...Edwin H. Sutherland is a theorist who created the differential association theory. He believed that criminal behaviors are learned through the interactions and communication with others. Sutherland hypothesized that people will either obey or violate the law depending on how they define their life situation (Cullen et al, 2014). Sutherland predicted that some forms of criminal activity were more prevalent in urban neighborhoods, due to individuals from those communities being low-biding. There were factors Sutherland developed such as: social class, broken homes, age, race, urban or rural location, and mental disorders (Cullen et al, 2014). Sutherland theory was intended to explain why these factors were related to crime. Nevertheless, Southerland's...
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...The significant difference between the three theories is the scope of extent measured by cultural norms, influence and association, which defines criminal behaviors of individuals. A key requisite to the social control theory requires an individual’s attachment and connection, developing a social bond that would mold a ‘behavior’ in support of a group’s morals. An example would be a population like Singapore, shaped by governance, cultural and social bonds that keeps people from committing deviant acts otherwise known as criminal behaviors. The social control theory suggests that individuals learn to abide to such behavior as a society norm. Differential association theory studies the immediate environment and social circle of an individual. Sociologists believe that three key contributing factors – influence, people association, and environment; promotes deviant behavior as a ‘justified’ behavior. The differential association theory can also be applied to a minority of outcasts who clearly deviates away from the society norms of the majority (social control theory) but thrive in the unique culture guarded with strong influences and associations. An example would be a secret society formed by a small group of activists that has its own cultural beliefs and school of thoughts that does not conform to the majority of the population. The differential association theory suggests that individuals learn deviance from strong influences such as parents or teachers, and the group...
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...Differential Association in Our World Old Dominion University Abstract This paper will discuss the theory of differential association by Edwin Sutherland and how it is applied in sociology and criminology in society today. It will show how the theory is applied to the everyday lives of some criminals and how it can be applied to acts that may not be considered criminal. We will further explore Sutherland's nine key points that were used to detail what the building blocks of the theory are, and how those points have been applied to other studies. Research by other sociologists will be discussed in regards to differential association and how those researchers chose to interpret Sutherland's theory and use it to further explore instances of crime and deviance in their own research. Finally I will discuss how true the researchers stayed to the original theorists and reflect on my own opinions about the theory of differential association. Introduction The theory of differential association is one that has been used to attempt to identify why people commit crime for years. Since Edwin Sutherland created the theory in 1947 it has been looked to by numerous researchers both using the theory for inspiration and criticizing its legitimacy. This paper will discuss Sutherland's theory in its entirety including it's creation and what the theory itself states, its applications in our society as well as how other researchers have applied it to their own research, and the findings that...
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...Crimes Theory Ontavia Johnson Strayer University Information Technology in Crime 170 Dr. Wesley E. Phillips, Jr. Crime Theory There are many digital crimes that are produced through the life of technology. Differential Association Theory is well known to be the cause of digital crime. This theory originated in the Chicago School of Criminological Theories, which embraces the sociological approach, that criminologist use to analyzing criminality. Differential Association Theory was introduced by Edwin Sutherland in 1947. He was one of the first to take an interest in the classical individualist theories of criminal behavior and concluded the Differential Association Theory. The Differential Association Theory is recognize the most relevant terms of digitals crimes, and well as can be used to clarify non-digital crimes using motivation, rationalization, and attitudes necessary for the crime. Testing several criminological theories, including strain theory, techniques of neutralization, social learning theory, and self-control theory, Morris and Higgins found that differential association was the most pronounced theoretical predictor in self-reported piracy (Morris, R. G., & Higgins, G. E. 2009). Normative conflict at the individual level is translated into individual acts of delinquency through differential association learned through communication usually in intimate groups (Sutherland, 1947). In further arguments peer pressure and peer attitudes are an influence...
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...Reefer Madness The most controversial of all drugs, marijuana has been labeled as deviant since the early twentieth century. Although recent studies show that over 50% of the Americans would like to see marijuana legalized, that number has grown significantly through the last ten years. Public opinion was much different in 1936, the year Reefer Madness was released. Created as a propaganda tool, the story follows an absurd storyline that includes illegal drug use, murder, a cover-up, and a suicide. Sociological theories are prevalent throughout the movie, but most notably Differential Association Theory and Marxist theory. Reefer Madness uses differential association and Marxist theories to label marijuana and its users as deviant. Edwin...
