Review the Chapter 6 readings on Social Structure theories, paying particular attention to how these theories explain criminal behavior at a macro-level (neighborhoods, cities, etc.), the factors and forces related to crime according to these theories, and public policy implications associated with these theories. Consider the following scenario from the “Thinking Like a Criminologist” section on page 222 of your text: You have just been appointed as a presidential adviser on urban problems. The president informs you that he wants to initiate a demonstration project in a major city aimed at showing that the government can do something to reduce poverty, crime, and drug abuse.
The area he has chosen for development is a large inner-city neighborhood with more than a hundred thousand residents. The neighborhood suffers from disorganized community structure, poverty, and hopelessness. Predatory delinquent gangs run free and terrorize local merchants and citizens. The school system has failed to provide opportunities and education experiences sufficient to dampen enthusiasm for gang recruitment. Stores, homes, and public buildings are deteriorated and decayed. Commercial enterprise has fled the area, and civil servants are reluctant to enter the neighborhood. There is an uneasy truce among the various ethnic and racial groups that populate the area. Residents feel that little can be done to bring the neighborhood back to life. You are faced with suggesting an urban development program that can revitalize the area and eventually bring down the crime rate. You can bring any element of the public and private sector to bear on this rather overwhelming problem – including the military! You can also ask private industry to help in the struggle, promising them tax breaks for their participation.
Whatever your solution, be sure to consider the ramifications of your solution at a local level, as well as at a national level (public perception, etc.). As you create your solution, consider the following questions. While you do not have to write responses to these questions, your individual beliefs regarding these questions will help guide you as you create a solution to the scenario outlined above. Does living and growing up in such an area contribute to high crime and delinquency rates? Is poverty a cause of crime or merely an excuse used to rationalize crime and drug use? Do deviant places create deviant people, or vice versa? After all, when middle-class yuppies move into a poor area and gentrify it, crime rates eventually go down and property values go up.
Why should my tax money go to increasing the real estate values in another neighborhood owned by another person? Is that fair and just? In an initial discussion post, address the following questions: Is it ethical to ask the government to help revitalize communities? Why or why not? Outline your proposed solution to the president’s request for a project that will reduce poverty, crime, and drug abuse in the targeted area. In your solution, be sure to identify the following: What major players (public agencies, private industry, military) are involved in your solution? How will you get those players involved (tax breaks for private industry, etc.)? How will your plan reduce poverty, crime, and drug abuse in the area? Will you improve schools, bring in businesses, implement community-wide programs on specific topics, or combine these and other aspects? Identify at least ONE key concept related to Social Disorganization theories in your solution. Define the concept and identify how that concept relates to your solution. Possible concepts include collective efficacy, formal social control, informal social control, public social control, gentrification, incivilities, and concentration effect, among other Social Disorganization Theory concepts discussed in your text. Remember to be thorough in your responses. Your initial response should be at least 200 words and should address all aspects of the discussion question to receive full credit
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