Race, Class and Criminal Justice

Chicago School of Urban Sociology

Robert Park

Ernest Burgess

Concentric zones

Social ecology

Social pathology

Central business district

Transitional zone

Working class zone

Residential zone

Commuter zone

Environmental Criminology

Space

Time

Offender

Target/Victim

Social control

Robert J. Sampson

University of Chicago

Shaw and Mckay (1942)

Social changes cause breakdown of formal and informal controls and increase crime

Explains urban crime rates, increase in crime with change and growth in cities

Poverty and unemployment undermine the family, the primary unit of socialization

Lack of parental supervision and positive role models contributes to crime and delinquency

Concentration of the poor means individuals are subject to strong peer-group leading to non-conforming behavior

Poverty is associated with inadequate access to medical and nutritional resources contributing to poor performance in school

Social disorganization theory results in a high rate of crime and delinquency in disadvantaged neighborhoods that are suffering from a breakdown of their social structure and community cohesion. When neighborhoods lack the social control mechanisms necessary to maintain strong social bonds and formal networks, individuals are more likely to engage in non-conforming, criminal behavior and delinquency.