This article is a theoretical analysis of the concept of community in criminology. It imports a critique of the concept from urban sociology, where a guiding question has been over the decline and survival of community. A social network analytic approach is presented as an alternative model for community which captures the diversity of community types and respects its persistence as a social organizational form. The article then reviews some of the ways community has been used in criminology and offers some examples of its potential application. By freeing criminology from the traditional notion of community as a primarily local, territorially bounded phenomenon, the conceptualization of community as a network of personal networks draws attention to and facilitates insights into the nature of deviance, criminality, and the criminal justice system that might not otherwise be obtained.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abel, Richard L.
(ed.). 1982. The Politics of Informal Justice, (2 Vols). New York: Academic Press.
2.
Alper, Benedict S.
and Lawrence T. Nichols. 1981. Beyond the Courtroom: Programs in Community Justice and Conflict Resolution. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath.
3.
Baldassare, Mark
. 1978. “Human Spatial Behavior.”Annual Review of Sociology4:29-56.
4.
Baltzell, E. Digby
. The Search for Community in Modern America. New York: Harper.
5.
Barnes, John A.1954. “Class and Committees in a Norwegian Island Parish.”Human Relations7(1):39-58.
6.
Barnes, John A.
1969. “Networks and Political Process.” Pp. 51-76 in Social Networks in Urban Situations, edited by J. Clyde Mitchell. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
7.
Barnes, John A.1973. “Social Networks.”Addison-Wesley Module in Anthropology26:1-29.
8.
Bell, Colin
and Howard Newby. 1971. Community Studies. London: George Allen & Unwin.
9.
Bell, Colin
and Howard Newby. 1976. “Community, Communion, Class and Community Action.” Pp. 189-207 in Social Areas in Cities II: Spatial Perspectives on Problems and Policies, edited by David T. Herbert and Ron J. Johnson. London: John Wiley.
10.
Bender, Thomas
. 1978. Community and Social Change in America. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
11.
Berkowitz, Stephen D.
1982. An Introduction to Structural Analysis: The Network Approach to Social Research. Toronto: Butterworths.
12.
Blau, Peter M.
1977. Inequality and Heterogeneity. New York: Free Press.
13.
Blau, Judith R.
and Peter M. Blau. 1982. “The Cost of Inequality: Metropolitan Structure and Violent Crime.”American Sociological Review47:114-129.
14.
Boissevain, Jeremy F.
1974. Friends of Friends. Oxford: Blackwell.
15.
Boissevain, Jeremy F.1979. “Network Analysis: A Reappraisal.”Current Anthropology20:392-394.
16.
Boissevain, Jeremy
and J. Clyde Mitchell (eds.) 1973. Network Analysis: Studies in Human Interaction. The Hague: Mouton.
17.
Bott, Elizabeth
. 1957, 1971. Family and Social Networks (2nd ed.). London: Tavistock.
18.
Breiger, Ronald L.1979. “Towards an Operational Theory of Community Elite Structures.”Quality and Quantity13:21-57.
19.
Burt, Ronald S.
1982. Toward a Structural Theory of Action. New York: Academic Press.
20.
Childe, V. Gordon
. 1950. “The Urban Revolution.”Town Planning Review21:3-17.
21.
Choldin, Harvey M.1978. “Urban Density and Pathology.”Annual Review of Sociology4:91-113.
22.
Cohen, Stanley
. 1985. Visions of Social Control: Crime, Punishment and Classification. Cambridge: Polity.
23.
Cook, Karen S.
1982. “Network Structures from an Exchange Perspective.” Pp. 177-200 in Social Structure and Network Analysis, edited by Peter V. Marsden and Nan Lin. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
24.
Cook, Karen
, R. M. Emerson, M. R. Gilmore and T. Yamagishi. 1983. “The Distribution of Power and Exchange Networks: Theory and Experimental Results.”American Journal of Sociology89(2):275-305.
25.
Craven, Paul
and Barry Wellman. 1973. “The Network City.”Sociological Inquiry43:57-88.
26.
Cuneo, Carl J.
1978. “A Class Perspective on Regionalism.” Pp.132-156 in Modernization and the Canadian State, edited by Daniel Glenday, H. Guindon and A. Turowetz. Toronto: Macmillan.
27.
