Sociological Positivism: Chicago School

Question 1

What is the main idea of the Chicago School’s ecological approach to crime?

Answer 1

Crime is linked to urban environments, especially disorganised neighbourhoods with poverty, diversity, and mobility.

Question 2

What are the five urban zones in the Chicago model?

Answer 2

Central Business District, Zone in Transition (highest crime), Working-Class Zone, Residential Zone, Commuter Zone.

Question 3

What did Shaw & McKay (1942) find in their study?

Answer 3

Juvenile crime was concentrated in ‘zones of transition’ due to social disorganisation—caused by poverty, mobility, and ethnic diversity

Question 4

What is cultural transmission theory (Shaw & McKay, 1972)?

Answer 4

Criminal values are passed down through generations in disorganised areas (like learning a language)

Question 5

what does social disorganisation theory suggest?

Answer 5

areas with poverty, ethnic diversity, and high mobility, communities struggle to maintain social order, leading to higher crime.

Question 6

What is gentrification and how is it linked to crime reduction?

Answer 6

The process of wealthier people moving into poorer areas, raising costs. It’s linked to crime reduction through displacement but can be controversial

Question 7

What is the Broken Windows Theory?

Answer 7

Wilson and Kelling -Minor disorder (e.g. broken windows) signals neglect and leads to more crime—used to justify zero-tolerance policing.

Question 8

What approach does Chicago School’s research suggest

Answer 8

Crime mapping -Plotting crime data (like thefts, assaults, burglaries) to identify where crimes happen the most

Question 9

How does Barton and Gruner’s ideas of gentrification relate to broken windows theory?

Answer 9

gentrification -where a lower class area is regenerated to make it more appealing to the higher class - what often happens is that the people who lived in the area gets priced out of the area as the prices get hiked up (food, house tax etc)

Gentrification has been regarded as an effective means of reducing crime in an area

Question 10

What does Donnermeyer (2015) argue about rural crime?

Answer 10

Rural areas are not crime-free; criminology must adapt to include changing rural/urban dynamics and avoid binary thinking.