Theories of Crime and Delinquency

The Best Theory in Essential Criminology

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Date of Submission The Best Theory in Essential Criminology

In all societies , the behavior of some people at times goes beyond that permitted by the norms . Norms have teeth , and teeth that can bite Rewards and penalties are associated with them . In modern societies , the state is the mechanism by which a good many norms , known as laws , are enforced . Laws are not neutral : They tend to favor some group 's interests , and they embody some group 's values

. In brief society 's so-called deviants are likely to become caught up in the elaborate social machinery of the criminal justice system , or the reactive agencies of the state that include the police , the courts , and prisons . This is the premise of Mark M . Lanier and Stuart Henry 's book Essential Criminology

Cultural deviance theories , as one group , are the best theories to explain criminal tendencies in the society . In Essential Criminology these are articulated by Mark M . Lanier and Stuart Henry . As reviewed by Lanier and Henry , cultural deviance theories show that socially disapproved behaviors can arise through the same processes of socialization as socially approved ones . They are particularly useful for understanding why deviance varies from group to group and from society to society . Specifically , they are broken down into structural strain theory , Tarde 's theory , Sutherland 's differential association theory , and Miller 's notorious focal concerns

Structural strain theory provides us with insight on how society may unwittingly contribute to deviance by the way it structures its goals and opportunities . A number of other sociologists have emphasized the similarities between the way deviant behavior is acquired and the way in which other behavior is acquired

Tracing back down the historical timeline , Lanier and Henry say that one of the first was French sociologist Gabriel Tarde , who in the late nineteenth century formulated a theory of imitation to explain deviance He contended that criminals , like good people , imitate the ways of individuals they have met , known , or heard about . But in contrast to law-abiding people , they imitate other criminals

Going further deep into the cultural deviance theoretical cluster Lanier and Henry reckon that a number of decades later , sociologists formulated the subcultural theories derived from the investigations done in some areas of Chicago . They undertook a series of investigations and found that in certain neighborhoods delinquency rates were stable from one period to another despite changes in ethnic composition . They concluded that delinquent and criminal behaviors are culturally transmitted from one generation to the next . From this viewpoint , it is natural that youths living in high-crime areas should acquire delinquent lifestyles . Moreover , as new ethnic groups enter a neighborhood , their children learn the delinquent patterns from the youth already there Hence , the subcultural theorists contended that residents in a certain neighborhood or community become delinquent because they associate and make friends with other residents who are already delinquent

Re-examining their fellow sociologist , Henry and Lanier looked at...