Duffee, David E.
1980. Explaining Criminal Justice: Community Theory and Criminal Justice Reform. Cambridge, MA: Oelgeschlager, Gunn and Hain.
28.
Duwors, Richard E.
1977. “Sorokin, Sociology and the Obdurate Facts of Social Persistence.”1977 Sorokin Lecture in the Fifteenth Annual Lectures Series: Mimeo, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.
29.
Effrat, Marcia
. 1973. “Approaches to Community: Conflicts and Complimentarities.”Sociological Inquiry43:1-32.
30.
Fischer, Claude S.
1976. The Urban Experience. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
31.
Fischer, Claude S.
1982. To Dwell Among Friends. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
32.
Fischer, Claude S.et al.
1977. Networks and Places: Social Relations in the Urban Setting. New York: Free Press.
33.
Foley, Donald
. 1952. Neighbors or Urbanites?: The Study of a Rochester Residential District. Studies of Metropolitan Rochester #2. University of Rochester.
34.
Gans, Herbert J.
1962a “Urbanism and Suburbanism as Ways of Life: A Re-evaluation of Definitions.” Pp. 625-648 in Human Behavior and Social Processes, edited by Arnold Rose. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
35.
Gans, Herbert J.
1962b. The Urban Villagers. New York: Free Press.
36.
Gans, Herbert J.
1968. People and Plans. New York: Basic Books.
37.
Granovetter, Mark S.1973. “The Strength of Weak Ties.”American Journal of Sociology78:136-180.
38.
Greer, Scott
. 1962. The Emerging City. New York: Free Press.
39.
Greer, Scott
. 1972. The Urbane View. New York: Oxford University Press.
40.
Gusfield, Joseph R.
1975. Community: A Critical Response. New York: Harper & Row.
41.
Hauser, Philip M.1969. “The Chaotic Society: Product of the Social Morphological Revolution.”American Sociological Review34: 1-19.
42.
Hillery, George A.1955. “Definitions of Community: Areas of Agreement.”Rural Sociology20: 111-123.
43.
Hillery, George A.1983. “Review of Helping Networks (1981) by Donald A. Warren.”Social Forces61(3):955-957.
44.
Hiltz, Starr R.
and Murray Turoff. 1978. The Network Nation. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
45.
Hunter, Albert
. 1974. Symbolic Communities: The Persistence and Change Of Chicago's Local Communities. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press.
46.
Hunter, Albert
. 1975. “The Loss of Community: An Empirical Test Through Replication.”American Sociological Review40:537-552.
47.
Hunter, Albert
. 1978. “Persistence of Local Sentiments in Mass Society.” Pp. 134-156 in Handbook of Contemporary Urban Life, edited by David Street & Associates. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
48.
Hunter, Albert
. 1979. “The Urban Neighborhood: Its Analytical and Social Contexts.”Urban Affairs Quarterly14(3):267-288.
49.
Hunter, Albert
and Gerald Suttles. 1972. “The Expanding Community of Limited Liability.” Pp. 44-81 in The Social Construction of Community, edited by Gerald Suttles. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
50.
Iadacola, Peter
. 1986. “Community Crime Control Strategies.”Crime and Social Justice25:140-165.
51.
Iadacola, Peter
and Patrick J. Ashton. 1984. “What Is Community?” A Comparison of Perspectives.” Revised version of a paper presented at the North Central Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana, April, 1984.
52.
Jacobs, Jane
. 1961. The Life and Death of Great American Cities. New York: Random House.
53.
Janowitz, Morris
. 1952, 1967. The Community Press in an Urban Setting. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
54.
Janowitz, Morris
. 1975. “Sociological Theory and Social Control.”American Journal of Sociology81(1):82-108.
55.
Janowitz, Morris
and David Street. 1978. “Changing Social Order of the Metropolitan Area.” Pp. 90-128 in Handbook of Contemporary Urban Life, edited by David Street & Associates. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
56.
Karp, David A.
, Gregory P. Stone, and William C. Yoels. 1977. Being Urban: A Social Psychological View of City Life. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath.
57.
Kasarda, John D.
and Morris Janowitz. 1974. “Community Attachment in Mass Society.”American Sociological Review39:328-339.
58.
