Differential Association (forensics) Flashcards
What is socialisation
Offending behaviour is learned through the relationships and connections we form with people around us
What is the first part to Sutherlands theory
Learned attitudes towards crime
-social transmission of values, motiviations and rationalisations for committing crime and law
-pro crime attitudes outweighs anti-crime attitudes
What is the second part of Sutherlands theory
Learning of specific criminal acts
- such learning involves the development of techniques used to commit crime
What is the nature-nurture argument to differential association?
- Focuses on nurture, ignores innate factors
What is the free will-determinism argument to differential association?
- Leans toward environmental determinism.
What is the culture bias argument to differential association?
- Assumes universal definitions of crime, ignoring cultural
differences.
Strengths of differential association
+ Wide Reach: explains why a
wide range of crimes may occur, including white collar crime which is thought to be a
feature of middle-class
offenders.
+ Provides a different perspective: Moved theories of
offending behaviour away from
early biological explanations, such as the atavistic theory, or blaming the person’s sense of morality. Instead considering criminality resulting from pro-criminal environments and circumstances.
+ Farrington et al
Limitations of differential association
- However, runs the risk of assuming that those who are exposed to criminality in their environments will offend – as not everyone exposed to pro-criminal attitudes goes onto offend. (Nomothetic)
