2. Social Structure Theories

3. Social Disorganization Theories Robert Park on urban ecology –Urban “zones” –Crime and zones –The cause of crime: “Social Disorganization” Contemporary SDT: Ecological Theory

4. Strain Theories Anomie Theory (aka “Strain Theory”) –Merton’s explanation for crime: different people “adapt” differently; they differ on goals and means to achieve those goals. –Merton specified FIVE modes of adaptation:

5. Merton’s Modes of Adaptation MODE OF ADAPTATION ACCEPT CULTURAL GOALS? ACCEPT INSTITUTIONAL MEANS? ConformityYes InnovationYesNo RitualismNoYes RetreatismNo RebellionYes and No

6. More Strain Theories Cultural Deviance Theory (Walter Miller) –Different social classes promote different values. –Miller called these values “focal concerns.” –Among lower-class boys, focal concerns were trouble, toughness, smartness, excitement, fate and autonomy.

7. More Strain Theories Theory of Delinquent Subcultures (Cohen) –Cohen theorised that everybody has to be good at something and to receive social support for his or her talents. –“Delinquent subcultures” are criminogenic groups that deviants move into to receive support for their activities, like fighting, taking drugs, or stealing.

8. One More Strain Theory Differential Opportunity Theory (Cloward and Ohlin) –Developed to explain gang delinquency and the social origins of gangs themselves. –Suggests that gangs emerge from adolescent play groups. –Suggests that gangs evolve in response to a lack of legitimate AND illegitimate opportunities.

9. Five Criticisms of Social Structure Theories Social Structure Theories rely excessively on evidence derived from situations unique to US urban settings. SST ignore other factors related to US criminal justice and gun-related policies and not social inequality directly.

10. Five Criticisms of Social Structure Theories (cont.) Social Structure Theories cannot account for differences in criminal behaviours among persons with similar degrees of privation. Social Structure Theories generally ignore crime among the advantaged. Social Structure Theories do not specify or even recognize the existence of the processes through which criminal behaviours are acquired.