sutherland: differential association theory

• key idea

  criminality is the result of imitation and learnt attitudes in groups that favour law-breaking
• good exam style sentence

  we become delinquent once our rational for breaking the law outweighs our rational for respecting
• strenghts

  • crime often runs in the family
  • mathews: juvenile delinquents are more likely to have friends commit anti-socila acts- they learn from peer groups
• limitations

  • not everyone exposed to criminal influences become criminal
  • farring et al: a study that followed 411 men in south london from age 5 to 50 and found that 41% had a criminal record