Social Disintegration and Crime: Exploring the Role of Informal Social Control in Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods
Keywords:
Social disintegration, informal social control, crime, social cohesion, urban safetyAbstract
Background: Social disintegration has long been associated with rising crime rates in marginalized urban settings. In low-income neighborhoods, weakened social bonds and limited trust in formal institutions can erode community-based mechanisms that maintain order.
Objective: To examine the relationship between social disintegration and crime rates in low-income urban neighborhoods, with a particular focus on the role of informal social control as a mitigating factor.
Methods: A mixed-methods approach was utilized, involving data collection from 300 residents through structured surveys, semi-structured interviews, and observational fieldwork. Key variables assessed included perceptions of social cohesion, community engagement, and crime victimization.
Results: The results showed that there was a strong negative correlation between informal social control and crime prevalence. It was found that neighborhoods with stronger social bonds had fewer cases of crime. There were also gender differences, where the female residents experienced some other obstacles to engaging in community-based social control. Qualitative data revealed that there was a high level of mistrust towards formal institutions and reliance on informal institutions that were undermined in socially fragmented regions.
Conclusion: The paper demonstrates how community cohesion and informal social networks play a vital role in reducing crime in poor-income urban areas. Social interventions such as strengthening social trust, empowering the local residents, and decreasing socio-economic obstacles are critical to improving neighborhood safety.
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