Criminology Mindtap Chp 6

What similarity do social structure theory, strain theory, and cultural deviance theory share?

Disorganized neighborhoods encourage criminality among residents.

Edward Medina claims that Williams' books convinced him to stay in school rather than join a gang. Why are gangs appealing to inner-city youth?

Gangs provide a way to advance a person who faces limited prospects of doing so legally.

Why did youth counselor Fred Jackson oppose the execution of Williams?

He believed Williams showed that gang members could turn their lives around

This video explores Stanley "Tookie" Williams, one of the founders of the Crips street gang. In 1979, he was convicted and charged of four murders and two robberies. In jail, he began to write books for youth encouraging them to avoid gang life. In 2005, he was executed by lethal injection. Thoughts and opinions of Williams are offered by various parties. Why did Williams target his books at children?

Inner-city youth are highly susceptible to joining gangs.

What is the purpose of social control in relation to crime?

It serves to keep crime in check.

Retired Los Angeles County Sheriff Wesley McBride voiced opinions that cast doubt on Williams' anti-gang efforts. Why?

Regardless of Williams' anti-gang work, the fact is he murdered four innocents in cold blood

This sudden spike in crime has caught many off guard and vocal public concerns have been prominent. As a criminologist instructor employed by the top city university, you have been brought in to assess the situation as the city council tries to develop a response and solution. The mayor is specifically concerned to know if the rise in crime is primarily due to a sudden change in the social environment of the neighborhood in question. In asking for your preliminary thoughts and based off of what you know, how do you respond?

Though a breakdown of social control is entirely possible as the cause of the crime spike, at this time you cannot be entirely certain. A sudden rise in unemployment, emergence of a new gang, and temporal factors might better explain it.

In investigating the situation, you make some interesting discoveries. While the neighborhood is transitional, it has been so for some time. Unemployment rates have been relatively stable at 20 percent for years. Crime is typically higher during the summer months, but is often only 30 percent, not double. According to police intelligence, a new gang has emerged, but it is limited in strength and reach. Far more important in explaining the crime increase is the impact of the city budget on the neighborhood, particularly in regards to criminality among juveniles. Due to budgetary constraints, the city police force was reduced by 20 percent earlier in the year. Due to the reduced number of officers on the street, many low-level crimes are not being addressed, as resources are now focused on serious crimes. This budget shortfall has also caused numerous after-school programs to be canceled. The impact can be seen in the rise of violations and low-level misdemeanors committed by juveniles in the neighborhood. As a result, youth gangs have emerged. Fear amongst members of the community has increased, as the police are no longer able to handle basic incivilities. In light of this new information, are you still uncertain that the spike in crime can be explained by a breakdown of social control?

Yes and no. Though the impact of social control factors, including police and schools, has declined, this alone cannot explain the sudden, incredible rise in crime rates. Crime cannot double over a period of a few months due to the cancellation of after-school programs and a 20 percent reduction in the police force.

This neighborhood has had a crime rate that is higher than the city average for years, though the rate near doubling over the course of the summer is unprecedented. It is true that crime rates often increase during the summer, which—combined with a possible quick rise in unemployment and the emergence of a new gang—might explain the sudden rise in crime. There are many who disagree. They argue that crime rates have increased too quickly and in too short a period of time to be properly explained by rising unemployment and the emergence of a new gang. Instead, they believe that the events that have occurred indicate a total breakdown of social control. Let's review a few more concepts before you make another decision about this scene. How can unaddressed incivilities in a neighborhood encourage crime?

by promoting fear and disorder among community residents

According to social structure theory, the root cause of crime can be traced directly to the socioeconomic disadvantages that have become embedded in American society. People in the United States live in a stratified society; social strata are created by the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and prestige. The crushing lifestyle of lower-class areas produces a culture of poverty that is passed from one generation to the next and is stained by apathy, cynicism, helplessness, and mistrust of social institutions. Lower-class people are driven to desperate measures, such as crime and substance abuse, to cope with their economic plight. Over this past summer, the crime rate in a lower-class neighborhood of a moderate size municipality in your state has more than doubled. In comparison, over the same time, the rest of the city has only experienced a 20 percent increase. Although the neighborhood has experienced higher than average crime rates compared to the rest of the city for years, the sudden spike is unprecedented. This crime spike is alarming to residents of the neighborhood, community leaders, police, and government officials due to its size and fear of crime spreading to neighboring communities. Let's review a few concepts before you make a decision about this scene. Social structure theories hold that the primary determinant of crime is:

economic forces operating in disorganized lower-class areas.

Which of the following would create a situation in an economically depressed neighborhood where youth gangs would likely flourish?

presence of many unstable families