A Test of Social Disorganization Theory in High-Risk Urban Neighborhoods

Abstract

Although there is a growing body of research based on social disorganization theory that relates the neighborhood context to juvenile crime and delinquency, it is unknown whether neighborhood social processes operate in a similar way across all types of disadvantaged neighborhoods. It is possible that some social processes are unique to economically depressed areas. This research attempts to explain theoretically and test empirically the relationships between neighborhood social structure, social processes, delinquent opportunity structures, and rates of adolescent delinquency among structurally disadvantaged neighborhoods. The hypotheses are tested using neighborhood-level parent and youth data from 44 Denver neighborhoods. A series of regression models are constructed to estimate the effects of the neighborhood on rates of delinquency. The results show that for this high-risk sample the most consistent predictor of rates of problem behavior is youths' perceptions of limited opportunities for the future.

Neighborhood-Level Factors Associated with Physical Dating Violence Perpetration: Results of a Representative Survey Conducted in Boston, MA

“…29 A limitation of this approach is the possibility of same-source bias, which is the possibility of a spurious association between the outcome and neighborhood characteristic because the same individuals are reporting on both, and their perception of the outcome may influence their report of the neighborhood characteristic. 30 The first of these found that high school students from North Carolina who reported living in neighborhoods characterized by disorganization (e.g., crime, fighting, graffiti), but not by community fear or low neighborhood connectedness, had increased odds of reporting that they had perpetrated DV in the preceding year.…”

Community Disadvantage, Parental Network, and Commitment to Social Norms

“…Some studies have confirmed that neighborhood-based ties (Bellair 1997;Sampson and Groves 1989;Sun, Triplett, and Gainey 2004;Veysey and Messner 1999) and participation of residents in community affairs (Hawdon and Ryan 2009;Lowenkamp, Cullen, and Pratt 2003;Sampson and Groves 1989;Simcha-Fagan and Schwartz 1986;Veysey and Messner 1999) negatively influence some types of crime. In contrast, other studies find a positive effect of neighborhood ties on crime rates (Bellair 2000;Bellair and Browning 2010;Browning et al 2004;Kingston, Huizinga, and Elliott 2009), and some research find insignificant effects (Morenoff et al 2001;Simcha-Fagan and Schwartz 1986; also see review in Cantillon, Davidson, and Schweitzer 2003;Sampson et al 2002).…”

Crianças, jovens e a cidade: riscos, violências e delinquências em Portugal

“…Estes atos estão fortemente associados à emergência do sentimento de insegurança nas sociedades urbanas contemporâneas e que está na origem da centralidade da questão de segurança no discurso político e social atual" (LOURENÇO, 2010, p. 5) Neste sentido, acentua-se a dialética entre local e global e releva-se a importância, nesta análise, da consideração dos cinco pilares fundamentais da vida social apontados nos estudos mais recentes da ecologia social: organização, coesão, controle, confiança e partilha (SAMPSON e GROVES, 1989;SAMPSON et al, 1997;ELLIOT et al, 1996ELLIOT et al, 2007KINGSTON et al, 2009). Diversos estudos recentes confirmam uma linha de orientação já presente em muitas pesquisas originais da Escola de Chicago, ou seja, a existência de uma relação positiva entre a concentração de desvantagens sociais em certos espaços urbanos e as práticas de desordens, violência e crime.…”