Locality and Crime
Durkheim
The Chicago Schools
Chicago school researchers focused their research on the transition zone between the factory zone and working class homes.
This zone had lots of deviant behaviour due to cheap slum-like houses and a lack of community due to immigration and migration
This suggests that lack of community leads to an increase in crime
However a criticism of this study is that it does not provide an explanation for white collar crime.
Sutherland
Shaw and Mckay (1942)
Shaw and Mckay studied social disorganisation and claimed that Chicago and other major cities could be divided into five zones.
The second zone, the transition zone, was found to have the highest amount of crime. They also found that the crime rate decreased the further away from the central zones.
Zone of Transition: Highly populated, large turnover in immigrant population, social deprivation.
Sutherland expands on Shaw and Mckay's points by stating that all areas that have social disorganisation allow deviant norms and values to be desired in the community. This leads to deviant ways of life to become acceptable and youths are socialised into these alternative values.
Labelling Theory
Critiques the Chicago school perspective and rejects the link between crime and urban areas, and sees the relationship as no more than a social construction.
Labelling theory sees the link between urban areas and crime to be down to the following things:
Police are less harsh in rural areas due to the increased sense of community as opposed to urban areas,
Agencies and police are more likely to patrol inner city areas as they are perceived as hot spots for crime. Making more crimes recognised in urban areas than areas with less police presence.
Becker (1963) saw how youths who commit crime in urban areas are seen as delinquents however youths who commit crime in rural areas are seen to have high youthful spirits.
Environmental Theory
Bottoms (1989) looked at the extent and type of crime linked to housing estates, less desirable ares get a bad reputation and therefore get ‘tipped’ which brings negative consequences.
The Tipping process:
-Physical and social disorder form
-Informal social control mechanisms become weakened
-Loss of community
-Respectable people move away from the area
-Less respectable ‘problem families’ move onto the newly absent estates
-Crime increases and subcultures form
Routine Activities: (Brantingham and Brantingham)
Saw that crime was most likely committed in areas which are well known to criminals, which is why there are higher numbers of crime in the city and less in rural areas.
How criminals choose their targets:
Potential rewards, level of risk, a criminal’s skills.
Strengths- Highlights how crime can fluctuate in certain areas and looks at what influences crime rates
Weaknesses- Ignores the labelling that occurs by agencies of social control, such as the police.
Left and Right Realism
Left realism sees crime as a real problem which should be taken seriously and real solutions should be thought up to deal with the problem.
Right realists see some areas have lost a sense of community and has lead to a high level of single parents forming the underclass. Wilson (1975) saw how having strong communities is an effective way of dealing with crime.
Solutions from left realism: Improve the environment in which people live.
Zero tolerance policing and harsher punishments to deter people.
Young (1980-90s)
Relative Deprivation: When a group feels deprived compared to other groups, the feeling of not having what others possess can often lead to crime.
Subculture: Groups develop a certain lifestyle and this stems from their experience of relative deprivation
Marginalisation: Marginalised groups are not largely represented in society, these groups can turn to crime to get their point across, therefore marginalisation can lead to crime.