Modeling delinquent behavior: Social disorganization, perceived blocked opportunity, and social control

Abstract

The linkages among several popular theories in the delinquency literature—social disorganization, strain, and social control theory—as well as their effects on delinquent behavior are investigated in this study. Social disorganization has been primarily studied with aggregate‐level data in prior work, and we note certain theoretical and empirical issues associated with this approach. In this study of public high school students in Mississippi (n = 8,338), social disorganization is measured by observed indicators of juveniles’ perceptions of neighborhood deterioration. Social strain is operationalized through perceptions of blocked opportunity, whereas social control is measured through the respondents’ reported level of attachment, commitment, and involvement in school. Structural equation models with latent variables are estimated separately by race and residence in order to more fully compare the linkages among these constructs. This study is the first to extend the analysis of those theoretical linkages to rural populations in making across‐race comparisons. The results suggest that an integrated theoretical model is more effective in explaining delinquency than are separate single theory explanations. Specifically, social disorganization increases perceptions of blocked opportunity which, in turn, decreases social control, thereby increasing delinquent behavior. The results also show that the experience of a family receiving public assistance increases perceptions of social disorganization, thereby leading ultimately to more delinquent behaviors. Although there are departures from invariance in the structural parameter estimates, the hypothesized causal sequence was supported across all four groups. Future studies using this approach are delineated.