Social Disorganization 11 29 2012 Social disorganization causes crime Social disorganization Evaluation Social Disorganization What would fit Frank say Is it tautological o Tautology circular reasoning o BAD Evaluating Social Disorganization What would Fit Frank say Does it create interesting puzzles Does it have Empirical Support Is it testable o Prat and Cullen What are the Policy Implications Criticisms Ecological fallacy o If I live in a bad neighborhood then I must be bad Community change Not all lower class communities lack organization Assumes natural housing market Collective Efficacy Sampson Raudenbush Earls 1997 o Published in Science Examined rates of violence in 343 neighborhoods Concentrated disadvantage o Poverty o Race and age composition o Disruption Sampson et al 1997 findings o Concentrated disadvantage related to violence o BUT mediated through Collective Efficacy Concentrated disadvantage college efficacy violent crime Defined o Willingness of residents to exercise informal social control Opposite of social disorganization o Mutual trust o Social cohesion Social capital communities where residents are close and trust one another Not simply opposite of social disorganization o Not as simple as being organized o Not simply informal social control Addition of mutual trust and support Crime Theories Crime theories 11 29 2012 Do NOT explain ALL crime Explain as much crime as possible Generally focus on street crime Must be observable Must be replicated What is a theory Theory explains crime phenomena Simple understanding of complex events Formal definition o A theory is a set of interrelated propositions that allow for the systemization of knowledge explanation and prediction of social life and the generation of new research hypotheses Main goals of theory COPE Organizes Explains Predicts Control Fit Frank Likes Coffee Not Tea Icicle Pansies Planted Indoors Easy Sundays Green Peas Tomatoes and Beans A good theory F its the Facts o Crime is committed disproportionately by Males Youth ages 15 25 Unmarried people Those living in large cities L ogical Consistency o Internal Consistency o Logic o Example Age crime NEVER crime age doesn t make sense N ot Tautological o Tautology circular reasoning o Example Social Disorganize Crime Crime SD Crime Crime o Example Gottfredson and Hirschi 1990 Low self control Creates Interesting Puzzles Had Policy Implications Has Empirical Support G eneralizable P arsimony T estability B road in scope Earliest Explanations of Crime Spiritual Explanations o Criminals possessed by demons o Tx Develop methods to remove demons o Observable o Policy Implications Kill Criminal torture mutilation Ex Hot Coals o Changes in 1700 s o People resentful of punishments o Wealthy not punished only peasants o Enlightenment Hobbes Locke Rousseau Classical School o Thomas Hobbes 1651 Leviathan All agreed that people are self interested Cesare Beccaria 1764 On Crimes and Punishments o All human behavior free will o Punishment can deter crime o Ideas are the basis of the Classical School In order for punishment not to be in every instance an act of violence of one or many against a private citizen it must be essentially public prompt necessary the least possible in the given circumstances proportionate to the crime dictated by the laws Jeremy Bentham 1789 An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation o English economist o Hedonistic Calculus o All human behavior free will People are rational Prevent Crimes through punishment o Swift o Severe proportionate to crime o Certain People have to know they are going to be punished if they do the crime o Key Communication of threat People have to know what s coming and understand the punishment Classical School of Thought o Assumptions Society is good people are bad All people motivated to commit crime People are rational beings Free will Utilitarian philosophy Deterrence Contemporary of Classical school Popular in 1950s 1970 o Basic premise Free will People choose to commit crime Pleasure of crime same for all o Can prevent crime through punishment o Deterrence defined Rational calculation Pleasure vs Pain Based on o Own experience o Knowledge of punishments o Awareness of others sentences CJS must be reasonable and fair o Encourage people to obey law Main elements o Proportional severity Punishments o Celerity o Certainty More effective than severity Two Ways Deterrence Operates o Specific or special Deterrence committing crime again o General Deterrence crime o Key Communication of threat Policy Implications Punish one person to prevent that one person from Punish one person to prevent everyone else engaging in o Increased penalties o More severe sentences o Additions to police force o Increased certainty of conviction and sentencing Empirical Evidence Two Research Methods o Objective Deterrence Certainty and severity Difficult to study celerity Studies not sophisticated o Perceptual Deterrence Absolute vs Restrictive Deterrence o Absolute Deterrence Throughout life would never engage in crime not really relevant o Restrictive Deterrence Some time period Does deterrence work o Low negative correlations between certainty and offending o Severity has weaker effect o Bottom line Some deterrent effect but empirical validity limited Criticisms o Gender o Policy o Informal sanctions o Does not specify point in CJS where deterrence is activated Contemporary Deterrence o Modified ideas of free will and rationality o Bounded rationality o Tipping points Tells us where the point is For the people willing to offend the level of probability that those people inhibited Tittle and Rowe 1974 Brown 1978 Chamlin 1991 Yu and Liska 1993 Neoclassical Criminology The modern day application of classical principles to modern date issues Often used in get tough social policies Rational choice theory o Belief that criminals make a conscious rational and at least partially informed choice to commit crime Cost benefit analysis Routine Activities Theory Also called lifestyles or opportunity theory o Lifestyles contribute significantly to both volume and type of crime Three elements o Motivated offenders o Suitable targets o Absence of capable guardians Attempt to reduce criminal opportunities by changing peoples routine activities increasing guardianship or incapacitating offenders Situational Choice Theory Situational Choice Theory o View criminal behavior as a function of choices and decisions made within a context of
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