Juvenile Justice, Week 6, Thompson, W.E. & Bynum, J.E. (2013). Sociological explanations of juvenile delinquency. In Juvenile Delinquency, 9th Ed. New York, NY: Pearson, pp. 91- 113.

Differential Association Theory (Sutherland & Cressey)

Delinquent/criminal behavior is learned through contact and interaction with people who accept model or reward delinquency.

Most Important Proposition of Differential Association

Delinquency occurs when definitions favorable to law violation outweigh definitions unfavorable to law violation.

Differential Identification (Daniel Glaser)

Direct interaction is not enough; delinquency depends on how strongly a youth identifies with a delinquent person or role model.

Differential Reinforcement Theory (Ronald Akers)

Delinquency is learned through rewards and punishments.

Operant Conditioning (B. F. Skinner)

Behavior is shaped by its consequences; rewarded or reinforced behavior is more likely to be repeated while punished or non-reinforced behavior is less likely to continue.

Vicarious Reinforcement

Seeing another person rewarded for a behavior may encourage a youth to imitate that behavior.

Direction of Causation Problem

Delinquent peers may cause delinquency but already-delinquent youths may also seek each other out so delinquent groups may concentrate delinquency rather than originally cause it.

Operationalization Criticism of Social Learning Theory

Some concepts are difficult to define and measure; for example a criminalistic tradition may be identified by high crime rates making the explanation potentially circular.

Containment Theory (Walter Reckless)

Conformity is maintained through two protective barriers called inner containment and outer containment.

Inner Containment

Internal controls such as self-control positive self-concept and internalized social norms.

Outer Containment

External social controls such as laws rules prohibitions institutions and law enforcement.

Push Factors

Internal pressures toward delinquency such as mental conflict anxiety alienation and frustration.

Pull Factors

Environmental attractions toward delinquency such as gangs or criminal subcultures.

Techniques of Neutralization (Sykes & Matza)

Youths may know conventional rules and feel guilt or shame but temporarily rationalize delinquency so they can violate those rules.

Denial of Responsibility

Youth claim delinquency was not really their choice and blame circumstances such as family environment or poverty.

Denial of Injury

Youth claim nobody was really hurt and may treat acts such as theft or vandalism as harmless.

Denial of the Victim

Youth claim the victim deserved the harm and reframe the act as justified retaliation.

Condemnation of the Condemners

Youth shift attention to the hypocrisy or wrongdoing of parents police teachers or other critics.

Appeal to Higher Loyalties

Loyalty to friends gangs siblings or another small group is treated as more important than society's rules.

Subterranean Values

Conventional adult society sometimes quietly values excitement risk thrills and irresponsibility making juvenile rationalizations easier.

Delinquency and Drift (Matza)

Most juvenile delinquents are not delinquent all the time but drift between conformity and deviance.

Episodic Release from Moral Restraints

Youths temporarily loosen their commitment to conventional rules commit delinquent acts and then return to conformity.

Successful Neutralization

Successful rationalization makes it easier for youths to temporarily suspend normal moral restraints.

Will (Matza)

Opportunity perceived low risk of getting caught or a desire to demonstrate daring can help trigger delinquency.

Social Bond Theory (Travis Hirschi)

A heavily tested theory of adolescent delinquency arguing that strong bonds to conventional society promote conformity while weak or absent bonds increase the likelihood of delinquency.

Social Bond

A connection between youth and conventional people goals institutions and values.

Strength of Social Bonds

Strong bonds lead to greater conformity while weak or absent bonds increase the likelihood of delinquency.

Attachment

Emotional connection and concern for parents teachers peers and others; caring about their opinions discourages delinquency.

Commitment

Investment in conventional goals such as education employment reputation and future success; delinquency risks losing these investments.

Involvement

Spending time and effort on conventional activities leaves less opportunity for delinquency.

Belief

Accepting society's rules and laws as legitimate and morally valid encourages conformity.

Criticism of Social Control Theory – Equal Motivation

The assumption that everyone naturally has the same underlying potential or motivation for delinquency is controversial.

Criticism of Social Control Theory – Social and Environmental Influences

Social and environmental influences may matter more than some control theories initially assume.

Criticism of Social Bond Theory – Serious Delinquency

Research suggests social bonds may predict minor deviance better than serious delinquency.

Motive Mongering

A criticism of neutralization theory in which researchers assume a youth is guilty and then construct supposed rationalizations for the behavior.

Sutherland & Cressey

Differential Association Theory.

Daniel Glaser

Differential Identification.

Ronald Akers

Differential Reinforcement Theory.

Walter Reckless

Containment Theory.

Sykes & Matza

Techniques of Neutralization.

Matza

Delinquency and Drift.

Travis Hirschi

Social Bond Theory.