial/ethic groups departed the center of the city and moved to zones farther from the center of the city, their rates of delinquency fell. This suggests that it is the area that people live in and not the individuals themselves, that is the cause of crime.

In the areas with high rates of delinquency, juveniles were left to do what they wanted with little supervision or support. This occurred because in these areas there was a breakdown in conventional institutions such as families, churches, and schools. As a result, there was little or no informal social control. The lack of control can all be attributed to certain common characteristics in these areas, including rapid urban growth, a high population turnover, ethnic heterogeneity, and poverty/low socioeconomic status (Lilly et al., 2007). It is because of these conditions that there is a breakdown in conventional institutions that lead to a lack of social control, which in turn leads to a higher rate of delinquency. Because of rapid urban growth, ethnic heterogeneity, a high population turnover, and poverty, residents of these areas are not able to come together and have common values to maintain effective control of their neighborhood (Kornhauser, 1978).

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