The social disorganization theory associates the rates of delinquency with the levels of the socioeconomic conditions in any society. Continual poverty will increase delinquency especially among the lower class members of the community. It applies to the social landscape of America because of its stratified nature i.e. there has been an unequal distribution of prestige, wealth, and also power in the country (Part two- Theories of Delinquency, n.d., p. 130). The theory is more pronounced in the US than the cultural deviance theories because of the difficulty in subscribing to the behavioral demands of various social groups. In addition to the above, therefore, the article will discuss both the concepts of anomie and the social control theory.
Anomie refers to situations when the desire to succeed at any cost drives individuals apart, weakens their collective sense in their communities, foster ambitions, while also restricting the desires of people to achieve anything not considered as material wealth. It has an enormous influence in juvenile delinquency because capitalism in America encourages innovation mainly because of monetary rewards expected. Also, since attaining a solid financial stability is fundamental in the American society and for other social values, it is thus not surprising that minors will commit criminal offenses to achieve a desired financial status and recognition among their peers.
The social control theory, on the other hand, postulates that every member of the society has the propensity of breaking the law. Besides, the current society presents multiple opportunities for illegal activities to take place. For instance, the society offers opportunities for drugs uptake with the reason that it is in response to the inner drive alters consciousness (Why people take drugs, n.d., p. 77). The theory has a strong correlation with criminal occurrences in the family, and educational dynamics since the latter aspects provide value systems restrictive of the violations of social norms. Lastly, the social reaction theory is more influential in juvenile delinquency than the social conflict theory because of the high chances of the majority negatively labeling the minority in the community or those perceived to have deviated from the norms.
References
Part two- Theories of Delinquency. (1st Ed.). The United States.
Why people take drugs. (1st Ed.) The United States
