differential association theory

• differential association theory: proposes that individuals learn the values and techniques for offending behaviour through association and interaction

  
  

  • someone may associate with people who have negative attitudes towards crime, when someone else may be exposed to more positive attitudes
• scientific basis: Sutherland set himself the task of developing scientific principles that could help explain types of offending

  • conditions which are said to have caused the crime should be present when the crime is present, same for it's absence.

  His theory was designed to discriminate between individuals who become offenders and those who do not
• offending as a learned behaviour: may be acquired in the same way as any other behaviour through the process of learning. this occurs through interactions with significant others who the child values.
• learning attitudes: when a person is socialized into a group, they are exposed to the values and attitudes towards the law

  • pro-crime or anti-crime - Sutherland argues if the number of pro-crime attitudes outweigh the anti-crime, they will offend
• learning techniques: the offender may learn techniques for committing offenses - including how to break into the house through a window or disable car stereos
• socialisation in prison: accounts for why convicts are released from prison to go on and reoffend. - more experienced offenders will teach prison inmates techniques

  • direct tuitions or observational learnign