Beyond the Social Production of Homicide Rates: Extending Social Disorganization Theory to Explain Homicide Case Outcomes

• NCJ Number: 244484
• Journal: Justice Quarterly Volume: 30 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2013 Pages: 983-1014
• Author(s): Wendy C. Regoeczi; John P. Jarvis
• Date Published: December 2013
• Length: 32 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This paper examines the intersection of social disorganization at a community level with responses to crime.

Abstract

This paper examines the intersection of social disorganization at a community level with responses to crime. In contrast to other works examining the impact of social disorganization on the production of crime rates, the authors examine the role of social disorganization theory in responses to crime rates (i.e. the arrest and conviction of perpetrators of crime). In an effort to examine these dynamics, the authors used law enforcement data from Cleveland, OH to explore the role of social disorganization in the ability of police and the courts to respond to homicide cases. Such an examination suggests not only how far the law extends in community responses to homicide but also reveals an extension of social disorganization theory beyond its established role in explaining the production of crime rates. Abstract published by arrangement with Taylor and Francis.