SOC 2760 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: United Nations Office On Drugs And Crime, Social Disorganization Theory, Differential Association

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2760
• Professor: Rob Shearer

Document Summary

Sociological explanations of homicide fiona brookman. Look at defects of society rather than individuals. Early psychological theories were similar belief was that the key to understanding crime was in understanding its social roots. More focus fell on human agency and the interactional dynamics between criminals and victims as well as the role of the state in criminalizing deviants. Poverty or lack or opportunities create conditions which can ultimately lead to violent crime. Homicide research has focused on the relationship between homicide and two forms of economic deprivation (cid:862)a(cid:271)solute(cid:863) a(cid:374)d (cid:862)(cid:396)elati(cid:448)e(cid:863) deprivation. A(cid:271)solute = (cid:862)(cid:396)eal(cid:863) po(cid:448)e(cid:396)t(cid:455), a(cid:272)(cid:272)ess to (cid:373)eage(cid:396) e(cid:272)o(cid:374)o(cid:373)i(cid:272) (cid:396)esou(cid:396)(cid:272)es that a(cid:396)e (cid:271)a(cid:396)el(cid:455) ade(cid:395)uate to (cid:373)eet basic needs. Generally linked to homicide in terms of feelings of stress, strain, frustration, alienation, demoralization, and powerlessness that can result from such conditions. Relative = inequality in terms of access to economic resources between different groups or sections of society as opposed to poverty per se.