Social Process Theory
the view that criminality is a function of people's interactions with various organizations, institutions, and processes in society; crime breeds from the process of social interactions and socialization with positive or negative effects
Dynamic Processes
changing and evolving al the time
Major Social Foundations
institutions and organizations like family, school, and friends
Theories of Socialization
1. Social Learning Theory
2. Social Control Theory
3. Social Reaction Theory (Labeling)
Socialization
process of human development and enculturation; reflects key processes and institutions; family school, peer group, community; individuals socialization determines likelihood of future criminality
Parental Efficacy
the ability of parents to be supportive of their children and effectively control them in no coercive ways
Crime is Influenced by
1. educational experience, 2. peer relations, 3. religion and beliefs
Social Learning Theory
the view that people learn the deviant techniques and antisocial attitudes of crime from close relationships with criminal peers; crime is a learned behavior
Differential Association Theory
the view that people commit crime when their social learning leads them to favor criminal behavior than favoring conventional behavior; learning is a product of interaction within intimate groups
Differential Reinforcement Theory
principal influence on behavior comes from intimate groups that control individuals; sources of reinforcement and punishment
Social Control Theory
the view that everyone has the potential to become a criminal but most people are controlled by their bonds to society; crime occurs when the forces that bind people to society are weakened or broken; modern society holds many opportunities for illegal activity; people obey law because of behavior and passions controlled by internal and external forces
Social Bonds
the ties that bind people to society, including relationships with friends, family, neighbors, teachers and employers
Elements of the Social Bond
1. Attachment
2. Commitment
3. Involvement
4. Belief
Social Reaction Theory
labeling theory"; the view that people become criminals when significant members of society label them as such and they accept those labels as a personal identity
Neutralization Theory
the view that law violators learn to neutralize conventional values and attitudes enabling them to drift back and forth between criminal and conventional behavior
Neutralization Techniques
(social learning theory) methods of rationalizing deviant behavior, such as denying responsibility or blaming the victim
Primary Deviance
a norm violation or crime that has little or no long term influence on the violator (typically adolescent); minor
Secondary Deviance
a norm violation or crime that comes to the attention of significant others or social control agents, who apply a negative label that has long term consequences for the violators self-identity or social interactions; major
Consequences of Labeling
when labels become basis of personal identity results are a damaged self image
1. Stigma
2. Retrospective Reading
3. Dramatization of Evil
Stigma
to apply negative labeling with enduring effects on a person's self image and social interactions
Retrospective Reading
the reassessment of a person's past to fit a current generalized label
Dramatization of Evil
joining deviant cliques; similarly outcast, delinquent peers
Differential Enforcement
law is differentially applied, those holding > social power; penalizing those with < social power; street crimes are punished more harshly than white collar crimes