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...Running head: Literary review 1 Ray Garcia Dr. Valenzuela CJ 302 11/25/2013 Abstract This year in class we have learned and applied many theories to certain crimes and court cases that have been conducted through the past. In this paper, we will look at two specific theories on how they are being used to explain or discover links between certain situations and factors. These theories allow us to see crimes in different perspective. Specifically, the theory’s in this paper we will explore rational choice theory on labeling and the linkage between arrest and gang membership, social control and differential association in relation to gangs. Each article gives us a study or situation that shows the theory’s effectiveness in explaining certain situations or actions. Gang Membership and Race as Risk Factors for Juvenile Arrest Michael Tapia article piece, “Gang membership and race as risk factor for juvenile arrest” addresses the linkage between arrests and gang membership while also exploring their race and ethnicity in correlation with their gangs. Throughout his research, Tapia shows that “gang members and racial minorities experienced undue arrest”(Tapia, 2011) which can be understood that gang members and minorities, in some cases, are easy targets for arrests because they easily fit the description or label of a law breaker or delinquent. These descriptions that law enforcement and the media portray on these gang members and minorities can eventually...
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...Sociological Theories of Crime AIU Online April 9, 2016 There are many theories as to why one commits acts of crime. Some of the theories revolve around socialism. Others involve theoretical assertions based on socioeconomic status. And another has basis on personal attributes and rationale to thought in motive. There are also different thoughts to explaining criminal behaviors, one being classical school of thought and the other being a positivist school of thought. For the focus of this paper we will be looking at the four main theories: Social control theory, Strain theory, Differential Association Theory, and Neutralization theory. Social control theory is the theory that those who engage in socializing or social learning build self-control and lessens the likelihood of antisocial behavior. This theory also explains the conformity of behavior accepted in society. Anti-social behavior due to lack of social links within society lend strong indications to criminal behaviors. Travis Hirschi’s held this same theory of ‘‘social control’’ stating that if a man is not variously bound to society by some attachment, commitment, or involvement, he is, at risk criminally. (Muraven, 2006) One of the strengths in this theory is the recognition of wrongdoing by offenders. With the recognition of wrongdoing should come the accountability of action. Therein lies the weakness to this theory as accountability for one’s actions tends to be ignored in today’s society, easily dismissed...
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...proponents of deterrence theory, however, would critique the theory of differential association, as theorist might argue that by watching other people, we learn people’s behavior vicariously through the consequences that they endure. Therefore, people will not commit crimes because they will fear the consequences, which will dissuade people from committing crime or engaging in criminal activity. As a result, this theory would argue that interacting with people will not necessarily cause people to commit crime, but will actually deter people from engaging in criminal behavior as they will observe other’s behaviors and fear the consequences of their actions. For example, a 16 year old boy has an older cousin who is currently involved in criminal behavior. Through communication and interaction with one another as family members, the 16 year old will become exposed to his cousins behaviors, which will influence his actions as well. Their close interaction with one another will impact the 16 year old’s behavior as he will acquire his cousins beliefs and values through their close ties. Deterrence theorists will argue, however, that by observing his cousins behaviors, the 16 year old will become fearful of the penalties of crime and...
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...Secondly, the focus moves to social learning theory. Learning theory is “deviant behavior is learned through one’s interaction with others” (Thio and et al, 2012. p.23). Also, Edwin Sutherland, an American sociologist, “developed the theory of different association to explain how the learning of deviance comes about” ((Thio and et al, 2012. p.23). The theory of different association explains that people who are related to others holding deviant ideas have higher likelihood of committing deviant behavior than people who do not have interaction with those with deviant ideas. People learn deviant ideas and/or different ideas from one’s own from different group. There are more other explains and corrections. For example, Glaser insists the deviant...
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...Betty Waltermire Crime and Criminology JUS110 December 13, 2013 Rebellion, Growing Pains or Juvenile Delinquents Thinking back to the time of Classic Rock and Roll, Elvis, Buddy Holly, Dirty Dancing, and a faraway land called Viet Nam. Viet Nam affected families; fathers, brothers, children were dying and the age of the innocence was lost forever. Juveniles began a culture of their own, smoking, drinking alcohol, using drugs to attain a mental or in some cases a physical high to ease their pain of loss. This behavior began as a way of coping with their pain, when they realized this made them feel good, they wanted to continue this feeling. During the 1960’s it was a time of rebellion, with music, dancing, the hippie movement, free love, flower power, and the introduction to drugs to get high such as marijuana, glue sniffing, LSD and alcohol. Most of the youth at that time was into smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and some did smoke marijuana. This was the leap from child to adult behavior or some would call juvenile delinquency. Each time a beer touched the lips it was breaking the law and leading to more risky behaviors. By the time the junior year 1968-1969 rolled around, it was drinking most every night and stayed sober on game day or night until after the games. Then win or lose it was party time. There was very seldom a day that there was no one partying. After school and the weekends we...
