Lecture Overview
This week, we delve deep into the realm of the Chicago School of Criminology, a pioneering theoretical branch that has significantly shaped our understanding of urban crime. Rooted in the early 20th century, this school of thought emphasizes the profound influence of neighborhood-level variables on crime rates, challenging the conventional focus on individual criminal behavior.
The Foundations: Burgess and Park At the heart of the Chicago School lies the groundbreaking work of Ernest Burgess and Robert Park. Their innovative “concentric zones map” provides a spatial representation of urban areas, categorizing them into five distinct zones based on socio-economic factors and patterns of urban development. This model serves as a foundational tool in understanding how different zones, especially the ‘transition zone,’ are more susceptible to crime due to factors like poverty, residential mobility, and ethnic heterogeneity.
Shaw and McKay: Pioneers of Social Disorganization Building on Burgess and Park’s foundational model, Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay introduced the concept of “social disorganization.” Their seminal work highlighted how certain neighborhoods, particularly those in the transition zones, exhibited higher crime rates. They argued that the breakdown of social institutions, like family and schools, and the lack of cohesive social networks led to increased criminal behavior. Their research shifted the focus from individual pathologies to the structural and environmental factors that facilitate crime.
Contemporary Approaches to Social Disorganization While the early theories of the Chicago School laid the groundwork, the study of social disorganization has evolved over the decades. Contemporary researchers have expanded on the original concepts, incorporating modern-day challenges like drug epidemics, gang violence, and the effects of rapid urbanization. Modern studies also consider the role of community resilience, collective efficacy, and the impact of gentrification on crime patterns.
Throughout this unit, we will critically analyze the key tenets of the Chicago School, evaluate its relevance in today’s complex urban landscapes, and explore how modern criminologists are building upon and challenging these foundational theories. By the end of this week, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of how neighborhood dynamics play a pivotal role in shaping criminal behavior and the strategies to mitigate crime at the community level.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, you will be able to:
- Describe how the model presented by Chicago theorists explains the development of cities and the causes of crime in varying regions of a city.
- Discuss Shaw and McKay’s theory of social disorganization.
- Evaluate policies that have come from the Chicago/social-disorganization theories of crime.
Workflow
Reading
Chapter 2 in Wilcox, P., Cullen, F. T., & Feldmeyer, B. (2017). Communities and crime: An enduring American challenge.https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/bmcc/reader.action?docID=5124754&ppg=23
Chapter 4 in Tierney, John. Key Perspectives in Criminology, McGraw-Hill Education, 2009. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/bmcc/detail.action?docID=480635.
Videos
A longer documentary on one of the largest housing projects in the U.S. – The Pruitt-Igoe Project (use BMCC email credentials to sign up for this free video service): https://bmcccuny.kanopy.com/video/pruitt-igoe-myth-0
