Social Disharmony and Racial Injustice: W. E. B. Du Bois's Theories on Crime.

This article focuses on W. E. B. Du Bois's distinct criminological theory, termed social disharmony and racial injustice, which links crime in Black communities to systemic racial oppression and economic exclusion rather than internal community breakdowns emphasized by the Chicago School's social disorganization theory. Unlike social disorganization theory, which centers on the deterioration of social control within neighborhoods, Du Bois analyzed how racist political and economic structures create hostile social environments that foster crime and criminalize Blackness. His work also highlights the social construction of crime and calls for structural reforms addressing racial injustice, economic opportunity, and legal inequalities, contrasting with community-level interventions typical of social disorganization theory. The article argues that recognizing Du Bois's unique contributions enriches criminological theory by integrating macro-level analyses of racial oppression with urban social problems, offering a framework relevant to contemporary critical and Black Criminology.