Meaning of CULTURAL TRANSMISSION THEORY:
The Cultural Transmission Theory explains how deviance is transmitted from one generation to another when cultural groups develop certain traditions that encourage deviance and law breaking, when children are brought up in an environment that condones violation of rules. The theor explains why certain groups continue to have a high rate of deviance. Closely associated with the work of Clifford R. Shaw and Henry D. Mckay who in their study of crime and delinquency in different neighbourhoods in Chicago, found that the rates were highest near the central districts and kept on decreasing as one moved towards the periphery. Those neighbourhoods which had a high rate of crime showed certain features like family disintegration, economic insecurity, lack of basic facilities, and conflicting cultural norms. According to Shaw and McKay, they were in a state of social disorganisation, a condition that gives impetus to delinquent gangs.