Chicago School

• context:

  • studying traits of neighbourhoods and urban areas rather than biology
  • the impact of being in an impoverished area
  • Park: the city could be seen as a super-organism
  • each community or business was interrelated
  • focuses on crime and the city in particular
  • the city creates a way of life in which crime becomes more common
  • there is more diversity which allows for a less community basedm more anonymous and criminogenic environment
  • crime is learned
  • the best way to deal with crime is through multiple agencies help rather than punishment
• crime isn't just about individual choices but also influenced by social and physical surroundings
• factors like poverty, social disorganisation, and lack of opportunity contribute to higher crime rates
• the importance of understanding the broader context in which crime occurs rather than solely focusing on individual characteristics
• Park and Burgess concentric zone theory
• sutherland's differential association theory 1947

  • how different types of organisation led to different value systems and choices
  • all criminal behaviour is learned through interaction
  • if an individual was exposed to criminality and delinquency more than conformity, more likely to be criminal
  • ' a person becomes delinquent because of excess of definitions favourable to violations of law over definitions unfavourable to violation of law'
  • differential associations vary in length, intensity, frequency and duration
• crime and delinquency rates tended consistently to be lower in areas of high socio-economic status and higher in areas of relative socio-economic deprivation