Criminology Theories: Social Disorganization, Strain, and Learning Models

Anomie

Normlessness that occurs when rapid social change breaks down shared norms.

Strain Theory

The gap between cultural goals and means leads to strain, resulting in deviance.

Conformity

Adaptation where individuals accept both goals and means, acting as law-abiding citizens.

Innovation

Adaptation where individuals accept goals but reject means, leading to criminal behavior like theft or fraud.

Ritualism

Adaptation where individuals abandon goals but continue to adhere to means, such as bureaucrats with no ambition.

Retreatism

Adaptation where individuals reject both goals and means, often becoming addicts or dropouts.

Rebellion

Adaptation where individuals reject both established goals and means in favor of new ones, such as revolutionaries.

Institutional Anomie Theory

Theory suggesting that U.S. culture overemphasizes economic success, leading to moral decay as non-economic institutions lose power.

General Strain Theory (GST)

Strain is defined as negative emotions resulting from failure to achieve goals, loss of positive things, or negative treatment.

Urban Ecology Model

Concept that views the city as a living organism with zones, where crime is higher in transitional zones due to instability.

Social Disorganization Theory

Theory stating that crime arises where community ties are weak, focusing on neighborhood-level causes.

Collective Efficacy

The ability of a community to work together for common goals, leading to lower crime rates.

Differential Association Theory

Theory that crime is learned through social interaction rather than inherited, emphasizing the role of peers and family.

Social Learning Theory

Theory that builds on differential association, stating crime is reinforced by rewards and discouraged by punishments.

Neutralization Theory

Theory suggesting that offenders neutralize guilt through moral justifications while drifting between conformity and deviance.

Procedural Justice

Concept that people obey laws when they perceive legal authorities as legitimate and fair, rather than out of fear of punishment.

Peelian Principles

Principles that emphasize prevention, consent, impartiality, minimal force, and legitimacy in policing.

Broken Windows Policing

Strategy focusing on small offenses to prevent larger crimes, which can lead to over-policing of marginalized groups.

De-Tasking

The process of moving non-criminal responsibilities, such as mental health or homelessness, to other social services.

Organic Change

Long-term reform aimed at addressing root causes like poverty and inequality to reduce the need for policing.

Legitimacy

The belief that law and authority are fair and just.

procedural justice

fairness of legal processes increases compliance

instrumental justice 

people obey to avoid punishment 

normative justice

people obey because they believe the law is right

social contract theory

people surrender freedoms for protection and fairness

structural inequality

systems privelege some groups over others

official statitsics 

data collected by police, courts, and government 

dark figure of crime

crime that goes unreported or unrecorded

victimization survey

surveys where people self-report being victims

social construction of crime

crime is defined by social power and interpretation

moral panic

exaggerated fear spread by media or politics

bias in policinhg

police discretion affects what gets recorded as crime

formal social control

rules enforced by institutions

informal social control

unwritten rules maintained through norms, peer pressure, family, etc

social learning theory (Sutherland)

Behaviour learned through interaction, imitation, and reinforcements

differential associtaion

we learn deviance from people we associate with the most

labeling theory

being classified as “deviant” can lead to a deviant identity

internalization of norms

adopting social rules as one’s own

conformity vs deviance

following rules vs breaking them