SOC 1500 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Nellie Mcclung, Critical Criminology, Social Forces

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 1500
• Professor: Stephanie Howells

Document Summary

Noted that suicide rates were lower for catholics than protestants. Higher for people who lived alone rather than in a family. Also believed that society was not a direct reflection of the characteristics of its individual members. The zone of transition - central to business district and old housing. Shaw and mckay plotted spatial distribution of crime in american cities. Argued that crime and juvenile delinquency were not evenly distributed. Found that police-reported crime was concentrated in zone of transition in. Argued that gangs emerge in environments where control on youth is lacking. The theory states that society puts pressure on individuals to achieve socially accepted goals (such as the american dream) though they lack the means, this leads to strain which may lead the individuals to commit crimes. The idea of anomie means the lack of normal ethical or social standards. Control theory factors control their impulses to break social norms.