Social Structure Theories & Crime

• Social structural theories provide a lens to understand how social environments shape criminal behavior.
• These theories focus on macro-level social forces, such as poverty, inequality, and social disorganization, and how they contribute to crime.
• Social disorganization theory, anomie/strain theory, and subcultural theories provide useful insights into the causes of crime.

Social Disorganization Theory (Shaw & McKay)

• This theory posits that crime stems from the breakdown of social institutions (family, schools, community) in certain neighborhoods, rather than from individual pathology.
• Harlem was marked by poverty, instability, and weak social control, aligning with the characteristics of high-crime areas.
• Family breakdown occurred when Butch's mother struggled with an abusive partner and multiple children, hindering her ability to provide emotional and financial support.
• This lack of parental supervision led Butch to spend time on the streets, reinforcing criminal behaviors.
• Harlem became a segregated, poverty-stricken area with little community cohesion.
• Communities with high residential mobility, poverty, and a lack of collective efficacy struggle to regulate delinquent behavior.
• Schools failed to engage Butch, and the legal system cycled him through institutions, reflecting the inability of social services to provide support.

Anomie and Strain Theory (Merton, Cohen, Cloward & Ohlin)

• Anomie theory suggests that crime occurs when individuals experience a disjunction between societal goals and the means to achieve them.
• Butch's grandmother promised him a life in Harlem-economic success, security, and social mobility.
• Harley did not grant him these opportunities, creating a stain between aspiration and reality.
• Merton's strain theory suggests that individuals adapt to strain in different ways.
• Some individuals turn to crime as an alternative route to reaching social goals.
• When conventional means and criminal opportunities become unavailable, some individuals "drop out"
• Butch sleeping in the subway and shelters can be seen as rejecting both legitimate and illegitimate paths.

Subcultural Theories (Miller, Cohen, Cloward & Ohlin)

• Subcultural theories argue that delinquency arises from youth subcultures that develop in response to mainstream societal rejection.
• Harlem's history of economic hardship and racial segregation produced an alternative value system.
• In this value system respect, toughness, and survival on the streets were more important than traditional success.
• Status frustration occurred when Butch struggled with school and family instability, likely leading to feelings of rejection and inadequacy.
• Instead of succeeding through conventional means, he adopted skipping school and manipulating police to gain a sense of agency and identity.
• Individuals in disorganized areas often turn to gangs when legal opportunities are blocked.

Conclusion

• Butch's life trajectory was shaped by structural, disadvantages, community instability, and a deep-rooted culture of violence.
• His experiences reflect a systemic failure where societal conditions contributed to his criminal path.
• These same structural forces influenced is son, Willie Bosket, illustrating intergenerational transmission of crime and violence.

Explore social structure theories and their impact on criminal behavior. Focus on macro-level social forces and how they contribute to crime. Theories include social disorganization, strain, and subcultural perspectives.