Chicago School Of Criminology Summary

The Chicago School of Criminology focused on the environment of the person, rather than focusing on the person’s rational capability or physical attributes. The Chicago School took an approach at identifying criminality as something that is somehow created by the ecology of the physical settings that a person finds himself growing up within. Two notable figures of the Chicago School were Clifford Shaw, and Henry McKay. Both of these scholars had grown up in rural settings, only to then relocated to the Chicago area. It is here that they observed how an urban environment can be conducive to crime.
Other theorists have built upon the idea that the environment does indeed shape the individual. Burgess took a look at how cities expand. He noticed a city could be broken down into specific zones. He pointed out that residents could be caught in pockets that are located near industrial areas. These pockets were more susceptible to positions, and other hazards. More desirable communities could be found further away from the industrial centers of the city. Burgess pointed out that those trapped in these undesirable pockets faced “weakened family and communal ties that bound people together in social disorganization” (Lilly, Cullin, & Ball, p. 39).
60). Shortcuts to gratification will take their own unique form in this setting. Social transmission theory suggest the youth will learn specific behaviors from older siblings, or more experienced members of the community. The youth “could learn these values readily in their daily interactions with older juveniles” (p. 42). These distorted values can be easily passed on to one another, from generation to