Community Structure and Property Crime: Does Social Disorganization Matter?

• In Event: Community Structures, Social Organization, and Crime

Abstract

Several researchers have focused their attention on the causes and correlates of property crime, however these studies often rely on micro-level theoretical approaches. Most of the studies in this field are guided by various rational choice perspectives, which suggest that an assessment of the costs and benefits associated with crime guide the decision to engage in property offending. Rational choice theory has been met with criticism, however, and while the limitations accompanying this theoretical lens are often acknowledged, little work has been done to introduce a theory that can account for the variety of structural influences that may guide offenders in their decision to commit property offenses.
Using data from 66 block groups in a Southern state, this research attempts to overcome this limitation by exploring the relationship between correlates of social disorganization and property crime. Consistent with social disorganization theory, the findings show that structural factors such as concentrated disadvantage and residential stability influence property crime. Despite this, the analyses conducted in this study fail to provide support for other measures of social disorganization such as informal social control, cultural strength, social ties, social cohesion, and social disorder. Implications for future research and criminological theory are discussed.

Author

• Tricia Johnston, Georgia State University