Book chapter
Social Disorganization Theory's Greatest Challenge
The Handbook of Criminological Theory, pp.121-136
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
10/13/2015
DOI: 10.1002/9781118512449.ch7
Abstract
Social disorganization theory has emerged as the critical framework for understanding the relationship between community characteristics and crime in urban areas. This chapter describes social disorganization theory, laying out the theory's key principles and propositions. It then discusses one of the most serious and enduring challenges confronting the theory, identifying and empirically verifying the social interactional mechanisms that link structural characteristics of communities, such as poverty and residential instability, to heightened crime rates in socially disorganized communities. The chapter presents some promising new directions for the theory by discussing several theoretical concepts that may be useful for scholars interested in identifying and measuring the theory's interactional mechanisms; these include social capital, collective efficacy, and social networks. It concludes with some remarks about one additional important theoretical direction for social disorganization theory: incorporating the role of neighborhood subculture in explanations of crime and delinquency.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Social Disorganization Theory's Greatest Challenge
- Creators
- Charis E KubrinJames C Wo
- Contributors
- Alex R Piquero (Editor)
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Publication Details
- The Handbook of Criminological Theory, pp.121-136
- DOI
- 10.1002/9781118512449.ch7
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hoboken, NJ
- Number of pages
- 16
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/13/2015
- Academic Unit
- Sociology and Criminology; Center for Social Science Innovation; Public Policy Center (Archive)
- Record Identifier
- 9984282617802771
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