Social Disorganization Theory Term Paper by CalDR

Juvenile delinquency is a contemporary term for an old problem. One of the oldest relevant studies of the phenomenon is "social disorganization" theory, which was developed by the Chicago school of sociology in the 1920's. The paper shows that this theory posits that there exist areas in a city in which traditional institutions have little or no control. This was studied in Chicago using a system of "Concentric Zones" which demonstrated that most of the crime in the city occurs within certain areas that are typically associated with poverty. The paper discusses studies done by Shaw and McKay in the 1940s which used this theory to show a strong association between census tracts and crime rates. The paper describes the theory and analyzes it, showing the arguments of those schools who utilize the theory as well as its critics.