"The conditions that are said to cause crime should be present when crime is present and absent when crime is absent"
'White collar crime' - crime committed by businessmen and middleclass
Significant others
Behaviours are learned through interactions with significant others e.g. family, friends etc
Learned attitudes towards crime - social transmission of values
Learning of specific criminal acts - learning and development of techniques
Learning attitudes
Pro-criminal and anti-criminal attitudes
If pro-criminal attitudes outweigh anti-criminal attitudes, the person will go on to offend
Pro-criminal attitudes are justified by family members and significant others
Learning techniques
Criminals may also learn how to carry out crimes
E.g. how to pick a lock or how to steal a car
Can be learned from significant others - family, friends, etc
Mathematical prediction
Simple calculation to predict likelihood of someone committing a crime
Frequency, intensity and duration of exposure to criminal and non-criminal norms and values
May not be simple - not operationalised, dark figure of crime
Reoffending/socialisation
Socialisation occurs in prisons
Learning specific techniques from inmates
Learning can happen through observation, imitation and direct tuition
Overview
Differential Association Theory is an explanation for offending which proposed that individuals learn criminal behaviour through interaction with others. They learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motives for criminal behaviour. Criminal behaviour is normalised (or not) through the associations we make with others.
