ac 2.1

• Control theorists consider 'why don't people commit crime?'
• control theory 1 - social bond theory (Travis Hirschi), he said that all humans suffer from weaknesses that make them unable to resits temptation and turn to crime (social bonds). If bonds are broken, so is their self control then go to crime
• social bond 1 (Travis Hirschi)- attachment - how much do we care (having strong social attachments encourage conformity), if we care about what our family + friends think then we might not commit crime
• social bond 2 (Travis) - commitment - stronger commitment to goals e.g education, greater conformity. what have we to lose? if we have good job then we are less likely to commit crime we don't want to lose it so don't commit crime
• social bond 3 (Travis) - involvement - how involved in society are we, what takes out time, if you are involved in volunteer work would you have time to commit crime. those with few activities have more time + energy for deviant activity
• social bond 4 (Travis) - belief - to what extent do we believe obeying the law is the right thing to do?, how strong is out moral code, strong moral beliefs and respect for authority restrain tendencies towards deviance
• containment theory (Walter C Reckless) - he suggested that to commit crime individuals must break through a combination of inner and outer containment
• Four key factors of containment theory:

  1. self concept - where the individual has an image of themselves as either the type to commit crime or abide the law
  2. goal orientation - a person having a sense of direction in life, a purpose, an aspiration towards a 'goal' which is realistic and achievable
  3. frustration tolerance - considers there must be biophysical desires that urge us towards deviant behaviour that are compounded by society
  4. norm retention - the adherence and acceptance of laws, codes, norms, customs
• Internal forms of social control - lives within the individual and is developed during socialisation, you act according to your conscious. We conform as our self-respect demands it
• Primary socialisation - the first stage of socialisation, happens between 0-5 years old, is delivered by the family e.g curfews
• secondary socialisation - happens throughout your life and is ongoing, has different agents e.g education, peers, religion, laws/government and workplace
• internal form 1) rational ideology - when people accept the ruling ideology, people used to be controlled through religious codes which has now been replaced by legal framework. The ten commandments e.g you must not steal, you must not commit murder/ adultery, you must not give false evidence against your neighbour
• internal form 2) tradition - the transmission of customs and beliefs from generation to generation, over time we accept these as part of our self-identity. Institutions that instil these traditions

  1. family - sets primary norms + values you internalise
  2. education - teaches respect, rules, hidden curriculum
  3. religion - traditions +beliefs that set guidelines
  4. media - peer pressure, conform with the norms, shows people consequences of crime
• internal form 3) internalisation of social rules and morality - knowing what is right and wrong based upon social values e.g not cheating on tests, not committing crime
• external forms of social control - society has external forms of social control that aims to ensure we conform to its expectations and keep to its rules.
• external form 1) coercion - the use of force to achieve a desired end it may be physical or non-violent, it is the ultimate means of social control when all other means fail.

  1. physical coercion - may take the form of bodily injury, imprisonment and death penalty, the lowest form of social control
  2. non - violent coercion - the refusal to cooperate e.g strikes, boycotts, non-cooperation.
• external form 2) fear of punishment - the idea is that punishment will act as a deterrent to the individual and force them to obey the law 2 key assumptions

  1. individual deterrence - punishment imposed on offenders will 'deter' or prevent them from committing further crimes e.g suspended sentence
  2. general deterrence - the fear of punishment will prevent others from committing similar crimes e.g lengthier sentences. Others see the potential consequences of crimes
• social control - refers to the way in which people’s thoughts , feelings, appearance and behaviour are regulated in social systems