¶ … social structure that help to explain crime.
There are generally three social theories utilized by criminologists and sociologists to help explain criminal activity -- the social disorganization theory, the strain theory and the cultural deviance theory, all of which are closely related and often depend upon each other as a way of formulating an overall theory for crime.
With the first theory, this generally refers to "the failure of social institutions or social organizations. . . In certain communities and/or neighborhoods" which ultimately leads to criminal activity. Within the social disorganization theory, there are a number of important factors and conditions, such as that crime and delinquency are caused mostly by specific social factors, known as environmental determinism, the basic components of a social structure are unstable (i.e., anomie), and that "instabilities and their effects are worse for the lower classes" or those found living in poverty and broken families (2006, Internet).
With the second theory, strain is a sort of social regulatory valve which when not working properly tends to create a number of serious problems and side effects, one being criminal activity. This is also known as structural strain which refers to "the process by which inadequate regulation at the societal level filters down" to how a person perceives his/her own personal needs and desires. In other words, this is a type of friction which disrupts social regulation and creates criminal activity (2006, Internet).
The third theory concerns how the collapse or failure of certain societal/cultural processes creates individuals with deviant personalities that do not conform nor adhere to accepted cultural norms. Exactly how this process works is quite complex, but much research conducted over the last twenty years or so has demonstrated that social/cultural deviance can lead to criminal activity in the form of gangs, organized crime and even serial killers.
Overall, these three theories are very closely linked to one another and as separate theories, one does not dominate the other, meaning that one theory alone is not enough to explain how criminal activity arises in any given human culture.
REFERENCES
(2006). Social Disorganization Theories of Crime. Internet. Accessed September 15, 2009 from http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/crim/crimtheory10.htm.
