Social Disorganization as a Result of Moral Decay

ABSTRACT:  Social disorganization is a process of moral decay that is cultivated by correlating social and political factors; many of which intertwine.  During the 1900s criminologists and sociologists alike, became interested in dissecting and extracting the exact characteristics within a society that aided in maintaining a criminal atmosphere.

Social Disorganization as a Result of Moral Decay

Social disorganization is a societies, be it at a micro or macro level, inability to conform as a group; therefore, lacking connectivity or unity needed to maintain social control and practice social restraint.  Therefore, social disorganization can occur in the midst of social organization; thus, one defines and opposes the other.

History

The study of social disorganization had beginnings in the 1930s, with the University Of Chicago Classical School (Kubrin, 2002).  There lingered a large sense of social unrest during the 1930s, which can be traced to political influence and rapid social change, change which produced an attitude of anarchy to some degree; thus, causing moral decay in the form of social disorganization.  The moral time line between 1920 and 1930 included World War II, prohibition, and a rise in immigration (Kubrin, 2002).  Larger cities, already experiencing crime thus, experienced an increase in crime rates; crime spilled over from large cites and spread through urban and rural areas (Kubrin, 2002).

In many U.S. cities around the turn of the

century, the social order was disrupted by the combined

interactive effects of industrialization, immigration,

and urbanization. Deviant traditions developed

and competed with conventional norms;

in some communities, deviant norms won out (Abadisky, 2007).

Reserchers became interested in the prexisting characteristics present in areas in which crime increased, dually interested in the characters posssesed by areas in which crime remained present. 

Social Disorganizaiton and Organized Crime

Social disorganization facilitates organized crime by setting the stage for the perfect criminal subculture that will adopt and accept further criminal behaviors.  Criminal subcultures develop as a result of social disorganization and a rejection of the norms and values of normative society, or for intense purpose, organized society.  “A disruption of the social order is associated

with high rates of delinquency in a community, the result of a breakdown in mechanisms of social control (Abadinsky, 2007).”  While a dominant social norm remains present, criminal subcultures develop and cultivate among the disorganization of normative society.

Politics and Moral Breakdown

As seen in the decade between 1920 and 1930, politics can play a vital role in the creation of social unrest, social injustice, equating to social disorganization.  History clearly indicates a correlation between corrupt politics and organized crime.  In the early 1900s the Irish, “…the political machinery of large cities they won wealth, power and respectability through subsequent control of construction, trucking, public utilities and the waterfront (Abadinsky, 2007).”  That said, politics is not a business one can simply waltz into, and with regards to organized crime corruption either comes from within or is let in the back door.  This theory, of sorts, can be validated by studies that uphold the fact that members of criminal organizations often hold political positions of power and pull.  “These leaders are able to control violent and

delinquent behavior in their domain-they are effective instruments of social control (Abadinsky, 2007).”  Members of organized crime being, as mentioned, let in the back door often use legitimate organizations as a social propeller ( religious, financial, community, and political organizations) to disguise illegitimate motive. 

Social disorganization is a result of moral decay within a society, causing a percentage of the population of a particular society to turn form conformity and embrace criminality.  Many social and political factors can serve as variables for such an occurrence. Studies indicate rapid social and political change is dually correlated to the presence and facilitation of social disorganization (Kubrin, 2002).     

References

Abadinsky, H., (2007). The Definition and Structure of Organized Crime. Organized Crime, Retrieved April 8 2009, from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary/content/eReader.h

Crutchfield, R., D., and Kubrin, E. (2002). Urban Crime. In Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice, Vol. 4(2nd ed., pp. 1596-1602). New York: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved May 03, 2009, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale: 
http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS