Criminology Notes Criminology Theories Patterns and Typologies Seigel Chapter 7 Social Process Theories Socialization and Crime Sociological social psychology psychological sociology is the study of human interactions and relationships that emphasizes such issues as group dynamics and socialization o An individual s relationship to important social processes education family life peer relations is the key to understanding human behavior o Poverty and social disorganization is not sufficient enough to cause crime most people living in these areas never commit crime Key to understanding crime can be found in human socialization interactions with various organizations institutions and processes of society Most people are influenced by their family relations peer group associations educational experiences and interactions with authority figures teachers employers etc Social process theory if social relationships are positive and supportive people can succeed in society if they are dysfunctional and destructive success may be impossible and crime will be the only alternative Relationship between economic status and crime is uncertain and problematic Family Relations A major determinant of behavior Youths who grow up in households of conflict and lack of love and support are susceptible to crime promoting forces in the environment Adolescents develop poor emotional well being externalizing problems and antisocial behavior Living in a disadvantage neighborhood places extreme strain on family functioning Family disruption can have a long lasting impact on children Children raised in homes with one or both parents absent are prone to antisocial behavior the number of single parent households in the population are significantly related to arrest rates The effects of divorce o Poorly supervised kids are prone to act impulsively and are less able to employ self control to restrain their activities o Single parent households linked to educational failure less encouragement and help with schoolwork Poor school achievement associated with delinquent behavior o Divorced women lose income and are forced to move to deteriorated neighborhoods o Remarrying does not mitigate the effects of the divorce children with stepparents exhibit as many problems as children with one parent Family deviance o Intergenerational the children of deviant parents produce deviant children o Study done by British criminologist David Farrington concludes that A significant number of delinquent youths have criminal fathers 8 of sons of noncriminal fathers become chronic offenders 37 of sons of criminal fathers become chronic offenders Schoolyard bullying may be both inter and intragenerational Bullies have children who bully and these bullies have children who are bullies Kids whose parents go to prison are much more likely to be at risk for delinquency Parental efficacy o Poor parenting and parental deviance expose children to criminality parents with excellent parental skills and who are supportive raise children who are more shielded from crime producing forces in society o Antisocial behavior will be reduced if parents provide the type of structure that integrates children into families while giving them the ability to assert their individuality and regulate their own behavior parental efficacy o Association between child maltreatment child abuse neglect sexual abuse and delinquency even when taking into account gender race and class o More crime prone and suffer from other social problems depression suicide attempts substance abuse and self injuries o Children whose parents act harshly and angrily toward them are likely to act the same Child maltreatment way towards their children The Chicken or the Egg o Little evidence shows that poor parenting is a direct cause of children s behavior problems In fact it suggests that children s behavior problems undermine parenting effectiveness o Increased behavior problems result in decreased parental control parents become more tolerant of the behavior and gives up on control Educational Experience Children who do poorly in school lack educational motivation and feel alienated are the most likely to engage in criminal acts commit more serious and violent offenses and persist in their crimes until adulthood Schools contribute to that when they label problem youths and set them apart from conventional society track system children in AP honors college prep classes vs those in lower level or general courses Blacks more likely than whites to drop out lower class more likely than higher class to drop out Some research indicates that drop outs face a significant chance of entering criminal careers while others don t find a drop out effect Peer Relations Popular kids who hang out with their friends without parental supervision have more opportunities to get into trouble Less popular kids who are rejected are more likely display aggressive behavior and disrupt group activities through bickering bullying and other antisocial behavior Antisocial peer groups are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior Non delinquent friends help moderate delinquency Religion and Belief Socialization and Crime Kids who are involved in religion are less likely to engage in delinquency enhance parental affection and kid s resistance to the influences of deviant peers Social learning theory people learn criminal behavior from close and intimate relationships with criminal peers crime is a learned behavior Social control theory everyone has potential to become a criminal but most are controlled by their bonds to society Crime occurs when the forces that bind people to society are weakened and broken Social reaction theory labeling theory people become criminals when members of society label them criminals and they accept those labels as a personal identity Social Learning Theory Differential association theory Edmond Sutherland basic principles Criminal behavior is learned Learning is a by product of interaction living in a certain neighborhood or having certain characteristics don t make someone a criminal but people have the greatest influence on deviant behavior For example growing up in an alcoholic household makes one view drinking as socially and physically beneficial Criminal techniques are learned Perceptions of the legal code influence motives and drives Differential associations may vary in frequency duration priority and intensity associations that last longer are more frequent happen earlier
View Full Document
Unlocking...