A criminology theory that influences the occurrence of crime is the Social Disorganization Theory. According to this theory, the social and physical environments of a person often have a primary responsibility in influencing the behaviors and choices that he or she is likely to make in life. Particularly, social environments that are characterized by fraying social structures have a higher likelihood of reporting high rates of crime. This is because it comes challenging and difficult for morals and good character to thrive in such environments. Moreover, maintenance of law and order could prove to be an uphill task for the relevant authorities operating in such environments. Neighborhoods experiencing social disorganization have a way of encouraging vandalism and destruction of properties which are indicators of crime. In such neighborhoods, there would be other social ills like drug and substance abuse which leads to high rates of school dropout and laziness coupled with high levels of unemployment (Da Silva, 2014).
Social disorganization theory is regarded as a critical framework used in understanding the existing relationship between crime and the characteristics of o a given community. The framework provided by this theory suggests that social disorganization often breeds crime since its notable features include residential instability, racial heterogeneity, and poverty. The application of the social disorganization theory involves a causal model where characteristics or features of a neighborhood or social environment influence the existing informal social controls and social ties. In cases where the features are negative and immoral, crime will always have a high tendency of occurring at elevated rates (Da Silva, 2014). In this respect, the negative or immoral features may include family disorganization, weak social bonds, and control networks as well as reduced capacity for guardianship and surveillance among others. Additionally, disorganization of social environment will always have a higher likelihood of being associated with deviations from acceptable social norms as well as public disturbances which are essential features of crime.
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Reference
Da Silva, B. (2014). Social disorganization and crime: Searching for the determinants of crime at the community level. Latin American Research Review, 49 (3), 218-230. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43670201
