Social process theories

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Social process theories

• Psychological sociological

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Social process

• Criminality is a function of individual
  socialization and the social psychological
  interactions people have with the various
  institutions and processes of society
• Socialization process by which an individuals
  behavior is shaped in conforming with the
  standards of the culture

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Social process (cont)

• Agents of socialization
• Family
• School
• Peers
• Media
• Authorities--employers, CJS
• If these relationships positive, law-abiding

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The Family CrimeCharacteristics of families

• A variety of studies have been done
• Common patterns
• Two-way street easy babies have less
  maladjustment than difficult babies
• 1. Inconsistent discipline (not to be confused
  with being lenient--woodshed theory is too
  simplistic)
• Consider this from a learning theory standpoint

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Family characteristics

• 2. Poor supervision
• 3. High levels of family conflict, escalation
• 4. Parental deviance, such as parental substance
  abuse, parental criminality (often in the past)
  and maternal depression
• 5. Large family size (supervision issue)
• 6. Poor living conditions

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Family characteristics

• 7. Abuse and neglect
• Neglect a bigger problem
• Studies surveying delinquents indicate higher
  rates (about 1/3) as compared to the general
  population
• A New York study found that about ½ of families
  with abuse had a child who went to juvenile court

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Characteristics of families

• 8. Broken homes
• Early studies showed a relationship, later
  studies have not been definitive
• In the earlier studies, one parent homes less
  common
• Stigma and difficulty of obtaining a divorce
• Stigma attached to unmarried mothers

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Characteristics of families

• This picture has changed. Single parent homes
  doubled in 30 years.
• It is probably not surprising that more recent
  studies would have different results
• Problems with studies records do not tell about
  home dynamics, such as level of conflict.

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Characteristics of families

• Single parent homes more at risk for delinquency,
  however
• Is this due to poverty, which is more likely in
  single parent homes?
• There is some evidence that children are more
  likely to be processed as delinquents if they
  come from a single parent home

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Characteristics

• The major variable appears to be amount of
  supervision. Families in which there is adequate
  supervision, whether the mother is helped by
  other relatives, paid caretakers, etc..., are not
  at high risk for delinquency.
• This is also the case for very young mothers,
  whose children are at risk.

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Major factors

• Age
• Educational level
• Financial status
• Social capital

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Woodlawn study

• This study was done in the Woodlawn area of
  Chicago (high crime area)
• Children categorized as aggressive or
  nonaggressive. Aggressive children in both one
  and two parent homes more likely to be
  delinquent. With non-aggressive, children in
  single homes more at risk than in two parent
  homes.

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Woodlawn

• Suggest that both individual and family factors
  play a role, each adding to possible risk or
  non-risk.

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Attachment

• Final family characteristic predictive of
  delinquency
• 9. Attachment--lack of a warm, supportive
  parent-child relationship
• Attachment a strong affectional tie
• Babies do not show an obvious preference for a
  particular adult during the first few months of
  life

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Attachment (cont)

• At around 4-5 months, begin to distinguish and
  exhibit stranger anxiety
• Typically develop a preference, usually for one
  person (usually the mother)
• Prefers that person to all others, seeks comfort,
  etc...
• Must happen within the first two years

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Attachment (cont)

• Children who do not form a strong attachment
  typically have problems, including school
  difficulties, lack of empathy for others, and
  dysfunctional relationships
• In some cases there may even be failure to thrive
• Harlows monkeys

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Attachment (cont.)

• Factors which hinder attachment/ bonding
• Unattractiveness, illness, irritable baby,
  handicaps, chronic stress, chaotic environment
• Protective factors
• Being attractive, healthy, an easy baby, stable
  environment

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Attachment (cont.)

• When child becomes attached, prefers that person
  to all others, comforted by presence, seeks
  approval
• Mother is also attached to the child
• Adaptive from an evolutionary standpoint--adult
  must gain something, or would not take care of
  the child

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Attachment (cont)

• Bond affects cognitive development--the thinking
  is that the adult gives the child a secure base
  from which to explore
• Bond affects social competence later
• From a learning theory standpoint, love and
  approval play a significant role in teaching
  behaviors.

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Attachment (cont)

• If there is not a bond, then the child will not
  care about love and approval from the parent, and
  the parent will be less able to control the
  child. In adolescence, once the child is bigger
  and stronger, a parent can control only through
  approval/disapproval.

