differential association theory

• created by sutherland
• cultural pressures cause offending
• criminality is a learnt response from socilisation
• if peopple around you hold criminal attitudes then you are more likely to commit
• reinforcement - those around us provide approval and disapproval - behaviours are reinforced by others
• can also learn offending from those around us - passed down through families or friend groups
• reinforcement - can also work through recieving material rewards
• pros - explains both violent and white collar crime
• pro - practical application - prisions - taught not to put experienced criminals with lesser criminals
• pro - practical app - go to communities with pro criminal attitudes and try to change them
• pro - narrative is changed against eugenics
• cons - can't explain why younger males commit crime
• con - all evidence is correlational