5.2 key theoretical explanations for spatial variations crimes and disorder Flashcards
who came up with social disorganisation theory
shaw and mcckay 1942
social disorganization states statistical concentration of young offenders in
- statistical concetration of young offenders in ZONE IN TRANSITION
what are 3 key elements of social disorgansiation theory
- low socio-econpmic status neighbourhoods
- high resident turnover
- ethnic and cultural heterogenity
in social disorgansiation theory - a weak civic institution is because of
no common value system
in social disorgansiation theory - lack of participation and social trust creates
low social controls
social disorgansiation theory - why are young poeple congregating and socialising in public spaces
- lack of parental surveillance
in social disorganisation theory the environemnt encourages flourishing of what?
why?
flourishing of criminal subcultures
- young people not socialised into conformist values and exposed to deviant norms
what are key criticsms of social disorganisation theory
-focus on official definitions of crime and usual supsects
- self fulliing prophecies due to bias of police and courts
- over-deterministic
- some high crime areas have strong social ties and evidence of organsiation
whos theory is collective effiacy
robert sampson
what process is collective effiacy
the process of activating or converting social ties among neighbourhood residents in order to achieve collective goals such as public order or control of crime
in collective efficacy strong social networks/ ties are insufficent for social control instead the residents must be..
residents must be willing to intervene
collective efficacy is fostered by conditions of what between residents
social cohesion and trust
in collective efficacy what happens before escale and cooperate with police
use of public space and intervene in incidents + solve disputes/ crises before escalate to police
communities with higher measured rates of collective efficacy have what
lower rates of violence
whos theory is routine activty theory
cohen and felson 1979
what 2 theories make up routine activities theory
rational choice and opportunity theory
what do offenders do routine activities theory
weigh up risks, efforts and likely rewards
in routine activities theory what shapes OPPORTUNITIES for offending
social and economic environments
what does routine activities challenge thinking about crime
challenged thinking about crime as a pathology related to social ills/ problems
what does routine activities actual mean we do
and what does it do to crime rates
the daily activities we take to maintain ourselves
changes in routine activities over time are associated with changes in crime rates
what 3 elements are needed for a crime to occur in routine activities theory
- motivated offender
- suitable target
- lack of a capable guardian
what variations in crime rates are explained by rythm of daily activities for routine activities
spatial and temporal variations
whos theory is crime pattern theory
brantingham and brantinham 1981
what is crime pattern theory about
how does the social/ physical environment shape OFFENDER-DECISION MAKING- environmental cues
in crime pattern theory where do offenders prefer to operate in
- get to know spaces through daily routines
- prefer to operate in familiar contexts
in crime pattern theory crimes are most likely in places where criminal opps arise in..
cognitively known areas
whos theory is broken window theory
wilson and kelling 1982
what 3 things are key for broken windows theory
- link between disorder/ incivilities and crime
- spirals of decline
- order maintenance policing
in broken windows theory what are the links between disorder/ incivilities and crime
erosion of..
law abiding…
graduation from…
- erosion of informal community controls
- law abiding people avoid public spaces
- graduation from incivilities to serious crime
in broken windows theory what does spirals of decline mean
communities reach TIPPING POINTS after which disorder and crime accelerate and feed off each other
in broken windows theory what is order maintenance policing
vigorous police action against incivilities
in broken windows theory correlation does not prove what
correlation does not prove causation
in broken windows theory neighbourhood disorders and more serious crimes are both caused by….
both caused by deeper structural and social factors in communities
in broken windows theory social disorder may do what to contribute to higher rates of serious crime
INDIRECTLY CONTRIBUTE
whos theory is signal crime theory
innes 2004
what is signal crime theory about
- what gap
- correlation?
- the reassurance gap
- fear of crime significantly correlated with visible signs of disorder in local neighbourhoods
in signal crime theory what is crucial to the wider symbolic construction of social space
- public perceptions of crime/ disorder
in signal crime theory particualr incidents of disorder transmit what?
signals that shape peoples risk perceptions
e.g. litter, graffiti, vandalism etc
in signal crime theory what powerful message is sent to residents
that the local area is out of control
in signal crime theory where are physcial/ social signs of disorder concentrated in
poorer areas
what is the challenge of life course theories
disentangling neighbourhood and individual factors
developmental life course theories highlight individual risk factors in earlier life associated with offending in later life such as
- low intelligence
- ineffective parenting
- lack of self-control
- low educational motivation
what do criminal careers of persistent offenders show
that deviance starts early before wider community/ neighbourhood factors kick in
how do individual and neighbourhood effects vary in life course theories
whether people are in higher or lower risk groups
which groups have clearer neighbourhood effects
lower and medium risk groups
bottoms 2007 points out that many of individual factors are themselves likely to be significnalty shaped by..
nieghbourhood or community context within which young people are raised
