ABSTRACT
In this fi rst chapter on an environmental criminology theory, there is a change in focus. To some, this change will appear to be subtle, but others may notice a sharp change in the ways in which we will look at criminal activity. Within social disorganization theory, the unit of analysis was the neighborhood. As stated in Chapter 2, this meant that the theory did not focus on individuals. Therefore, you may think of social disorganization theory as a theory explaining the criminality of place. Recall that Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay found that neighborhoods retained their relative ranking with regard to juvenile delinquency rates despite changes in the ethnic composition of the neighborhood and the changing economic circumstances. This meant that people were not intrinsically criminal, but were products of their environments.
