Michelle Poche
CJA/ 393
August 12, 2010
Jennifer Williamson
Social Disorganization Question and Answer
What is Social Disorganization?
Social disorganization is the failure of social institutions such as schools, businesses, police, etc. in a community. Social disorganization can be directly linked to crime rates because individuals in disadvantaged neighborhoods participate in delinquency because it is a behavior that provides them with wealth and power that may not be readily accessible in the legal way because of the failure in social institutions in the community. How does social disorganization relate to organized crime and its evolution?
Social disorganization relates to organized crime and its evolution through the breakdown of the society. The organized crime group can step into a community and provide product as well as the ability for those in poverty to find some type of success unreachable through conventional means. An area where there is a lack of production in a certain commodity, individuals will be more inclined to get involved in production of an illegal item to make a profit. As the demand for a service or production grows the criminal organization will evolve. Social disorganization leading to organized crime can come from familial deterioration where individuals will join organized gangs for a replacement family to belong to and criminal acts become a part of life in a gang organization. Crime rates are high in cities that have deterioration in social and familial areas, which links social disorganization to criminality(Lyman, Potter, 2007). If the lack of community support is prevalent, organized crime groups can come in and obtain control of the area given them the ability to continue deviant behavior with little or no risk of retaliation from law enforcement causing members of the community to rely on the organized crime group to provide goods and services to the community to obtained a