Chapter 3Individual Views of
Delinquency: Choice and Trait
What’s new?
Grades and Grading Comments
Questions and Concerns
Chapter Goals
General context of individual views of delinquency
Be familiar with and distinguish between the two branches of individual-level theories of delinquency
Know the principles of choice theory Discuss the routine activities theory of delinquency Know the principles of general deterrence theory Discuss the concept of general deterrence theory Trace the history and development of trait theory Be familiar with the branches and substance of
biological trait theory
Scientific Method
Scientific Method Hypothesis - guess Experimentation – trials Data – collecting results Theory
Educated guess Effort to explain or make sense of data Foundation of criminology and the basis of
action – everything done in criminology is based on this
Doesn’t apply to Everyone!
Choice Theory
Philosophers formed the Core of Rational Choice Theory
Choice Theory holds that the decision to violate the law comes after a careful weighing of the benefits
Delinquents choose to commit crime because they find violating the law attractive…
The Rational Delinquent
The view that delinquents choose to violate the law remains a popular approach to the study of delinquents
In reality, many youths from affluent families choose to break the law
Delinquent motives include: Economic need/opportunity Problem solving False expectations Opportunity
Routine Activities Theory
Developed by Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson
The view that crime is a normal function of the routine activities of modern living
To have a crime, a motivated offender must come to the same place as an attractive target.
Choice Theory and Delinquency Prevention
General Deterrence Crime control policies that depend on the fear of
criminal penalties, i.e long prison sentences for violent crime
Specific Deterrence Sending convicted offenders to secure incarceration
facilities so that punishment is severe enough to convince them not to repeat their criminal activity
Choice theory helps us understand criminal events
and victim patterns
Poll
Poll – Juvi 2, Poll 1, 2, 3
Do you think that people who commit crime are physically or mentally abnormal?
Is there a link between sugar and antisocial behavior?
Is there a link between hormones and antisocial behavior?
Trait Theories: Biosocial and Psychological Views
Both biological and psychological traits have been linked to criminal behavior, but not as causal linkages.
It is the “multiple factor” approach or the interaction of mental and physical traits with environmental and social factors that either suppress or trigger criminal behavior.
The focus is generally on persistent or chronic offenders.
Biosocial Theories of Delinquency
Focuses on the association between biological makeup, environmental conditions, and antisocial behaviors
There’s evidence that a child’s diet may influence his/her behavior (consider sugar)
Hormonal levels are an explanation of why there are gender differences in delinquency It’s possible that increased levels of testosterone
are responsible for excessive violence among teenage boys
Neurological Dysfunction
Condition in which a child shows a developmentally inappropriate lack of attention and response to impulse
Studies show that arrested children tend to have a higher LD than children in the general population
Learning Disabilities
Teenage Brains
ADHD
Teenage brains make them crime prone
Psychological Theories of Delinquency
Many delinquent youths have unhealthy home lives Psychodynamic Theory
Branch of psychology that holds that the human personality is controlled by the unconscious mental processes – have you ever had a smell or a song that reminds you of something?
Behavioral Theory Argument that personality is learned throughout life
during interaction with others Cognitive Theory
Studies the perception of reality and the mental processes required to understand the world we live in
Critiquing Trait Theory Views
The research methodologies that are employed are invalid and/or poorly designed
Personality and IQ are spread evenly across the social structure
If individual traits were the true cause of delinquency, then it too should be spread evenly across society, but it isn’t.
Trait Theory and Delinquency Prevention
Prevention efforts should be directed at strengthening a youth’s home life and relationships
We should focus on testing and correcting deficiencies with meds or counseling
Individual approaches have been used to prevent adjudicated youths from engaging in further criminal activities
Critics argue that the more we try to help youths, the more likely they will be to see themselves as different or as troublemakers
www.cengage.com/cj/siegel
Larry J. SiegelBrandon C. Welsh
David R. Montague, Lisa Hutchinson & Sharniece R. HughesUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock
Chapter 4Sociological Views
of Delinquency
Chapter Goals
General Context of Sociological Views of Delinquency Be familiar with the association between social
conditions and crime Discuss the effect of racial disparity on delinquency Describe the principles of social disorganization theory Be familiar with recent developments in strain theory Discuss the concepts of social process and
socialization Discuss the elements of social control theories Explain how the labeling process is related to
delinquent careers
Broader Picture of Youth…
Many troubled youths aren’t able to turn around their lives – they don’t know where to begin and lack the physical and mental resources necessary
Most delinquents are indigent and desperate
Delinquents often live in tough urban environments in families torn apart and in stress
What impact might these facts have on youth?
Social Factors and Delinquency
What are the social factors believed to cause or affect delinquent behaviors? Interpersonal interactions (relationships) Community ecological conditions (environment) Social change Socioeconomic status (poverty)
Minority poverty The consequences of racial disparity and poverty
take a harsh toll on minority youths About 6% of white, 11% of black and 22% of
Hispanics drop out of high school each year There are more blacks in prison than in college in
the US
Social Structure Theories
Oscar Louis coined the phrase “culture of poverty” The view that lower class people form a
separate culture with their own values and norms (smoking dope, living on welfare, and stealing cable are OK)
The impoverished are deprived of a standard of living enjoyed by the other citizens
The theories tie delinquency rates to both socioeconomic conditions (e.g. poverty, neighborhood deterioration) and cultural values
Social Structure Theories, cont.
Social Disorganization Relative Deprivation- condition that exists when people
of wealth and poverty live in close proximity to one another (“They have everything and we have nothing – it’s not fair”)
Community Change – poorer neighborhoods are transient
Community Fear – don’t get involved Poverty Concentration Collective Efficacy- process in which mutual trust and a
willingness to intervene in the supervision of children and help maintain public order create a sense of well-being – it takes a village to raise a child
Gangs - some of the most common reasons for joining a gang -- status and belonging
Social Process Theories: Socialization and Delinquency
Sociologists argue that the root cause of delinquency may be traced to learning delinquent attitudes from peers, experiencing conflict in the home, etc.
Socialization is the process of guiding people into acceptable behavior patterns
Early socialization experiences have a lifelong influence on self-image, values, and behaviors
The 2nd main branch of the social process approach, suggests that the cause of delinquency resides in the strength of the relationships a child forms with conventional individuals and groups
Critical Theory
Society is in a constant state of internal conflict Those in power use the justice system to
maintain their status while keeping others subservient (sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine)
The poor may or may not commit more crimes than the rich, but they are certainly arrested more often (would OJ have been convicted the first time if he wasn’t rich?)
Theory and Delinquency Prevention
Social programs have been designed to reduce/eliminate delinquency
Delinquency can be prevented by strengthening the socialization process (Head Start type programs)
Restorative justice An approach that relies on non-punitive
strategies for delinquency control