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Schools

• Offenders are more likely to have poor academic
  achievement
• Fail more grades
• Truant or drop out
• Low motivation
• Feel alienated, not involved in school activities

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Family environment

• Restrictive Permissive
• Warmth Submissive Active
• Compliant Outgoing
• Polite Creative
• Hostility Withdrawn Delinquent
• Neurotic
  Aggressive

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Schools (continued)

• Factors that lower delinquency
• Fair but firm rules in a nurturing environment
• A solid nucleus of motivated students
• Classroom size, condition of buildings,
  student-teacher ratio not predictive alone

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Differential association

• Behavior is learned in interaction with other
  persons
• Principal part of the learning occurs in personal
  groups, such as family or friends.
• Learning criminal behavior includes learning
  techniques, rationalizations and attitudes

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Differential association (cont)

• A person becomes criminal when he perceives more
  favorable to unfavorable consequences to
  violating the law
• and, when he has more rationalizations favorable
  to violating the law than to obeying the law

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Differential association (cont)

• Social support for criminality can overcome
  social controls. This social support comes from
  associating with criminal peers
• Such associations may vary in frequency,
  duration, priority, and intensity
• As frequency increases, more likely

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DA (continued)

• Duration longer the association, more likely
• Priority age when one first encounters criminal
  peers--earlier, more likely
• Intensity importance and prestige given to the
  people that are learned from

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Research on DA

• Criminal offenders do tend to have criminal
  friends started running with the wrong crowd
• However, which came first--association which led
  to crime, or criminal tendencies which led to
  associations with criminal peers (birds of a
  feather flocking together)

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DA (cont)

• Explains onset of criminality
• Explains presence of crime in all segments of
  society, explains white collar crime
• explains why some people in high crime areas
  refrain from crime
• Does not explain desistance

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Neutralization theory

• Rationalizations which overcome societys norms
• Denial of responsibility I didnt mean to do it
• Denial of injury I didnt really hurt anybody
  (insurance will pay for it, etc...)
• Denial of victim They had it coming to them

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Neutralization (cont)

• condemnation of others everyone is picking on
  me. Shift blame to others--corrupt CJS, etc...
• Appeal to higher loyalties, i.e.., I did it for
  the group

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Social control (Hirschi)

• All people have the potential to violate the law
• Modern society presents many opportunities for
  illegal activity
• Why to people obey the law?

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Social control

• The stronger the social bond to society, less
  likely the person is to be delinquent
• Weaker the bond, delinquency likely
• Four components of the social bond
• 1. attachment 2. commitment
• 3. involvement 4. belief

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Social control

• Attachment sensitivity and interest in others,
  feelings of affection, respect to conventional
  (law-abiding) people
• Time, energy and efforts expended in conventional
  goals.
• Involvement in conventional activities--school,
  recreation, family
• Belief share common moral beliefs

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Research on social control

• Hirschi asked high school students questions
  concerning
• feelings of affection and respect for parents,
  teachers, peers, etc.
• Plans for the future (commitment)
• Their activities
• Beliefs about society, right wrong
• Self reported delinquency, arrests

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Social control (cont)

• Youths strongly attached to parents and peers,
  less likely to be delinquent
• Delinquents weak and distant relationships (not
  what Sutherland would expect)
• Commitment to conventional goals, education,
  jobs, etc..., less likely to be delinquent

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Social control (cont)

• Nondelinquents spent more time in conventional
  activities, such as homework, school activities,
  sports, family and community recreation, etc..
• Delinquents--more time smoking, drinking, riding
  around in cars, began these behaviors younger
• No differences in terms of beliefs

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Social control (cont)

• Good empirical research
• Which comes first does a weak bond lead to
  delinquency, or do delinquent acts lead to
  weakened bonds?
• Implications

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Labelling theory

• Looking-glass self part of the way we
  perceive ourselves is based on the perceptions of
  others
• Research support
• Primary deviance deviance that is common, that
  occurs but has not yet been labelled

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Labelling (cont)

• Secondary deviance deviance that is the result
  of labelling, a self-fulfilling prophecy
• primary deviance ceremonies
• labelling secondary deviance
• continuation of the behavior

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Labelling

• Implications avoid labelling when possible
• Advocated diversion, deinstitutionalization,
  due process