Explain “Broken Window Theory” and give examples from your professional or personal life where you have seen examples of these areas being conducive to crime
Strain Theory according to your text is the pressure to achieve socially determined goals. Do you think the “American Dream” is possible for everyone? Why or why not?
Analyze ‘relative deprivation’ and its connection to criminal activities.
According to the FBI, there are now more than 33,000 violent street gangs in the United States. Using scholarly research, identify possible social and political reasons for the growth of these subcultures.
What are the policy implications of Social Structure Theories?
Do you believe that there is a correlation between social injustice, poverty and criminality? Explain your answer.
This discussion has six linked criminology prompts, from Broken Window Theory to the link between poverty and crime. Treat each as its own short, evidence-backed answer with a real example or scholarly source. Here is how to tackle all six without rambling.
Key takeaways
- Broken Window Theory (Wilson & Kelling): visible disorder signals that no one is watching, inviting more serious crime.
- Strain Theory (Merton): crime rises when everyone is told to chase the ‘American Dream’ but legitimate means are unequally available.
- Relative deprivation: it’s the perceived gap between you and others — not absolute poverty — that breeds resentment and offending.
- Gang growth has structural roots: blocked opportunity, marginalization, and failures of policy — not just individual choice.
- Back opinions with scholarship and name your theorists; discussion posts still need citations.
Broken Window Theory
Explain Wilson and Kelling’s (1982) idea: untended disorder — a broken window, graffiti, litter — signals that a space is unmonitored, which emboldens more serious offending. Give a concrete example you’ve seen (a neglected stairwell, an abandoned lot) and connect the visible neglect to the behavior that followed.
Strain Theory and the ‘American Dream’
Summarize Merton’s strain theory: society holds up universal success goals but distributes legitimate means unequally, producing strain that some resolve through innovation (including crime). Argue your position on whether the American Dream is open to everyone, pointing to structural barriers (education, wealth, discrimination) rather than just effort.
Relative deprivation
Distinguish absolute from relative deprivation: it’s the perceived gap between one’s situation and a reference group that drives frustration. Link this to acquisitive or violent crime and cite the relative-deprivation literature (e.g., Runciman).
Why street gangs grow
Use scholarly sources to identify social and political drivers — blocked legitimate opportunity (Cloward & Ohlin), neighborhood marginalization, the search for identity and protection, and policy failures in schooling, policing, and employment. Avoid single-cause explanations.
Policy implications and the poverty–crime question
Social structure theories point policy toward opportunity: jobs, education, community investment, and reducing inequality, rather than punishment alone. Close with your reasoned view on the correlation between social injustice, poverty, and criminality — acknowledge that it’s a correlation shaped by many factors, not a simple cause.
Format
Answer each bullet under its own subheading, keep examples specific, and cite in your required style.