Social Disorganization Research Paper

Social Disorganization- Question-and-Answer
Sergio Vidal-Echeverria
CJA-384
February 12, 2012
Patrick L. Cote

Social disorganization- Question-and-Answer
This paper is a question and answer session about social disorganization. I will be answering four points about the definition of social disorganization, the relation to organized crime, and its evolution. In addition, I will explain how ell social disorganization fits the criteria for organized crime and it associated relationships. Last, I will explain the correlation of corrupt political politicians and how social disorganization has enveloped in the development of organized crime.
What is Social Disorganization?
The social disorganization theory attributes crime and delinquency to communities in which family structure, churches, lack of enforcement from police, probation, and community activists. Schools also play a role in that there is a lack of after-school programs, outreach programs to address the issues of truancy, and juveniles as young as eight are induced and tempted to enter in a gang and therefore the criminal behavior begins to happen.
There are also some researchers that state that inner-city crime is attributable to relative deprivation.
The definition of relative deprivation is when youths live within close proximity to a neighborhood that others live in the comfort of upper-class status, and in turn it is the hope and wishes that these youths aspire to live that way some day. The morale of some of these individuals became disillusioned because the reality sets in that he or she will never get out of the neighborhood that is comprised of poverty, crime, and lack of jobs for him or her. Another theory is the Bell’s Queer Ladder of Mobility Theory. Bell’s thinking was that Italians had a harder way of achieving wealth, power, and political influence. (Lyman, Potter,
2007.)

Several generations of Italian immigrants learned that there was a way out of living in the slums and poverty. It was later that this group turned to participate in illicit activities to gain wealth and power in a relatively fast manner. After Italians figured out how to get out of poverty, the queer ladder theory turned into ethnic succession. The definition of ethnic succession is that Jews replaced the Irish in committing crimes, Italians replaced the Jews, and African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and Colombians have replaced the Italians. (Lyman, Potter, 2007.) 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 groups are trained to go into cities and towns that have communities that have families who are poor, destitute, and have the lack of common sense and education. This in turn will recruit individuals to sign up by offering a product that will provide a quick rich form of success. The outcome of this is that organized crime participants evolve from generation to generation because previous participants saw the poverty in which he or she lived in. The success that was once unreachable to him or her who lived in poverty, lacked an education, and had a hard time finding jobs.
How well does social disorganization meet the criteria for organized crime and its various relationships? Why?