socio crime

gender socialisation

• learning of socially approved behaviours

• gender norms, values and attitudes that have been associated with a biological sex

social learning theory

• learn gender specific behaviours from our same sex parent

• men: typically at work

• boys being socialised by mothers rebel against feminine behaviour in search of masculine influence

socialisation through male peer groups

encourage behaviours that are likely to lead to criminal behaviours

sex role theory

• girls socialised: supervised, controlled

• boys socialised: rougher, more opportunity to be deviant

• women internalise values of care and empathy; reduce likelihood of committing crime → less likely to harm others

gender eval: chivarly factor

• women don’t commit less crime, treated less harshly when they do

• CJS male dominated, socialised to have protective attitudes towards women

• leads to less sentences, less chance of conviction compared to male offenders

• therefore, lower numbers seen in crime statistics for women

gender eval: ignores nature

• testosterone levels - high levels linked to aggression, higher in males

• evolutionary influence - males: protector, females: carer

• oestrogen - linked to empathy/ caregiver behaviours, higher in women

gender eval: crime stats

• heidensohn suggested gender differences are most significant feature of recorded crime

• 95% of uk prison pop male, men more cautioned than women

• men are 8x more likely for robbery and drug offences

• therefore, showcases gender differences in crime

differential association

• considered social learning theory

• slt: behaviour is learned through observation, imitating and vicarious reinforcement

criminal behaviour is learnt from intimate groups

• insider trading, purse snatching

• family, school friends, neighbourhood

three conditions to engage in criminal behaviour

• person has learned requisite skills for committing crime

• person has learned excess definitions favourable to crime of unfavourable

• has objective opportunity to carry out crime

child born into family where parents tax fraud

• ‘everyone cheats on their taxes’

• child hears reasons until join family business

• understate earnings on tax bills

diff assco: osborn and west

• found that 13% of sons with non-crime fathers had criminal convictions, compared with 40% of sons with crime fathers

• therefore, supports DA theory, suggests that crime behaviour can be learned from intimate parent child relationships

diff assco: practical applications

• three conditions needed to commit crime: necessary skills, high ratio of favourable definitions, opportunity

• all conditions removed, amount of crime behaviour demonstrated should be reduced

• e.g. if family is known to be criminal, any children should be removed

• therefore, shows understanding of DA theory is useful

diff assco: difficult to explain smaller crimes

• burglary, pickpocketing - easy to learn skills from others and find opportunity

• struggles to explain violent, impulsive crimes that are often committed alone such as murder

• unlikely that these crimes learned or many people have favourable definitions for them

• therefore, shows that theory is limited, reduces understanding of crim behaviour