Abstract
The causal factors of a crime have always been a matter of deliberation and debate. The question of juvenile delinquency has raised more debates, given the seriousness of the matter. Recognition of the causal factors will help stem the problem of juvenile delinquency before it becomes chronic.
They emphasize on the social environment of a juvenile as a major cause for his/her delinquent behavior. The empirical research conducted by them points to disadvantageous economic position and geographical location as the contributing factors to the delinquent behavior of the juveniles.
Shaw and McKay build on the theory proposed by Ernest Burgess. They state that the people living in the zone of transition are more susceptible to delinquent behavior, given the social conditions prevalent in those areas. Their theory focuses on the macro-level causes (social environment) and does not even consider the micro-level causes (individual traits).
Keywords: social environment, social disorganization, external causes.
Juvenile crimes are often treated in a different manner from the crimes committed by adults. There is leniency in dealing with a juvenile delinquent because of the consideration given to the fact that juveniles are not mentally as developed as adults, to fully understand the consequences of their actions.
However, one a juvenile becomes delinquent, it becomes difficult for him to lead a normal life in mainstream society again.
Therefore, most contemporaneous societies have focused their attention on preventing juveniles from becoming delinquent. For this purpose, it is important to understand the reasons that force or facilitate the juveniles in resorting to a life of crime and delinquency. Identifying the causal factor will help in controlling and mitigating juvenile delinquency. Various theories have been proposed to explain the delinquency of juveniles.
The main point of controversy while explaining delinquent behavior of is the tussle between ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’.
Some theories propagate the idea that delinquent behavior is the result of the environment in which the juvenile is brought up. For instance, if the juvenile is brought up in a neighborhood where crime is not considered wrong, then the juvenile will be inclined to becoming a delinquent.
Other theories state that the reason for delinquency in some juveniles in the nature of the juvenile and the way he/she perceives things.
While both these theories have their own share of followers and critics, the most important theory for the present purpose is the theory proposed by Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay.
Shaw and McKay helped develop the theory that lays emphasis on the role that the environment or rather the neighborhood of a juvenile plays in making him choose a life of crime.
Social disorganization theory:
In order to give a direction to their empirical research on the effect of the external environment on juveniles, Shaw and McKay based their research on Ernest Burgess’s theory of expansion of urban areas. According to that theory the ‘zone in transition’ is the place where the most impoverished people settle before migrating to urban areas.
The empirical research conducted by Shaw and McKay centered on the fact that most delinquent juveniles would be in the zones of transition. In the result that they published in Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas in 1942 they stated that delinquency was determined by the characteristics of the area in which people lived in and that it was not based on the characteristics of the individual. This meant that even the ethnicity of the people was of no consequence with respect to delinquent behavior. (Social Disorganization and Rural Communities, 2003)
Form the empirical research conducted by Shaw and McKay the following can be deduced:
They concentrated on the macro-level factors, i.e. the factors that concentrate on the environment rather than micro-level factors, i.e. factors that concentrate on the traits of an individual. (Rengifo, 2009)
Social Environment as a cause for delinquent behavior:
It is therefore clear that Shaw and McKay based their theory on extraneous factors. Their empirical research did much to further the theory of social disorganization, by brining it into mainstream criminology.
They opined that the geographical location of a person determined his behavior to a large extent. They based this finding on the mapping of different locations in the course of their empirical research.
They ruled out ethnicity as a cause for delinquency of juveniles. This however, might be at the cost of over-generalization. In some ethnicities violence might be tolerated and even encouraged. Juveniles from those ethnicities might be more inclined to becoming delinquents.
Apart from this they also stated that ‘groups’ or the peers that an adolescent is exposed determines his outlook of life; what he determines to be acceptable behavior. The interview with Sidney Blotzman (who got involved in criminal activities at the age of 7) and many other juvenile delinquents asserted this proposition.
With respect to the location, they relied on the theory proposed by Brugess. They stated that delinquents were more in areas that were not fully developed, i.e. the areas that were economically backward. The thus linked the delinquent behavior of a juvenile to the economical disadvantages faced by them.
This theory in the 21st century may be considered as over-simplified, as delinquent behavior is the result of a complex mix of external as well as internal factors. Despite this, the importance of the theory in identifying the nexus between the location of a juvenile and his delinquent behavior is immense.
References
Social Disorganization and Rural Communities. (2003). Retrieved from
https://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/193591/page1.html
Cullen Francis and Agnew Robert. (2011). Criminological Theories. Retrieved from
http://www.d.umn.edu/~jmaahs/Crime%20and%20Media/pdf%20files/cullen_agnew_socialD.pdf
Rengifo Andres. (2009). Social Disorganization. Retrieved from
http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195396607/obo-9780195396607-0008.xml
