control 2/3: Control Theories and Crime

Aging and Crime

Aging as a Factor: Some psychologists argue that aging, combined with low self-control, explains involvement in crime and deviance.
Meaning of Aging: When questioned, the psychologists clarify that aging isn't a proxy for maturity or physical mobility; it is considered an independent variable causing crime.
Self-Control and Parenting: Self-control is instilled by parents through effective parenting techniques, ideally by age 8-10. Lack of self-discipline during childhood can lead to difficulties in adulthood.

Example of Military Discipline: A student from Singapore attributed his academic success to the compulsory military service in Singapore, which instilled a high level of self-discipline.
Critical Period for Learning: Similar to language acquisition, self-discipline is best learned early in life. Failure to instill self-discipline in childhood can lead to lifelong challenges.
Measuring Success: Student success on exams may reflect not only knowledge but also self-discipline and social class.

Rejection of Deprivation Theory: The psychologists dismiss theories that link crime to deprivation, peer influence, biological factors, or criminal careers.
Nature of Crime: Most crimes are considered mundane, simple acts satisfying immediate desires, not requiring planning or skill.
Organized Crime: The existence of organized crime is questioned, comparing belief in it to belief in God, suggesting it is a creation of media and politicians.

Target Hardening: Making targets less attractive to opportunistic criminals can deter crime (e.g., locking cars, driving unattractive vehicles).
Parental Monitoring: Parents need to monitor their children's behavior, recognize deviant behavior, and administer appropriate punishment.
Challenges in Parenting: Many parents don't know their children's friends, whereabouts, or online activities. Over-involvement (helicopter parenting) is also not ideal.
Recognizing Deviant Behavior: Parents often fail to recognize or address deviant behavior in their children.
Appropriate Punishment: Parents should balance leniency and discipline, avoiding the extremes of being overly permissive or harsh.

Drug Addiction: Addicts, like those using crystal meth, may exhibit self-harming behaviors due to low self-control.
Example of crystal meth addiction, causing lesions due to a weakened immune system. Cocaine use can lead to nosebleeds due to damage to the sinus cavity.
Self-Control Invariance: The idea that self-control remains constant throughout life is debatable. It is questioned whether self-control is as fixed as IQ.
Early Intervention: Doubts are raised about whether individuals are destined for a life of struggle if they lack self-discipline by age 15.

Original Research: The Glueck study in 1953 identified 500 juvenile delinquents and measured various factors, aiming to predict criminal behavior.
Reanalysis of Data: Researchers reanalyzed the Glueck's original data and found only 49 of the original 500 subjects.
Desistance from Crime: Some individuals desisted from crime due to factors like supportive relationships, military service, or guidance from mentors.
Critique of Reanalysis: The small sample size (49 out of 500) raises questions about the validity of the findings.
Mortality and Low Self-Control: The original researchers argued that the high mortality rate among the original subjects was due to causes associated with low self-control, such as risk-taking behaviors.
Measuring Self-Control: Self-control is difficult to measure directly, similar to theoretical concepts in physics (e.g., string theory).

Need for Practical Solutions: A theory's effectiveness is tied to its provision of practical solutions for reducing crime and victimization.
Government Intervention: The idea of a government-created manual guiding parents on raising children is proposed.
Selective Incapacitation: The concept of early intervention, such as boot camps for children exhibiting problematic behavior, was considered but deemed problematic due to potential errors in prediction.
**Early Risk Assessment: P(correct) = 95 \% with accuracy of only 95%.
Error Rate: Concerns were raised about falsely identifying individuals as future criminals.
Gender Imbalance: Control theories struggle to explain the gender imbalance in crime rates.

Gender Socialization: The suggestion that females are more socializable than males is presented and criticized.
Power Control Theory: John Hagan's power control theory is mentioned as a more solid approach to understanding crime and deviance.

Control Theories Overview: Control theories focus on why people don't commit crime, emphasizing socialization and self-control.
Nature of Crime: Crime is seen as enjoyable and impulsive, with individuals deterred by socialization.
Challenges in Reducing Crime: Inducing positive change and reducing crime is difficult from a control theory perspective.