An Ethnographic Examination of Illicit Drugs in a Rural Context

• In Event: Applying Social Disorganization Theory to Gangs, School Context, and Contemporary Studies on Crime and Place

Abstract

While social disorganization theory has largely had an urban bias, a number of studies have
found some elements of the theory in U.S. rural communities. This research shows that collective
efficacy in rural settings takes different forms and is not restricted to preventing and deterring
crime. In other words, what appears to be social disorganization to someone unfamiliar with the
area, can be a different form of social organization to locals. Little is known how this relates to
illicit drug use, production, and trafficking in a rural context. Prior research highlights the
heterogeneity in localized social structures, all with strong expressions of collective efficacy, that
exist in the same places as law-abiding individuals. This current undertaking expands on what is
known about the applicability of social disorganization theory to understand the social
organization (i.e., collective efficacy) of illicit substance use and trafficking across rural settings
in Oklahoma. The findings are based on an ethnographic study of rural law enforcement and the
areas they police.

Authors

• Danielle M. Stoneberg, West Virginia University

• Rashi Shukla, University of Central Oklahoma

• Melissa Inglis, East Central University