Chapter 5: Social Ecology

Question 1

The central focus of the social ecology of crime theories

Answer 1

place as a cause of crime; de-emphasis on individual/group and instead setting

Question 2

Anomie

Answer 2

strain or stress

Question 3

Social disorganization theory attempts to explain why some ____ have ____ ____ than others

Answer 3

communities, higher, crime rates

Question 4

Social D.T. assume that ___ ____ enables a community to ____

Answer 4

social organization, deal with crime

Question 5

Social D.t. assumes crime is due to ___

Answer 5

organizations that have failed; no defective people

Question 6

Two principles of interest to social d.t.:

Answer 6

1) people compete for resources
2) people exist in a world of mutual dependence

Question 7

Who first developed a connection between social disorganization and crime

Answer 7

Shaw and McKay

Question 8

Where did Shaw and McKay study?

Answer 8

Chicago during 1930-1940

Question 9

Shaw and McKay discovered that crime commonly occurs where

Answer 9

slum areas, towards the center of city

Question 10

Zone 1 is known as

Answer 10

inner city; central business district

Question 11

Zone 2 is known as

Answer 11

transitional zone (high crime)

Question 12

Zone 3 is known as

Answer 12

working-class zone

Question 13

Zone 4 is known as

Answer 13

residential zone

Question 14

Zone 5 is known as

Answer 14

commuter zone (suburbs)

Question 15

The most crime occurs in which zone? (most important zone)

Answer 15

2

Question 16

Shaw and McKay’s 3 factors that create natural conditions for disorganization

Answer 16

1) Residential Instability- turnover, no stable population
2) Racial/Ethnic Heterogenity- more groups higher crime rate, disagreements of values
3) Poverty- weakened tax base, focus on survival

Question 17

______ is endemic in Zone 2

Answer 17

Social disorganization

Question 18

Who discovered the “code of the street”

Answer 18

Elijah Anderson

Question 19

Code of the Street definition

Answer 19

system of rules that people living in poor areas follow

Question 20

Collective efficacy definition
-Who coined term?

Answer 20

idea that residents band together to protect the community
- Sampson et al.

Question 21

Social capital

Answer 21

based on idea that informal networks in community prevent crime
- trash cleanup, flower boxes, neighborhood groups

Question 22

Demise of Social Org. Theory

Answer 22

crime was seen as a byproduct of culture and not explicitly the domain of poor communities

Question 23

Three observations of Hawley (1950)

Answer 23

1) Rhythm to life
2) Follows a consistent tempo
3) Events that occur depend on the co-occurrence of other events (timing)

Question 24

Cohen and Felson (1979) requirements for crime (3)

Answer 24

1) Motivated offender
2) Suitable target
3) Guardianship

Question 25

VIVA

Answer 25

value, inertia, visibility, accessibility
- elements of what makes a target suitable to a motivated offender