Theories of Crime: 1950-1960

Defining Inner Containment
- Involves self-control and self-perception.
- To commit crime, individuals must overcome their inner controls which dictate their self-concept and personal restraint.
Defining Outer Containment
- Involves influences from family, peer groups, and societal structures.
- Breaking through these external controls is also necessary for deviant behavior.

Extreme Ideas
- Kaczynski exhibited a breakdown in inner control, indicated by his radical thoughts and self-perception.
Isolation
- His choice to live away from societal engagements diminished outer controls which normally regulate behavior.
- Result: He managed to break through both inner and outer containments leading to his criminal activities.

Context of Theory
- Delinquency is viewed as a symptom of the failure of personal and social controls.
- Personal Control
  - Individual restraint over actions that could conflict with societal norms.
- Social Control
  - The effectiveness of social groups in influencing behavior.
Example Case: Central Park Five
- Five boys wrongfully accused of raping a jogger.
- Lacked parental social control during police questioning, weakening their inner controls, leading to false confessions.
  - They felt compelled to admit guilt to escape interrogation pressures.

Concept of Drift
- Individuals oscillate between conformity and delinquency.
- Not all criminals are always engaged in criminal behavior; they drift in and out.

Denial of Responsibility
- Ex: A teen vandalizing property blames peer pressure.
Denial of Injury
- Ex: An employee embezzles, believing the company won’t miss the money.
Denial of the Victim
- Ex: An assaulter argues the victim provoked the assault.
Condemnation of the Condemners
- Ex: A student caught cheating accuses teachers of bias.
Appeal to Higher Loyalties
- Ex: A gang member commits violence for group allegiance.

The Prosperous 1950s
- Economic boom for white families, especially with favorable tax codes post-WWII.
- More families owned homes and televisions leading to increased stability and conformity among the population.
Changes in the 1960s
- Rise of civil rights and feminist movements.
- Anti-Vietnam War protests initiated a wave of social turmoil and questioning of authority.

General Theory of Crime
- Explains criminality across different demographics and factors, prioritizing social bonds.
Components of Social Control
- Social Bonds: Bonds to social groups prevent delinquency through fear of negative consequences.
Conformity as a Tool
- Conformity maintains social bonds; weakened bonds decrease conformity.

Four Types of Commitment
- Calculated Commitment: Pursuing goals from the group.
- Attitudinal Commitment: Exhibiting supportive attitudes towards the group.
- Behavioral Commitment: Engaging in expected behaviors even without attitudinal alignment.
- Identity Commitment: Seeing oneself as part of the group and practicing its norms even outside the group context.

Attachments
- Strong emotional ties to parents, peers, and authority figures play a crucial role in preventing deviance.
- Weak attachments increase susceptibility to joining deviant groups.

Nature of Self-Control
- Developed in childhood through familial structures and societal expectations.
- Self-control is identified as a key factor in the likelihood of criminal behavior.
Opportunity and Crime
- Criminal acts are more frequent when individuals have lower self-control and higher opportunity for crime.

Weaknesses in Hershey's Theory
- Did not adequately address frustrations related to social inequalities like race and gender.
- Lacks attention to external factors like economic disorganization.
Comparison to Akers' Differential Association
- Hershey challenges the notion that criminality is solely learned behavior.
- Emphasizes the role of self-interest in decision-making related to crime.