CMY3701
Assignment 1
Semester 2 2025
(Answer Guide) -
Due 18 August 2025
QUESTIONS WITH 100%
VERIFIED AND
CERTIFIED ANSWERS.
, 1|Page
CMY3701 Assignment 1 Semester 2 2025 (Answer Guide) - Due 18 August 2025
VERIFIED AND CERTIFIED ANSWERS. WRITTEN IN REQUIRED FORMAT AND WITHIN
GIVEN GUIDELINES. IT IS GOOD TO USE AS A GUIDE AND FOR REFERENCE, NEVER
PLAGARIZE. Thank you and success in your academics.
UNISA, 2025
Contents
SECTION A QUESTION 1.................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Critically discuss the social disorganisation theory (20 marks) ...................................... 1
1.2 Explain the learner’s deviant behaviour reported in the newspaper article above by
applying the social disorganisation theory (5 marks) ................................................................ 3
References ............................................................................................................................................. 4
SECTION A
QUESTION 1
1.1 Critically discuss the social disorganisation theory (20 marks)
The social disorganisation theory is a criminological perspective that seeks to explain
how certain environmental and societal factors contribute to criminal behaviour,
particularly in urban settings. Developed primarily by sociologists from the Chicago
School, such as Shaw and McKay in the 1940s, the theory posits that crime is largely a
result of the breakdown of community structures and institutions in certain
neighbourhoods, rather than individual characteristics (Vold et al., 2002).
At the heart of this theory is the idea that the inability of a community to realise common
values and maintain effective social controls leads to increased deviance. Key
indicators of social disorganisation include high levels of poverty, residential mobility,
ethnic heterogeneity, and family disruption. These factors collectively weaken the social
cohesion and informal social controls (such as parental supervision, community
involvement, and peer influence), which are necessary for maintaining order and
preventing delinquency (Sampson & Groves, 1989).
Assignment 1
Semester 2 2025
(Answer Guide) -
Due 18 August 2025
QUESTIONS WITH 100%
VERIFIED AND
CERTIFIED ANSWERS.
, 1|Page
CMY3701 Assignment 1 Semester 2 2025 (Answer Guide) - Due 18 August 2025
VERIFIED AND CERTIFIED ANSWERS. WRITTEN IN REQUIRED FORMAT AND WITHIN
GIVEN GUIDELINES. IT IS GOOD TO USE AS A GUIDE AND FOR REFERENCE, NEVER
PLAGARIZE. Thank you and success in your academics.
UNISA, 2025
Contents
SECTION A QUESTION 1.................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Critically discuss the social disorganisation theory (20 marks) ...................................... 1
1.2 Explain the learner’s deviant behaviour reported in the newspaper article above by
applying the social disorganisation theory (5 marks) ................................................................ 3
References ............................................................................................................................................. 4
SECTION A
QUESTION 1
1.1 Critically discuss the social disorganisation theory (20 marks)
The social disorganisation theory is a criminological perspective that seeks to explain
how certain environmental and societal factors contribute to criminal behaviour,
particularly in urban settings. Developed primarily by sociologists from the Chicago
School, such as Shaw and McKay in the 1940s, the theory posits that crime is largely a
result of the breakdown of community structures and institutions in certain
neighbourhoods, rather than individual characteristics (Vold et al., 2002).
At the heart of this theory is the idea that the inability of a community to realise common
values and maintain effective social controls leads to increased deviance. Key
indicators of social disorganisation include high levels of poverty, residential mobility,
ethnic heterogeneity, and family disruption. These factors collectively weaken the social
cohesion and informal social controls (such as parental supervision, community
involvement, and peer influence), which are necessary for maintaining order and
preventing delinquency (Sampson & Groves, 1989).
