On Revising Place-Based Theory in Criminology: The Role of Rural Studies

• In Event: Communities in Context: The Social Organization of Neighborhoods

Abstract

The development of rural criminology was greatly aided by criminological theories of place, especially social disorganization theory. However, the rural literature testing both the structural antecedents and systemic versions of social disorganization theory and a more contemporary derivative, the theory of collective efficacy, point to substantial conceptual and empirical flaws. The most serious fallacy is the assumption of a monotonic relationship such that socially disorganized places exhibit higher rates of crime. Rural work points to the very opposite -- that crime in all of its forms -- from violence against women to drug production/trafficking/use, etc. -- is predicated on social organization and associated normative structures. A new kind of logic is needed that incorporates more critical criminological perspectives of inequalities associated with gender, race, social class, and other social structural considerations. This paper briefly reviews the rural work on social disorganization theory, describes its conceptual flaws, and outlines a new approach to the criminology of place (for places small and large).

Authors

• Amanda Hall-Sanchez, West Virginia University

• Walter DeKeseredy, West Virginia University

• Joseph Donnermeyer, The Ohio State University