Index Social disorganization theory solutionMentorshipBig Brother Big SisterMediationVictim-offender mediationConclusionReferencesCriminologists seek to understand not only why people commit crimes, but also the activities of criminals that occur most in certain areas. Chicago is a more commonly used area to study, primarily to “highlight the demographic and neighborhood sources of variation in tolerance of deviance (including violence) and attitudes regarding the legitimacy of the law” (Sampson & Bartusch, 1998). According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 2017-2018 Uniform Crime report, the population totals nearly three million people, which offers a variety of demographics and backgrounds to study. In Chicago, between January 2017 and June 2018, there were approximately 27,057 violent crimes, 584 murders, 1,698 rapes, 81,712 property crimes, etc. The list goes on and the numbers are embarrassing. With more research it could be determined where most crimes are found and the backgrounds of those who commit them or are victims of them. There are various reasonings behind why these may occur, but social disorganization theory is often used to examine the cause of crime in an area. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This article will first describe social disorganization theory, including studies that have supported the use of this theory to better understand concentrated crime. The policy implications of this theory (i.e. what can be done to prevent crime) will then be outlined. Finally, programs that fall within these implications will be examined, including their usefulness. Social Disorganization Theory Social disorganization theory was created in 1942 by Shaw and McKay of the University of Chicago. Shaw and McKay linked the crime to the urban areas of Chicago. At a time of increasing industrialisation, immigration and urbanisation. The factors were affecting the human ecology in the existing neighborhoods which means there is no stability in the neighborhoods creating chaos. Human ecology refers to the “interrelationships between human beings and their economic, social and political organization” (Marriam-Webster, 2019). Shaw and McKay identified a pattern between inner-city residents and suburban residents. In their research, they identified that inner-city residents were prone to more crime in their neighborhoods than suburban residents. Inner city residents live more closely together and have a much larger population than suburban residents. Those who live in the suburbs have greater distance between their neighbors and greater privacy. To find this pattern, Shaw and McKay used the centric zone method created by Ernest Burgess. Ernest Burgess created the method in 1925 to distinguish Chicago's expansion into nine different zones. Each of the zones specifies the type of environment and who can live in it. Shaw and McKay identify three structural factors that cause social disorganization in urban areas: “economic status, ethnic heterogeneity, and residential mobility” (Sampson & Bartusch, 1998). Shaw and McKay examined variables such as ethnicity, income, and crime mobility in an effort to better understand the causes of crime. While these three factors are important to social disorganization, there are informal and formal ways to be interactive in communities. Informal interactionin the community would be the residents themselves. The formal interaction in the community is public officials. The lack of interest on both sides of the spectrum plays a significant role in trying to fix the environment. There aren't enough people willing to put in the effort to run a community smoothly and strongly. Social disorganization has impacted urban communities in a way that makes it difficult for residents to come together and achieve common goals that they might have due to poverty and other negative factors that increase violence. There is a social separation between people of color and whites at different levels such as “economic, social, and political resources” (Krivo & Peterson, 2009). Krivo and Peterson have written a literature that analyzes the different treatments that these two social groups receive (2009). Social disorganization affects people in neighborhoods of color much more harmfully and increases segregation between the two. The analysis of these results turns out to be unfair. Communities are forced to live the lifestyles they lead due to a lack of involvement and a lack of resources at their disposal. Segregating communities are no good for anyone. Crime continues, death rates remain the same or increase, and cycles continue in families. It still impacts, if at all, how citizens within communities interact with each other. Communities are unable to receive important services that could help citizens succeed, “such as education, healthcare, housing, etc.” This especially affects unemployed families or individuals, single-parent families, and families who need additional assistance from the government to survive. This created the term social disorganization, the latter or social interaction with needy communities creating a disorganized atmosphere and system. This not only creates a disorganized community, but also a tense and stressful environment. This has become a contributing factor to citizens in communities committing crimes to survive. Solution Restorative justice programs are an alternative, punitive way to deter and prevent further crime. This can range from middle school programs to diversion to offender-victim mediation. Preventive programs are educational to inform people about what could happen if they commit crimes or start having addictions or mentoring to bring more positive influences into young people's lives. While there are other programs to help those who have committed petty crimes and discourage them without giving harsh punishments. These programs essentially focus on three concepts: reconciliation, repair and integration. Examples of these programs would be the following: community reintegration, restorative programs for adults, and offender-victim mediation. Restorative justice programs are not often used because people do not believe that punitive punishments work. They instead call for harsher punishments in the courts to ensure that criminals can pay for their crimes and suffer in prison systems. While this may be true for some individuals, it does not mean that we should not try to save them from further wrongdoing with this method of deterrence. So, where do we start? Easy, communities start with children, as they are the future of America. From the age of nine children can start committing crimes, be they minor or more serious crimes. The more unique a child becomes, the more serious their crimes may be and the closer they come to being charged as adults rather than juveniles. There are programs that school systems use to educate about the effects ofcommission of crimes or what drug and alcohol addiction can lead to. Community programs that use community services and mentorship to help guide youth toward more positive influences and actions are also in use. The more positive roles and positive outcomes seen due to decreased interest in being involved in criminal activity, the more positive goals a child may have. As for solutions, we will focus on mentoring and victim-offender mediation. Mentorship Mentoring is one of the most widely used social interventions (Rhodes & DuBois, 2008). Longitudinal studies have been conducted and it is stated that those who have associated with tutoring programs have essentially achieved positive outcomes in terms of education, employment, mental health, health and behavioral problems. According to Rhodes and Dubois, there is an estimate of three million young people included in mentoring programs (2008). As stated previously, it is very important for those who do not have positive role models to be interactive with mentors. It allows less fortunate youth to grow beyond where they live, becoming who they are told they could be. Not only do they have someone who could be a positive figure in their life, but they can learn cognitive development processes. An example of a tutoring program that has had continued success is Big Brother Big Sister Big Brother Big Sister Big Brother and Big Sister (BBBS) is a tutoring program. This is an effective and rapidly growing use of a positive way to deter young people from crime. In some cases, children from urban areas do not have many positive influences in their lives. More commonly, perhaps it is their parents who nurture them and mold them into a more successful person. Lack of interaction from family members or close neighbors can affect how young people can continue with their lives. If there is no interaction it may seem like no one cares about the individual. They may feel that they can do whatever they want, or worse yet that they are not good or worthy enough to succeed. Mentoring programs allow trained volunteers to become a “big brother” or “big sister” to the individual. This gives young people the opportunity to be surrounded by a person who truly cares about their well-being and will to succeed. It only takes one person to change a person's life. The BB or BS spends time with young people to help them with any problems they may come into contact with, they can also help them with their school work. Essentially, the goal is to ensure that young people receive adult support and guidance. MediationAlthough it is very important to focus on young people, so are young adults and adults and above. Some people believe that if you commit a crime, you have to pay the time. The field of criminal justice and many individuals focus on the idea that people can only learn from their mistakes if they are in prison systems. Time is changing and so are ideologies about how offenders should be punished. “e.g. Correctional approaches have shown significant progress in moving from a “tough” approach, punishment-oriented, offender rehabilitation, risk reduction and evidence-based approaches to crime control” (Brzezinska, 2018) . Not all punishments issued by the courts are appropriate to the crime committed and will be effective. Thus, multiple methods are created for the person to take responsibility for their actions. People are subject to community service, house arrest, probation or parole, but what about the victim? Many. 164-168