Social Structure Theory

Social Structure Theory
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Social Structure Theory
The theory on social structures in law comprises of several social statuses in society that are considered to be the underlying cause of crime in society. These statuses include; poverty, illiteracy, lack of marketable skills, and subculture values that deviate from the norm. In this theory, poverty is regarded as the bottom most point in society today. Within poverty levels, there exist high unemployment levels, drug abuse and addiction, high levels of crime and individuals with low skill levels to find-to-find employment that is continuous and reliable.
However, this does not imply that crime is not present in higher levels of society, it is present but in considerably low levels. Lack of education in poor societies is attributed to the unsuccessful students in the education system. These students opt to drop out of school instead persevering to learn and acquire needed knowledge to graduate. These students, therefore, lack marketable skills and left on the streets to find menial work. In addition, in this society, is a deviant subculture that consists of drug peddlers, users, and addicts with low income housing comprising of single family home with no male figures to act as role models.
The theories within the broader social structure theory include the Strain theories, the Social Disorganization theories, and the Cultural Deviance theories. The Disorganization theories address issues that concern the settings and atmosphere within the lower or poor social classes in society. The issues are, for example, social values, social control methods, gangs, and criminals within these settings. The theory provides three subgroups within these societies that have different ecological systems and high rates of crime and are social ecology, concentric zones, and collective efficacy. The theorists here attribute the high crime rates to deteriorating structures within the community and economical factors. For them, collective efficacy in the form of institutional and informal social control support social control.
Strain theories assert that the present clash between resources and goals is the reason underlying high crime rates. For example, in a capitalist setting where there is an irregular allocation of wealth and affluence that propel the lower class individuals towards crime due to the perceived feeling of alienation. The theory of Anomie here postulates two aspects that are required to intermingle to result into conditions of anomy. First, are goals in society that are socially delineated and second, means of achieving such goals condoned by society. These two collide and produce anomy within the lower class. Institutional Anomie here serves a particular purpose due to the institutional and cultural pressures. This theory is conducted on a micro-level postulates that crime in society comes from different types of strains producing negative affective strains.
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