differential association theory

Question 1

differential association theory

Answer 1

individuals learn values, attitudes, techniques and motives for criminal behaviour through association and interaction with different people

Question 2

scientific basis

Answer 2

sutherland - conditions which are said to cause crime should be present when crime is present and not present when crime is not present

Question 3

crime as learned behaviour

Answer 3

offending behaviour may be acquired through learning through interactions with significant others

criminality arises from 2 factors:
learning attitudes towards crime
learning of specific criminal acts

Question 4

pro criminal activities

Answer 4

when person is socialised into group, they become exposed to values and attitudes - some are pro-crime.

sutherland - if number of pro-criminal attitudes acquired outweighs number of anti-criminal attitudes, they’ll go on to offend

differential association suggests it should be possible to mathematically predict how likely it is that individuals will commit crime if we have knowledge of frequency, intensity and duration of which they’ve been exposed to deviant norms and values

Question 5

learning criminal acts

Answer 5

would-be offender may learn particular techniques for committing crime

sutherland’s theory accounts for why ex offenders re offend - reasonable to assume whilst in prison, inmates learn techniques of offending from one another

Question 6

evaluation - explanatory power

Answer 6

theory accounts for crime within all sectors of society - sutherland recognised some types of crime may be more likely in inner-city w/c areas but also that some crimes are more prevalent in more affluent groups - was interested in WCC and CC and how they’re features of m/c social groups who have deviant norms and values

Question 7

evaluation - shift of focus

Answer 7

successful in moving emphasis away from biological accounts of crime - differential assocation draws attention to fact that dysfunctional social circumstances may be more to blame for criminality than dysfunctional people

approach is more desirable as it offers more realistic solution to problem of crime instead of eugenics or punishment

Question 8

evaluation - difficulty of testing

Answer 8

hard to see how number of pro-criminal attitudes person has or has been exposed to can be measured

theory is built on assumption that offending behaviour occurs when pro-criminal values outweigh anti-criminal ones however without being able to measure these it’s difficult to know at what point urge to offend is realised and criminal career is triggered - undermines scientific credibility