differential association theory

• Differential association theory


  The theory proposes that individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motives for criminal behaviour through association and interaction with different people
• Differential association theory


  • Designed to discriminate between individuals who become criminals and those who do not, whatever their race, class or ethnic background
  • Explains all types of offending - the conditions which are said to cause crime should be present when crime is present, and they should be absent when crime is absent
• Crime as a learned behaviour


  Offending behaviour is learned through interactions with people the child associates with
• Pro-criminal attitudes


  If the number of pro-criminal attitudes the person comes to acquire outweighs the number of anti-criminal attitudes, they will go on to offend
• The learning process is the same whether a person is learning criminality or conformity to the law
• Differential association suggests that it should be possible to mathematically predict how likely it is that an individual will commit crime if we have knowledge of the frequency, intensity and duration of which they have been exposed to deviant and non-deviant norms and values
• Learning criminal acts

  The would-be offender may also learn particular techniques for committing crime, like how to break into someone's house or disable a car stereo
• Convicts released from prison often go on to reoffend because they learn specific techniques of offending from other, more experienced criminals through observational learning, imitation or direct tuition from criminal peers
• criminality arises from 2 acts

  1. learned attitudes towards crime
  2. learning of specific criminal acts
• when a person is socialised into a group they will be exposed to pro crime and anti crime values and attitudes
• TICK theory accounts for crime within all sectors of society
• TICK blames environment rather than biology for offending - more realistic solution
• X difficult to test
• X built on assumptions that offending behaviour occurs when pro criminal values outnumber anti criminal crimes
• X reductionist and deterministic - people with a criminal environment may not always turn out to be like them