Ch. 7 Flashcards
Social learning theory
View that people learn techniques/attitudes of crime from close relationships; crime is learned behavior
Social control theory-
View that everyone has potential to become criminal; but controlled by bonds
Social reaction (labeling) theory -
View that people become criminals when significant members of society label them as such & accept those labels
Socialization:
Process of human development and enculturation from social processes and institutions
Parent efficacy:
The ability of parents to be supportive of their children and effective control them
Are dropout rates declining? Percent of Americans age 16-24 left school permanently?
Yes, they are declining. 10% of Americans
Stats of African boys/girls who receive suspension?
Boys- 1 in 5
Girls- 1 in 10
How much more likely African Americans suspended/expelled than whites?
3 1/2 more times
Girls and getting bullied?
Girls twice as likely to be targets to harassing text messages
Simon and Burt -
Said people distrust world/people, embrace here and now orientation
Differential association theory -
View that people commit crime when person they look up to, makes them perceive more factors favoring crime
Culture conflict -
Result of exposure to opposing norms, attitudes, different morals
Does differential association theory depend on social class?
No
Problems w/ differential association theory?
Fails to account for 1st deviant “teacher” who taught others, and ignores spontaneous acts of violence
Neutralization theory -
View that law violators learn to neutralize conventional values, drift back and forth between criminal and conventional
Neutralization theory views-
Views that criminality is also learned experience, even criminals not always involved in crimes
Drift:
Movement in and out of delinquency; shift between conventional and deviant values
Examples of neutralization techniques to not commit crimes -
- criminals voice guilt over illegal acts
- offenders frequently admire honest, law-biding people
Neutralize values to commit crime -
- Denial of responsibility
- Denial of injury
- Denial of the victim
- Appeal to higher loyalties
Do criminals really neutralize?
No, some offenders are guilt-free so there’s no need to
Self-control:
Strong moral sense that renders a person incapable of hurting others or violating social norms
Commitment to conformity
Strong personal investment in conventional institutions; institutions prevent them from hurting their reputation
Hirschi’s social control theory -
That social bond is divided into: attachment, commitment, belief, involvement
Causes of Delinquency book -
Links criminality to weakening in the ties that bind people to society
Social bonds:
Ties that binds people to society; commitment, attachment
Critique of social learning theory -
Researchers argue that delinquents aren’t “lone wolves”, high levels of involvement actually result in high criminal involvement
Views of social reaction (labeling) theory -
Crime is defined by those in power, not only acts are labeled but also people
Moral entrepreneur:
Person who creates moral rules that reflect the values of those in power rather than fair standards
Stigmatized:
To apply negative labeling w/ enduring effects on a person’s self-image
Social reaction theory’s key points -
- behaviors that are considered criminal are highly subjective
- crime is defined by those in power
- not only acts are labeled, but also people
- both positive/negative labels involve subjective interpretation of behavior
Consequences of labeling -
- Reinforce feelings f isolation and detachment
- conviction is often carried out in “ceremonies”; individuals identity transformed Ex: Mentally ill
- people react to label instead of actual behavior
Successful degradation ceremonies:
Courses of action/ritual in which someone’s identity is publicly redefined and viewed as socially unacceptable
Causes of self-labeling (choices) -
- Negatively labeled individuals will become committed to a deviant career
- take on attitudes that reflect people’s assumptions
- join w/ similar peers
Social process theory -
View that criminality is factor of people’s interactions w/ organizations, institutions
Retrospective reading:
The reassessment of a person’s past to fit a current generalized label
Primary deviance:
Norm violation of crime that has little or no long term influence on the violator
Secondary deviance:
Violation/crime that comes to the attention of significant others, has long term consequences
Deviance amplification:
Process where secondary deviance pushes offenders out of mainstream society and locks them into escalating cycle of deviance
Social reaction theory’s 2 categories?
1) People will be powerless and unable to defend themselves against labels
2) people who are labeled will view themselves as deviant
Racial profiling:
Use of racial/ethnic characteristics by police to determine whether person likely to commit crime
Reflected appraisal:
When parents are alienated from their children, negative labeling reduces child’s self image, increases delinquency
What happens to youngsters who are labeled troublemakers in school?
Most likely to drop out
Social process theory and public policy
Argue that if people become criminals by definitions favoring criminality, they can unlearn these attitudes by conventional behavior
Diversion programs
Programs of rehabilitation that remove offenders from the normal channels of the criminals justice process, avoid the criminal label
Restitution
Permitting an offender to repay the victim or go useful work in community rather than facing stigmas
Have stigma-reducing programs been successful?
No