Kennedy, Leslie W.
and Robert A. Silverman. 1984. “Significant Others and Fear of Crime Among the Elderly.”International Journal of Aging and Human Development20(4):241-256.
59.
Klein, Malcolm W.
and L. Y. Crawford. 1967. “Groups, Gangs and Cohesiveness.”Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency4:142-165.
60.
Kornhauser, Ruth
. 1978. Social Sources of Delinquency. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
61.
Laumann, Edward O.
1973. Bonds of Pluralism. New York: John Wiley.
62.
Laumann, Edward O.
, Joseph Galaskiewicz, and Peter V. Marsden. 1978. “Community Structure as Interorganizational Linkages.”Annual Review of Sociology4:455-484.
63.
Lavrakas, P. J.et al.
1980. Factors Realted to Citizen Involvement in Personal, Household, and Neighborhood Anti-Crime Measures. National Institute of Justice. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University, Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research.
64.
Leighton, Barry N.
1979. “The Portability of Urban Ties.” Pp. 51-81 in American Communities Tomorrow, Vol. 2, edited by Jack F. Kinton. Aurora, IL: Social Science Services & Resources.
65.
Leighton, Barry N. 1986. Experiencing Personal Network Communities. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Toronto.
66.
Leinhardt, Samuel
. (ed.) 1977. Social Networks: A Developing Paradigm. New York: Academic Press.
67.
Lewis, Oscar
. 1952. “Urbanization Without Breakdown.”Scientific Monthly75:31-41.
68.
Marsden, Peter V.
and Nan Lin (eds.) 1982. Social Structure and Network Analysis. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
69.
McLuhan, Marshall
. 1964. Understanding Media: The Extension of Man. New York: McGraw-Hill.
70.
Milgram, Stanley
. 1970. “The Experience of Living in Cities.”Science167:1461-1468.
71.
Mingione, Enzo
. 1974. “Territorial Division of Labour and Capitalist Development.”Current Sociology22:222-278.
72.
Mitchell, J. Clyde
. (ed.). 1969. Social Networks in Urban Situations. Manchester: University of Manchester Press.
73.
Mitchell, J. Clyde
. 1974. “Social Networks.”Annual Review of Anthroplogy3:279-299.
74.
Mullins, Nicholas C.
1973. Theories and Theory Groups in Contemporary American Sociology. New York: Harper & Row.
75.
Nisbet, Robert A.
(1953) 1969. The Quest for Community (rev. ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
76.
Park, Robert E.1915. “The City: Suggestions for the Investigation of Human Behavior in the Urban Environment.”American Journal of Sociology20:577-611.
77.
Plant, R.1978. “Community: Concept, Conception and Ideology.”Politics and Society8(1):79-107.
78.
Podolefsky, A.
and F. DuBow. 1981. Strategies for Community Crime Prevention: Collective Responses to Crime in Urban America. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.
79.
Polanyi, Karl
. 1944, 1967. The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time. Boston: Beacon.
80.
Poplin, Dennis E.
1972. Communities: A Survey of Theories and Methods of Research. New York: Macmillan.
81.
Reiss, Albert J.
1986. “Why Are Communities Important in Understanding Crime?” Pp. 1-33 in Communities and Crime, edited by A. J. Reiss and M. Tonry (eds.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
82.
Riemer, Svend
. 1951. “Villages in Metropolis.”British Journal of Sociology11:31-43.
83.
Robinson, W. S.1950. “Ecological Correlations and the Behavior of Individuals.”American Sociological Review15(3):351-357.
84.
Rohe, W.
and S. Greenberg. 1982. Participation in Community Crime Prevention Programs. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, Department of City and Regional Planning.
85.
Rosenbaum, Dennis P.1987. “The Theory and Research Behind Neighborhood Watch: Is It a Sound Fear and Crime Reduction Strategy?”Crime and Delinquency33(1):103-134.
86.
Sampson, Robert J.
1987. “Communities and Crime.” Pp. 91-114 in Positive Criminology, edited by Michael R. Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
87.
Sarnecki, Jerzy
. 1986. Delinquent Networks. Stockholm: National Swedish Council for Crime Prevention.
88.
Schwirian, Kent P.1983. “Models of Neighborhood Change.”Annual Review of Sociology9:83-102.
89.
Short, James F.
