Abstract
The article explores the question of how the use of social capital theory may affect research within the framework of in-depth criminological analyses. The author draws attention primarily to the problems and difficulties associated with the use of the concept of social capital in the social sciences. According to A. Kossowska, the first problem in applying the concept is the absence of a universally binding definition of the term, which seems to be developed each time by the authors of academic texts according to their beliefs and perception of social reality. The author looks at various attempts to define the concept and points to three key authors: Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman, and Robert Putnam. She then seeks to explain the role of social capital theory in criminological research by highlighting its contribution to the advancement of theories commonly used by researchers in the field, such as structural and differential links. Social capital theory is also of great value in the study of juvenile delinquency. According to the author, reference to social capital theory can explain the determinants of delinquency in research on the power and effectiveness of social control. The article focusses on the importance of assessing not so much the social capital itself, but its characteristics. It suggests that social capital may also have an enforcing effect in the context of engaging in behaviour which is commonly perceived of as deviant, an example of which may be criminal behaviour. In this way, this text also discusses the negative side of social capital, which is rarely mentioned in the literature. According to the author it is also inaccurate to say that a higher level of social capital reduces the rate of crime. Turning to the international literature, Kossowska points to examples of high levels of social capital among members of organised crime, and explains that high capital resources also contribute to organised criminal activity.
References
- Błachut J., Gaberle A., Krajewski K., Kryminologia, „Arche”, Gdańsk 1999.
- Coleman J.S., Social capital in the creation of human capital, „The American Journal of Sociology” 1988, t. 94,
- Farrington D.P., Developmental criminology and risk-focused prevention [w:] M. Maguire et al. (red.), The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2002.
- Field J., Social Capital, Routledge, London 2008.
- Jacobs J., The Heath and Life of Great American Cities. The Failure of Town Planning, Random House, New York 1961.
- Kołakowska-Przełomiec H., Środowisko rodzinne w świetle badań kryminologicznych [w:] J. Jasiński (red.), Zagadnienia nieprzystosowania społecznego i przestępczości w Polsce, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, Warszawa–Wrocław 1978.
- Kossowska A., Funkcjonowanie kontroli społecznej – analiza kryminologiczna, Wydawnictwo Naukowe „Scholar”, Warszawa 1992.
- Kwiatkowski M., Kapitał społeczny [w:] Encyklopedia socjologii – Suplement, Oficyna Naukowa, Warszawa 2005.
- Mooney G., Social capital [w:] E. McLaughin, J. Muncie (red.), The Sage Dictionary of Criminology, SAGE Publications London−Thousand Oaks−New Delhi 2006.
- Putnam R.D., Bowling Alone. The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Simon and Schuster, New York 2000.
- Sherman L.W., Farrington D.P., Welsh B.C., Layton D. MacKenzie (red.), Evidence-Based Crime Prevention, Routledge, London 2006.