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...amount of alcohol consumption that is taking place in today’s college setting. The increasing amount of excessive alcohol use is attributed to freedom from parental control, social influence, and the notion of binge drinking being considered acceptable. The researchers draw hypotheses from Akers’s social learning theory of deviance (SLTD), which “focuses on the social influences of deviant behavior, and the positive as well as negative reinforcements for such behavior” (DeMartino et al., 2015, p. 480). The hypotheses are surrounded around the ideas of differential association and reinforcement, the former being an identification with the norms (i.e. alcohol consumption) of social groups while the latter focuses on the difference between the positive and negative reinforcements of a behavior (DeMartino et al., 2015). The three hypotheses combine to form a research question whether differential association and differential enforcement influence the associations of the three kinds alcohol use demographically, quantitatively, and...
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...crime. They really look at how family, school and peers influence criminal behavior. Edwin Sutherland was the first criminologist to focus on the relationship between crimes and the socialization process rather than physiology, race, mental disorder etc. Sutherland developed the differential association theory, the process of social interaction by which individual acquires definitions favorable and unfavorable to law violation. The differential association theory states that through interaction with people, individuals learn their values, attitudes and motives for criminal behavior. This is the idea of cultural transmission. Sutherland presented nine propositions explaining differential association and they are as follows; criminal behavior is learned, it’s learned via communication, it occurs within personal groups, when learned the learning includes ways to commit crimes and their direct motives, direction of motives and where it’s derived, delinquency occurs as a result of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law, it may vary in frequency, duration, priority and intensity, the process of learning criminal behavior by association...
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...Criminolgy Fall 2013 3 Major Sources of Crime Data Uniform Crime Report Officially reported crime Counts the # of offences known to police . (Doesn’t count the onest that are not reported (For example, Police Arrests) Crimes Reported Voluntary Participation Self Report UCR Part I Violent Crimes: Homicide, aggravated assault, property crimes, larceny, theft “serious crimes” Sean.007@umb.edu 9/10/13 Risk and Personal Safety Crime isn’t exploding The polls say it’s America’s #1 concern , new prisons, longer sentences. Film: Are we scaring ourselves to Death? What are some of the crime myths identified in the film. Crime Surge Particulary violent crime Old, white, women as victims of crime Stranger homicide Violenct Crime Facts National Commission on the causes and prevention of Violence Primarily an urban phenomenon Offenders are primarily males, youth ages 15-24 years minority, low SES individuals - Victims “...” Perpertartors are most likely to be acquantances Primarily committed by repeat offenders 6% for between 53% and 71% of violent crime. What year was this report published? 1969. Victimolgy Emergence: 1940’s Hans Von Hentig First person to really bring the idea of victim’s role in criminal events Victims precipitaton - idea that the victim brings on the criminal act Who is more likely to be victimized Victim- Offender Link Likelihood of vicitimization ...
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...person grow-up into can force different choices to be made that one would not normally make. In relation to Organized Crime, it has been proven that one’s environment produces traits for example if a person has been exposed to an certain social group and environment for a long period of time one will pick up habits (good or bad), There are a number of arguments that exist within our society, one point states that our society needs to have rules and laws set in motion as well as those of unwritten codes and morals in place for all of those to abide by. In view of our society as the social institution that has recognize that institution have become affix that has helped to spawn the organized crime that also exists within it. “The Alien theory states that individuals tat where involved in organized crime in Italy had involvement in the criminal organizations known as the Sicilian Mafia or Costra Nostra. Once many Italians migrated to the United States” (Limbaugh, 2011) because Italy was at that time one of the most overcrowded countries in Europe, and many considered the thought of leaving Italy to escape low wages, high taxes, and “apprehension by law enforcement in their own country” (Limbaugh, 2011), by coming to America met they could be part of the “American Dream.” American was the land of opportunities both legally and illegally. On arrival in America groups such as the Italians “developed, organized, and operated numerous criminal organizations, carried out minor and...
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...and speculative theories are often relevant when applied to organized crime and criminal behavior. Social Institution Social institution a cluster or association, which has specific expectations, ambitions, duties and completes thriving matches of the objectives, expectations, and ambitions by swaying and influencing people who live in neighborhoods to engage, help fulfill this goal. Social institution establishes crimes in many ways. In fact, criminal systems expand in geographical places that exhibit a part of individuals living within the territory because the individuals need a result the criminal system has. This is critical because it permits the system to victory and dispenses the result. In addition, criminal systems converges on a neighborhood, directs the neighborhood and its citizens. Moreover, illegal systems form a tight – knit- connections between lawful establishments and proprietors choosing to engage in the systems achievements (White, 2013). Alien Theory The alien hypothesis says people engage in established wrongdoings in the cities of Sicily and Italy made criminal systems. People from Sicily and Italy moved to the United States to avoid discovery from police, and take the benefits of several advancements lawfully and unlawfully. Coming to the United States the people managed, established, and ran dangerous violations and viewed by Americans to be the leading beginning of corrupted criminal systems (Osmosis, 2003). Social Control Theory The social control...
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