(ed.) 1971a. The Social Fabric of the Metropolis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
90.
Short, James F.
(ed.) 1971b. “Introduction.” Pp. xi-xlvi in The Social Fabric of the Metropolis, edited by J. F. Short. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
91.
Simmel, George
. 1902-1903, 1950. “The Metropolis and Mental Life.” Pp. 409-424 in The Sociology of George Simmel, translated and edited by Kurt Wolff. New York: Free Press.
92.
Sorokin, Pitrim A.
1937, 1962. Social and Cultural Dynamics. New York: Bedminster.
93.
Stacey, Margaret
. 1969. “The Myth of Community Studies.”British Journal of Sociology20:134-147.
94.
Stein, Maurice
. 1960. The Eclipse of Community. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
95.
Suttles, Gerald D.
1968. The Social Order of the Slum. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
96.
Sutton, Willis A.
and Thomas Munson. 1976. “Definitions of Community: 1954 Through 1973.” Paper presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Sociological Association, New York.
97.
Tilly, Charles
. 1973. “Do Communites Act?”Sociological Inquiry43:206-240.
98.
Tilly, Charles
. (ed.) 1974. An Urban World. Boston: Little, Brown.
99.
Wahrhaftig, Paul
. 1982. “An Overview of Community-Oriented Citizen Dispute Resolution Programs in the United States.” Pp. 75-97 in The Politics of Informal Justice, Vol. 1, edited by Richard L. Abel. New York: Academic Press.
100.
Wallace, Walter L.
1981. “Hierarchical Structure in Social Phenomena.” Pp. 191-234 in Continuities in Structural Inquiry, edited by Peter M. Blau and Robert K. Merton. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
101.
Warren, Donald I.
1978. “Neighborhood Theory: Loose Knit, Tight Knit and Unraveled.” Pp. 1-21 in American Communities Tomorrow, Vol. 1: Neighborhood Renewal and New Towns, edited by Jack F. Kinton. Aurora, IL: Social Science Services & Resources.
102.
Warren, Donald I.
1981. Helping Networks. South Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
103.
Webber, Melvin M.
1963. “Order in Diversity: Community Without Propinquity.” Pp. 23-54 in Cities and Space: The Future Use of Urban Land, edited by Lowdon Wingo. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
104.
Webber, Melvin M.
1964. “The Urban Place and the Nonplace Urban Realm.” Pp. 79-153 in Explorations into Urban Structure, edited by M. Webberet al.Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
105.
Webber, Melvin M.1968. “The Post-City Age.”Daedulus97:1093-1099.
106.
Weber, Max
. 1958. The City, edited and translated by Don Martindale and Gertrud Neuwirth. New York: Free Press.
107.
Weber, Max
. 1947, 1964. The Theory of Social and Economic Organization, edited and translated by A. M. Henderson. New York: Oxford University Press.
108.
Wellman, Barry
. 1979. “The Community Question: The Intimate Ties of East Yorkers.”American Journal of Sociology84(5):1201-1231.
109.
Wellman, Barry
. 1981. “Applying Network Analysis to the Study of Support.” Pp. 171-200 in Social Networks and Social Support, edited by Ben Gottlieb. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
110.
Wellman, Barry
. 1983. “Network Analysis: Some Basic Principles.” Pp. 155-200 in Sociological Theory 1983, edited by Randall Collins. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
111.
Wellman, Barry
. 1985. “From Social Support to Social Network.” in Social Support, edited by Irwin Sarason and Barbara Sarason. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
112.
Wellman, Barry
and Barry Leighton. 1979. “Networks, Neighborhoods and Communities.”Urban Affairs Quarterly14(3):363-390.
113.
Whitten, Norman E.
and Alvin W. Wolfe. 1973. “Network Analysis.” Pp. 717-746 in Handbook of Social and Cultural Anthropology, edited by John J. Honigman. Chicago: Rand-McNally.
114.
Whyte, William F.
(1943) 1955. Streetcorner Society (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
115.
Williams, Raymond
. 1973. The Country and the City. London: Chatto & Windus.
116.
Wirth, Louis
. 1938. “Urbanism as a Way of Life.”American Journal of Sociology44:1-24.
117.
Wylie, Laurence
. 1957, 1974. Village in the Vaucluse (3rd ed.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
