FOOD 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Critical Criminology, Social Disorganization Theory, Anomie

• School: Lincoln University
• Department: Food Science
• Course: FOOD 201
• Professor: S L I E T

Document Summary

Last class, non-sociological explanations focused on the individual (psych. , biology) Examine group characteristics: social class, gender, etc. Chicago school: ecological school of criminology, crime based on spatial distribution, geographically patterned, zone of transition zone more likely to see crime, associates criminal activity with areas that are poor and displace. Zones of transition: where new immigrants and ethical minorities reside, poor housing, transient population, poor, marginalized, crime rates go up for those who are displaced, & their inability to integrate. Crime and social disorganization: crime and delinquency not evenly distributed in the population, areas of sub-standard housing, low incomes, visible minorities, social controls broke down, gangs provide stability for people. Critique of social disorganization: does not apply to all cities, crime not necessarily concentrated in transition zones, transition zones can be highly organized. Strain/ anomie theory: robert merton, durkheim"s anomie adapted to mean normalness , normalness wrongly attributed to durkheim, when equilibrium is shattered ie, great depression.