differential association theory

• 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