Stark, Rodney: Deviant Places

Beth Ellefson

Rodney Stark contributed greatly to the field of criminal justice and to the theory of deviant places versus deviant people with his work titled “Deviant Places: A Theory of the Ecology of Crime.” Before this work is discussed, it is necessary first to look back at the history of studies on crime and place, starting with social disorganization theory. Despite the original theory being over 50 years old, social disorganization theory remains one of the most influential contextual theories of crime and delinquency. Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay developed social disorganization theory. They first built their idea on Burgess's concentric zone theory. Burgess outlines the growth of the city of Chicago by describing five concentric zones. Zone I is the central business district and the industrial district; this is the center of the city. Zone II is the zone of transition, also known as the slum area. This zone is ...

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