Social explanations for criminal investigations Flashcards
What did Edwin Sutherland propose?
DAT suggesting offending behaviour can be explained in terms of social learning.
What do people vary in? Who do they mix with?
vary in the frequency with which they associate with others who have more or less favourable attitudes towards crime and these inevitably influence their own attitudes and behaviour. Mix with people who have favourable attitude towards crime, you’re influenced by them and have a positive attitude about crime.
What did Sutherland believe?
believed it might be possible to develop a mathematical formula which would predict whether or not someone would turn to crime based on the frequency, duration and intensity of their social contacts.
What did children learn?
child learns attitudes towards crime like whether its desirable or not. Children will learn with particular crimes are desirable. E.g. may learn burglary is acceptable but violent crime isn’t. A child may learn about specific methods of committing crime, some are more complicated e.g. robbing a Bank rather than a corner shop
Where are attitudes and behaviours learned from?
intimate personal groups like family and peer groups as well as wider neighbourhoods . Individuals or social groups may not be criminal themselves but may still hold deviant attitudes or an acceptance of such attitudes.
What did Sutherland suggest? What did he not specify? What do social groups establish?
frequency, length and personal meaning of such associations will determine the degree of influence. He did not specify the actual method of learning but likly to be direct and indirect operant conditioning. Social groups also establish social norms . The social group creates a sense of what is normal for people to do.
Why supporting research is there for differential association theory?
Runs in families. Osborne and west found where a father with a criminal conviction, 40% of the sons had committed a crime by age 18 compared to 13% of non-criminal fathers. Ronald Akers et al – 2500 people in us found that differential association, reinforcement and imitation combined = 68% of variance in marijuana use and 55% alcohol use.
What methodological issues are there for differential association theory?
Collected in correlation. Can’t establish cause and effect. Criminals may seek out other criminals which would explain why criminals are likely to have peers who are criminals .
Cox et al – theory is not testable – how do you measure the effect of number and strength of association on subsequent attitudes. Also, not clear what ratio of favourable or unfavourable influences would tip that balance.
Why is differential association theory a partial explanation?
Only a partial account of offending as it only explains non-violent crime. However, smaller crime accounts for a bigger percentage of crimes committed. In England and Wales in 2014, there were 500 homicides but more than 400,000 burglaries.
What’s a main reason for gender differences in crime? what did Sutherland propose?
Socialisation.
Sutherland – boys encouraged to be risk takers and to be tough. Girls are more closely supervised. Society expects girls to be more conforming. Become ingrained and lead to more men becoming criminals. Learn through observation and imitating role models.
Who are girls/boys role models? What may this result in?
Girls – mother. Albert Cohen – girls had easy access to their mother as they stayed at home. Boys – father, less frequently available. Result = boys rebel against socialisation offered by mother. May pursue activities that allow them to develop their masculinity includes aggression, toughness, risk taking and rule breaking.
What did Frances heidensohn find?
women are controlled at home, at work and in public. Daughters can’t stay out as late, more housework – girls learn to develop socialising opportunities which involve the home like sleepovers.
Why do women have fewer opportunities to commit crime?
ewer opportunities to commit crime due to domestic roles like caring for children. Glass ceiling – cent rise to senior positions, fewer opportunities to commit white collar crime. Way the media reports crime like rape controls women. Fear of being out in public causes women to stay home. Women are risking double jeopardy – rejecting society’s norms and value and rejecting their own femininity.
What supporting research is there for gender socialisation?
‘Man up project’ - challenge masculinity to show maleness. Nottingham Trent uni – man up project, rethink being a man. 84% of ppts said it was an effective course to challenge offending behaviour.
What contradicotry research is there for gender socialisation?
Chivalry hypothesis – women commit more crime. Police, magistrates and judges all tend to be men. Men who have been socialised to act in a more chivalrous manner towards women. Otto Pollak – men have more protective attitude towards women and as a result women less likely to be arrested, charged, prosecuted or convicted. This still suggests the importance of gender socialisation in influencing behaviour. Partly supports this explanation
