Discuss how social disorganization theory applies to modern theorizing about gangs. Be sure to provide a brief history of the theory’s development, assess at least one strength and one limitation of its core arguments, and detail findings from at least one study that explored whether social disorganization theory applies to gangs.
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Students should first describe the initial development of the theory and its core elements. Students should, for example, indicate that social disorganization theory developed in the context of the Chicago school, which is known for focusing on urban sociology. Park and Burgess (1925) were the first scholars in this tradition to use the term “social disorganization,” which they used to describe the status of deteriorated neighborhoods in Chicago. Students should then explain that the first scholars to link social disorganization to crime and gang activity were Thrasher (1927) and Shaw and McKay (1942). From contributions of these researchers, social disorganization theory was specified to include three core structural variables, (1) poverty, (2) residential instability, and (3) population heterogeneity, which were believed to compromise social control, which in turn was believed to generate criminal behavior. While students should, for example, state that the theory has been credited with accounting for structural factors in explaining gang activity, it has also been criticized for being limited largely to sizable urban settings. Students should then note that by and large, empirical research has supported the application of social disorganization theory to gangs. For example, in 2010, Pyrooz and colleagues conducted the first known national-level study of gang membership, and they found that two core social disorganization variables, poverty and ethnic/racial heterogeneity, significantly impacted gang membership.
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Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
Subjugation of a defendant's rights involves __________.
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