How Do You Understand The Chicago School Theories Of Criminology?
The Chicago School of criminological theory aimed to move past the simple hard-line classical explanations of crime. Early theories of criminal behavior focused on the individual, touting such ideas as crime as a rational choice, born criminals, and physical features such as forehead size as predictors of crime. The Chicago School introduced the idea of socialization as an explanation for criminal activity. These theories hold that people are not simply born good or bad – they are influenced by the people, social situations, and other external forces that surround them. Social Disorganization Theory: The main point of social disorganization theory focuses on the disproportionate amount of social and economic hardship as well as the level of criminal activity that occurs in inner cities compared to other areas. Social disorganization – the constant influx of people and businesses into inner cities combined with the highly transient environment and widespread poverty – leads to a breakdo