Proposes individuals learn values, attitufes, techniques and motives from criminal behaviour through association and interaction with different people.
Sutherland developed a set of scientific principles that could explain all types of offending. Theory was designed to discriminate between those who become criminals and those who do not whetever of their race and class.
Offending behaviour may be acquired through the process of learning. Learning occurs most often through interactions with significant others that child associates: family/friends.
When person socialised into a group they are exposed to its values and attitudes to law. Sutherland argued that that if number of pro-criminal attitudes exposed to, outweighs number of anti-criminal attitudes, they will offend.
Theory suggests that it should be possible to mathematically predict the likelihood an individual will commit crime if there is knowledge on the frequency, intensity and duration of which they have been exposed to deviant behaviour.
Potential offender learnes particular techniques for commiting crime. Accounts for why prisoners reoffend so much, they learn from other prisonders (this may observational and imitational or even direct tuition).
