Juvenile Delinquency And Urban Areas - 1557 Words

In 1942, Clifford Shaw and Henry D. McKay produced Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas, which aimed to explain crime in urban communities using social disorganization theory. Elliot and Merrill (1934) define social disorganization as â€Å"a breakdown in the equilibrium of forces, a decay in the social structure, so that old habits and forms of social control no longer function effectively† (p.20). Using this definition and the ecological approach, Shaw and McKay argue that low economic status, ethnic heterogeneity, and residential mobility led to the disruption of community social organization (Shaw and McKay 1942). This disruption is what essentially leads to delinquency and further crime. Numerous empirical studies and tests were conducted in order to determine the validity of the theory. Studies done in the United States and in other countries have also shown support for the theory. In addition, the theory has been extended and revised by multiple scholars and applied to nonmetropolitan areas. The numerous studies and tests of social disorganization theory will prove whether the theory is applicable to other metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas and whether the theory is still applicable to the modern era. In their 1942 study, Shaw and McKay utilized maps, some that outlined neighborhood characteristics such as where demolished buildings were located, population fluctuations, the percentage of families on welfare, percent foreign born or Negro, and where male delinquentsShow MoreRelated Juvenile Crime and Socio Economic Factors Essay1610 Words   |  7 Pagescurbed at any cost. Crime at a juvenile age is on one hand a crime against property and life, and on the other a crime against humanity. It is a much graver social danger that holds the seed of an evident social disaster implanted into it. Criminologists hold different views regarding the root of juvenile crime and that often leads into quite the argument. Irrespective of those theoretical head on collisions, the presence of socio economic factors behind each juvenile crime committed is almost acceptedRead MoreThe Police, Their Policies, And Responses Of Juvenile Delinquency940 Words   |  4 Pages1. Discuss the police, their po licies, and responses to juvenile delinquency. Early policing originated in an early English society. This focused on the pledge system and eventually grew later into the watch system model. These policies differed in contrast due to the size of the environments. As times grew the watch model allowed for larger urban areas to have protection. This eventually led to delegated roles such as the integration of the constable who was tasked with serious crimes. In 1829 SirRead MoreThe Social Of Crime And Criminal Behavior882 Words   |  4 Pagesand cultures, or ethnic diversity. Shaw and McKay determined that that juvenile delinquency was not caused by the individual but instead by the normal response by normal individuals to abnormal conditions. Social disorganization theory is still used today as a reliable predictor of juvenile violence and crime. In the Social disorganization theory there are four main assumptions which serve as explanations for a rise in delinquency. It assumes that the lack of community-based controls, the increaseRead MoreFactors Contributing For Criminal Activity Among African Americans1587 Words   |  7 Pagesexperience between the two cities, Ernest W. Burgess, was one of the scholars selected to investigate what was taking place in Chicago communities. Early on, Burgess investigated the seven wards of Chicago where he found that there were high levels of delinquency in the fourth ward which had poor home conditions, poverty, and bad influence on the city’s youth (Gabbidon,2015). 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Theses can also affect teens that increase-doing crimes in which it called juvenile delinquency. There are two terms that define juvenile delinquency, 1: conduct by a juvenile characterized by antisocial behavior that is a beyond parental control and therefore subject to legal action; 2: a violation of law committed by a juvenile and not punishable byRead MoreThe 19th Century : The Nineteenth Century1333 Words   |  6 Pages had children as young as fifteen married and having children of their own (Hacker D. J., 2003). The age distinction we place on juveniles today would not have been applied at that time, subsequently juveniles who broke the law were tried in the same courts as adults. Some youths as young as fourteen years old were executed for their crimes until 1899 when the Juvenile Court of Law was established in Chicago, Illinois (Jensen, G. Shoemaker, D., 2007). It is painful to consider that youth who foughtRead MoreIs There A Strong Relationship Between Poverty And Juvenile Delinquency?1655 Words   |  7 PagesStrong Relationship Between Poverty and Juvenile Delinquency? There is a lot of research in the world on whether or not poverty and juvenile delinquency are correlated. Of what I’ve seen, the studies suggest that there is, in fact, a relationship between them. Poverty is a serious issue, and it not only affects the people living in poverty, but it also affects the people around poverty-ridden neighborhoods. This study will address the issue of poverty on juveniles. Moreover, it will unveil the problemRead MoreData Collected from the Article Juvenile Gun Ownership in the USA: Current Knowledge and Future Directions579 Words   |  3 PagesThe article that I selected is called Juvenile gun ownership in the USA: Current knowledge and future directions. In this article they are looking at published research and some existing data to look at the present state of empirical knowledge on juvenile gun ownership and see which areas need to be improved in the future. The Data was collected from the National Survey of Weapon-Related Experiences, Behaviors, and Concerns of High School Youth in the United States, 1996 (ICPSR 2580). In the originalRead MoreThe Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency894 Words   |  4 Pagesmost are just beginning puberty, these young boys and girls are becoming juvenile delinquents because they chose the wrong path or the wrong path was laid out for them. THEORIES AND CAUSE OF JUVENILE DELIQUENCY There are many theories and causes to why some juveniles end up being juvenile delinquents. The first is that peer groups can play a major role in one’s life between the ages of twelve and eighteen, pressuring juveniles to abandon their home life and join street gangs. Society can play a