Social Disorganization

The Dangerous Effects of Social Disorganization

In the year 2020, unprecedented changes took place in all United States citizens’ lives, brought about by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses closed down, people lost their jobs, and society entered a period of disarray as everyone tried to navigate their way through these unforeseen circumstances. Matters were only made worse following the highly publicized killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, causing people across the nation to lose a great deal of faith in the criminal justice system. This widespread frustration set off a period of increased protests on behalf of the Black Lives Matter movement, some of which became more violent than ever before. Following the chaos that ensued as a result of these events, America has seen a substantial increase in homicide and violent crime rates as social disorganization has spread across the country. 

At the start of the year 2020, the unemployment rate in the United States was 3.5%. Within only a matter of a few months, the rate increased 14.8%, which is the highest rate seen since such data collection began. (Faulk) This increase in unemployment was caused directly by the spread of COVID-19 into America, resulting in a nationwide lockdown and the inevitable laying off of many workers as businesses closed down. Concentrated poverty set into areas where it once did not exist, and people grew more and more desperate as a result. With no source of income to put towards paying rent or mortgages, citizens began losing their homes, bringing about a 5% increase in homelessness from 2019 to 2020. (“2020 Annual Report”) The resulting civil unrest was exacerbated by various newsworthy events, most notably the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. In late May of 2020, Mr. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. The tragic event ignited racial tensions and set off a series of protests throughout the nation in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Although most of these protests took place in a peaceful manner, some grew extremely violent and deadly. Cities all across America grew chaotic and disordered as many citizens lost trust in the criminal justice system and revolted against their local police departments. Communities grew frantic as citizens were unable to band together for the common good. Once well-respected police officers had come to be regarded as enemies, resulting in a lack of authority and the inability to regulate the behavior of the citizens they worked among. These two factors make up social disorganization of crime.

The social disorganization theory of crime was developed in 1942 by criminology researchers from the “Chicago School” of criminology, Clifford Shaw and Henry D. McKay. In this theory, Shaw and McKay claimed that it is the characteristics of the place, rather than the people there, which leads to the likelihood of crime. (Bond) They noted that the three main causes of social disorganization in an area are population turnover, ethnic heterogeneity, and concentrated poverty. These communities of social disorganization are unable to come together for the common good, and controlling entities have low ability to regulate the behavior of the people. According to social disorganization theory, crime is the result of the weakening of traditional social bonds, which largely occurred in the United States as a result of the catastrophic events of 2020. People turned on each other as well, as their cities, as citizens lost their jobs and poverty spread. Population growth and decline rates changed significantly with the constant moving into or out of cities due to individual needs and lifestyle changes, most of which occurred as a result of the pandemic. (Delbé) Ethnic heterogeneity has also increased throughout the nation as America has, and continues to, become more and more diverse. (Bahrampour) These three factors present in conjunction with each other provide examples of social disorganization theory in American cities, both small and large.  

The spike in homicide rates and violent crimes was caused predominantly by this widespread social disorganization across the country. It was also caused by the strict regulations governing police forces following the murder of Mr. Floyd, as officers were worried about both the potential violence they might face as anti-police protests were occurring, as well as the potential violence they themselves might cause. (Mekouar) At this time, police should have received more training on how to respond under these circumstances. Our cities could also have invested in community organizations that would potentially bring people together, as safely as possible while adhering to the restrictions brought about by the pandemic. As time goes on past the height of the pandemic and lifestyles are returning to more normal conditions, these are still actions cities can take to restore their neighborhoods and prevent social disorganization. Police, while continuing to patrol and protect their communities, should also focus on building strong relationships with the citizens they serve. Such actions would not only help to strengthen people’s faith in law enforcement once again, but would also build back the healthy social bonds prevalent in more peaceful communities. As social disorganization diminishes, the homicide rate should be expected to undergo a similar decline. 

Unprecedented events of the last few years, brought about in great part by the pandemic, created widespread social disorganization and its negative ramifications. As the pandemic has been brought under control and society gradually returns to normal, it is imperative that authority figures, such as police officers, strive to engender the trust of their communities by strengthening social bonds, while reestablishing their vital roles within the community. The detrimental effects of recent events have changed most people’s lives and those most negatively affected are eager to restore balance within their lives. A declining homicide rate will naturally occur as a return to community values ensues. 

 

 

Works cited: 

Faulk, Gene. “Unemployment Rates During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Congressional Research Service Reports, https://sgp.fas.org/crs/. 

“2020 Annual Report.” Texas Homeless Network, 17 Dec. 2020, https://www.thn.org/2020-annual-report/. 

Mark Bond, Ed.D. “Criminology: Social Disorganization Theory Explained.” LinkedIn, 8 Mar. 2018, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/criminology-social-disorganization-theory-explained-mark-bond. 

Delbé, Amel Toukabri and Crystal. “New Data Reveal Most Populous Cities Experienced Some of the Largest Decreases.” Census.gov, 31 May 2022, https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/05/population-shifts-in-cities-and-towns-one-year-into-pandemic.html. 

Bahrampour, Tara. “U.S. Continues to Get Older and More Diverse, New Estimates Show.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 June 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/06/30/census-us-population-older-more-diverse/. 

Mekouar, Dora. “Why Homicide Rates in US Spiked 30% during COVID Pandemic.” VOA, Voice of America (VOA News), 2 Feb. 2022, https://www.voanews.com/a/why-homicide-rates-spiked-30-during-the-pandemic-/6420391.html.