Chapter 4: The Chicago School

social and intellectual heritage

consensus theorists

established 1st dept. of sociology in 1892

begining of American Society

The Chicago School

ecological perspectives (social disorganization)

symbolic interactionism

cultural transmission theory

culture conflict

Theorectical Contribution

use of official data to measure crime and other phenomena

life history method

Methodological Contributions

examines movements of people and their concentration

connection b/w crime and geological  space

Ecological Approach

(social ecology theory, criminology)

found crime rate rose among displaced persons

suggested cause was social disorganization

(not being able to transplant norms and values from home cultures into new ones)

W.I. Thomas

1st sociologists from Chicago School

study social disorganization

concentric zones

Parks and Burgess

expanded concentric zones model to predict delinquency rates in areas of the city

zone of transition- highest delinquency rates

Shaw and McKay

physical deterioration and unrepaired buildings lead to increased concerns for safety among residents

Wilson and Kelling

(Broken Window Thesis)

range of mechanisms that combine bringing environ. under control of residents

architectural changes enhances barriers, define and enhance boundaries, removing criminal opportunity and reduce crime

Defensible space

cultural transmission theory

programs designed to increase community cohesion and decrease social disorganization

Shaw and McKay

identified 4 elements constituting social disorganization

low economic status

mixture of diff. ethnic groups

highly mobile residents

disrupted families and broken homes

Sampson and Groves

(Social Disorganization)

basis for labeling theories

provided a relativistic understanding of criminal laws and behavior

Symbolic Interactionism

major theorists but not member of Chicago Schools

rules that govern norms- conduct norms

strong influence on subulture theories

two main forms of culture conflict: primary and secondary

Thorsten and Sellin

Culture Conflict

occurs when 2 diff. cultures govern behavior (someone immigrating from 1 culture to anoher)

Primary Conflict

smaller cultures existing w/i a larger culture

a.k.a. subculture

Secondary Conflict

social regulation- people used in regular neighborhoods to institute and oversee changes

political power and control- clean environ. offering workers who could teach political skills and helping community reach to city hall

construction of recreation facilities

distribute juveniles throughout complex to dimish power

public policies being ?ed when they restrict comm. from exercising self control

The Chicago School: Policy Implications

methodologically careless and unsystematic use of data

The Chicago School: Limitations

Chapter 5: Diff. Assoc. Theory

conceived that sociology was based on small psychological interactions among individuals and that fundamental forces were imitation and innovation

concepts known as imitation theory

Gabriel Tarde (1890)

proposition #1

criminal behavior learned

Propositional #2

criminal behavior is learned in interaction w/ other persons in process of communication

Proposition #3

Principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs w/i personal intimate groups

Proposition #4

criminal behavior learned includes (a) techniques of committing crime; complicated, very simple (b) specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes

Proposition #5

specific direction of motives snd drives is learned from definitions of legal code as favorable or unfavorable

Proposition #6

persons becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law

Proposition #7

Differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity

Proposition # 8

process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-criminal patterns involves all the mechanisms involved in any other learning

Proposition #9

although criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and values, it is not explained by those general needs and values, b/c noncriminal behavior is an expression of the same needs and values

positivist theory

microtheory

more conflict than consensus

process theory

Classification of Differential Assoc.

does not explain how criminal behavior originated

accurately measuring criminal behavior of significant others

Problems w/ DA theory

few theories proposed prior to 1950 to remain relevant today

DA theory still published in criminological journals

assoc. w/ other criminals strongest predictors of criminal behavior

Empirical Validity of DA Theory

focus on:

delinquent subcultures (Cohen)

symbolic interactionism w/i DA (Glaser)

learning component of DA: psychologically based learning (Jefferey, Burgess, Akers)

Revisions to DA Theory

coined white collar crime

introducing life history approach to criminology

argued crimes have a much greater financial cost to society than all other crimes

poverty does not have a strong relationship w/ crime b/c white collar crimes happen frequently

Other important contributions made by Sutherland

crime committed by a person of high status and respectability in the course of his occupation

White Collar Crime

Chapter 6: Anomie Theory

one of the founders of sociology

emphasis on empirical data to support theoretical speculations

distingusishing/elaborating sociology from other social sciences

focus on division of labor and consequences for social life

need for common core of values and moral rules

functionalism

Emile Durkheim

Contributions

the subject matter of sociology

"sui generis" meaning of its own kind; unique

must be studied distinct from biological and psychological phenomenon

examples: laws, morals, beliefs, customs, fashions

Social Facts Definition

defined as patterns of behavior capable of exercising coersive power

guides and controls of conduct

external to individual in form of norms, mores, and folkways

Social Facts

views society as a system of interdependent parts

contribute to stability and survival of system

total reorganization do to imbalance in system

Functionalism

state of normalessness in society

breakdown of social order/norms

rapid social change

Anomie

reminds community of standards

crimes creates sense of solidarity

society sends moral message about which rules are most important by adjusting severity of punishment

crime functions to warn society that something may be wrong w/ the way it operates

Normal and Necessary level of crime

structural breakdown in society (anomie)

Too much crime is a sign of what?

theory of deviance

certain goals for members to strive to achieve and legitimate ways to obtain them

goals strongly stressed by society

not everyone has means to achieve goals legitimately

Strain Theory

conformity

innovation

ritualism

retreatism

rebellion

Merton's Modes of Adaptation

positivist

consensus

structural

mainly macro

Classifications of Anomie Theory

aspirations and expectations

relative deprivation

Issues Assoc. w/ Anomie Theory

Chapter 7: Subcultural Theories

how delinquent subcultures began

non-utilitarian, malicious, negativistic behavior

children seek social status

middle- class measuring rod

status frustration

reation formation: mechanism to overcome anxiety and frustration

Cohen's Subculture Delinquency

Not meeting middle class standards leads delinquents to?

changing ways staus is obtained

making new norms

making new status goals

formation of delinquent subcultures

corner boy- lower working life style

college boy- middle class lifestyle (conformity)

delinquent subculture- malicious, negativistic behavior

Three groups formed im society from subculture of delinquency

specified illegitimate opportunity structure creating diff. subcultures from the level of integration in community

illegitimate ways to acieve goals

Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin

Differential Opportunity

criminal: profit-making activities, minimal violence (innovation)

conflict: weak integration in comm., violence, property damage, unpredictable behavior to gain respect

retreatist: those lacking legitimate and illegitimate opportunitites, focus on drug use

Three ideal types of delinquent gangs

stressed most class differences

argued a distinct lower class culture exists

delinquency is an adaptation to lower class culture (ways o achieve goals)

Walter B. Miller

trouble: fighting, drinking

toughness: strength, fighting ability, athletic skill

smartness: street-wise, abilty to out-con others

excitement: search for fun, life gambling, fighting, drinking

fate: luck, whatever happens by chance

autonomy: personal freedom, resistance against controlled environ. (schools)

Focal concerns underlying reasons and motivations for common forms of lower class behavior

central values of lower class subculture

bias

scope

sexiest

Criticisms of Subculture Theories

Chapter 11: Social Learning Theories

behavior governed and shaped by its consequences; reinforced or punished

Operant Learning

event following occurence of behavior that alters and increases frequency of behavior

Reinforcement

reduces the behavior it follows

Punishment

a reward, something added directly increasing frquency of behavior

Positive Reinforcement

something unpleasant removed after a desired behavior

Negative Reinforcement

presence of something unpleasant following undesirable behavior

Positive Punishment

removal of something positive (pleasant) following undesirable behavior

Negative Punishment

occurs before or during a behavior

serves as cue to help people know what consequences follos particular behavior

Discriminative Stimuli

frequency; the probability of particular event will occur, length of time it occurs after behavior

Schedule

concepts of operant conditioning

reformulation of DA theory

Differential Reinforcement

C. Ray Jeffery

consequences result from committing a crime satisfying a condition that is already satisfied, the stimulus will be less enforcing

Satiation

opposite of satiation

Deprivation

focused on environment

reformulation of DA Theory

evaluated 9 propositions of DA theory and modified it to 7 prop. designed to improve Sutherland's original prop.

Akers

positivist

micro

process

mostly consensus

Classification of Social Learning Theory

General Strain Theory BB Reading

took into account criticisms of earlier strain theories

less focus on lower class, goal achievement and aspirations

additional types of strain included

Robert Agnew

failure to achieve positively valued goals: disjunction b/w aspirations and expectations/ actual achievements, just/fair outcomes/actual outcomes

removal of positively valued stimuli

presentation of negatively valued stimuli

Types of Strain

not necessarily direct

strain-negative emotions-delinquincy

negative emotions: anger, low consistent

Relationship b/w Strain and Delinquency

more strongly related to delinquency

greater in magnitude

recent

long duration

clustered in time

Strains

cognitive

behavioral

emotional

Coping w/ Strain Strategies

depression

fear

delinquent peers

beliefs favorable to criminal behavior

Factors increasing probability strain will lead to delinquent behavior

high social support, and control

problem-solving skills/self-efficacy

Factors Decreasing probability strain will lead to delinquency

Institutional Anomie: BB Reading

published 1st ed. "Crime and the American Dream"

Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfield

achievement

individualism

universalism

the "fetishism" of money

Values of the American Dream

devaluation of noneconomic institutional functions and roles

accomodation to economic requirements by other institutions

penetration of economic norms into other institutional domains

Institutional Anomie

dominant ethos of American Dream stimulates criminal motivations and promotes anomie

Cultural Level

dominance of economy in the institutional balance of power fosters weak social control

Institutional Level