differential association theory

    Cards (8)

    • sutherland says crime is a learnt response and a cultural tradition because criminals associate with other criminals
    • socialisation - process we learn our norms and values and we are socialised by the people around us. differential association means everyone is socialised differently because we have a unique set of people around us.
    • people become criminals because they are socialised by people with deviant norms and values which means they hold pro criminal attitudes
      these types of people see crime as a positive
    • criminal behaviour is reinforced by material rewards and expectations alongside approval from the people we associate with
    • offending techniques are passed onto the next generation or by peer groups
      eg how to pick a lock or commit fraud
    • sutherland's theory explains why certain crimes are performed by certain social groups of people. different peer groups have different opinions on what type of crime is acceptable
    • practical application - we should not put first time offenders in the same prison as experienced criminals who can reinforce pro-criminal attitudes and pass on techniques
    • differential association theory fails to explain why younger males are more likely to commit crime compared to older males because surely they would have more exposure to these pro- criminal attitues
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