NCJ Number
44425
Date Published
1975
Length
41 pages
Annotation
THE THEORY AND PROCESS OF SHAW AND MCKAY'S WORK TO LOCALIZE THE PROBLEM OF DELINQUENCY ARE EVALUATED.
Abstract
CLIFFORD SHAW AND HENRY MCKAY, WHOSE WORK BEGAN IN THE 1920'S AND 1930'S, ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE INITIATORS OF A SOCIOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF DELINQUENCY. THEY COLLECTED LIFE HISTORIES OF DELINQUENTS AND ADULT OFFENDERS FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXPLORING AND ILLUSTRATING THE SOCIAL PROCESSES IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING A DELINQUENT'S CONDUCT. A CRIME SURVEY THEY CONDUCTED IN 1929 SERVED TO LOCALIZE THE PROBLEM OF DELINQUENCY INTO PARTICULAR GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS WITH HIGH RATES OF DELINQUENCY. ONCE THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN LOCALIZED, THEY COULD ANALYZE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO IT. THE INITIAL LOCATING OF PLACES WITH HIGH DELINQUENCY RATES HAD FOUR FUNCTIONS: (1) IT POINTED TO THE NEED FOR SOCIAL, RATHER THAN PURELY INDIVIDUAL, INTERPRETATIONS OF DELINQUENCY; (2) THE FACT THAT THE AREA RATES REMAINED CONSTANT WHILE VARIOUS NATIONALITY GROUPS MOVED INTO AND OUT OF THESE SECTIONS FALSIFIED THE NOTION OF THE 'INNATE CRIMINALITY' OF PARTICULAR ETHNIC GROUPS; (3) IT ENABLED RESEARCHERS TO DIRECT THEIR ATTENTION TO PLACES WHERE THERE WAS SO MUCH DELINQUENCY THAT IT COULD EASILY BE VIEWED; AND (4) THE RATES INDICATED THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM IN PARTICULAR AREAS AND POINTED TO THOSE PLACES WHERE PREVENTIVE MEASURES ESPECIALLY NEEDED TO BE EMPLOYED. SHAW AND MCKAY'S CHICAGO AREA PROJECT, ESTABLISHED IN 1934, WAS SET UP IN THREE AREAS OF CHICAGO THAT TRADITIONALLY HAD HIGH DELINQUENCY RATES. THE PROJECT INVOLVED COMMUNITY RESIDENTS' COOPERATION IN IMPROVING THE AREA AND IN TAKING A PERSONAL INTEREST IN ITS DELINQUENT YOUTHS. SHAW AND MCKAY'S STUDIES WERE LIMITED TO EXAMINATIONS OF THE INTERACTIONS OF PERSONS WITHIN ONE AREA; THEY DID NOT STUDY THE RELATIONS AMONG DIFFERENT AREAS. HOWEVER, THEIR WORK DID PROVIDE A SOUND STARTING POINT FOR FURTHER RESEARCH.