Ecological Theories
Early scholars studied crime through a variety of approaches, some of which influenced modern sociological
theory. Ecological theories, in particular, have been significant.
Ecology is the study of the distribution of phenomena
and their relationship to their environment. The ecological school attempts to explain crime as a function of social
change that occurs along with environmental change. At
the root of this approach is the concept of social disorganization, which “is primarily concerned with the issue of
social control: the ability of a neighborhood to regulate
itself and to regulate the behavior of community residents
and visitors to realize common goals, including a crimefree environment.