Differential Association Theory 10

• Differential association

  Proposed by Sutherland.

  Behaviour is learnt through observation, imitation & vicarious reinforcement.

  If you spend time around people who commit crime / have positive attitudes to crime you take on these beliefs & attitudes yourself -> more likely to engage in criminal behaviour.
• Learning criminal behaviour

  Criminal behaviour is learnt in a process of communication in intimate groups (family, friends, other gang member).

  Requisite skills & techniques for committing crime can range from specialised to readily available skills.

  Exposed to favourable or unfavourable definitions of crime.
• 3 conditions need to be met for someone to engage in criminal behaviour

  Learnt the requisite skills and techniques for committing crime

  Has the objective opportunity to carry out crime

  Learnt an excess of definitions favourable to crime over unfavourable to crime
• Sutherland

  Suggested that definitions that are presented more frequently, for a longer duration, earlier in one’s life, and in more intense relationships receive more weight in the process producing crime.
• Osborn & West (1982)

  Compared the sons of criminal and non criminal fathers.

  They found that 13% of the sons of the non criminal fathers had criminal convictions compared with 40% of sons with criminals fathers.

  Observed fathers commit crime -> presented to favourable definitions early in life.
• Strengths of DA

  Supporting evidence

  Applications (reduce opportunity - target hardening, reduce presence of favourable definitions - remove children from criminal families, alternatives to prison).
• Weaknesses of DA

  Research only conducted on men

  Not all people raised around crime commit crime

  Influence of other factors

  Not all crime is learnt

  Ignores nature