CRIM 104 Lecture 5 - Social Control Theories PDF

CRIM 104 Lecture 5 Social Control Theories - Emile Durkheim - Consensus theorist - Coined the term "anomie", initiated strain theory - Believed moral order more fundamental than economic order - Takes for granted that most people, or a consensus, share the same values, mo...

CRIM 104 Lecture 5 Social Control Theories - Emile Durkheim - Consensus theorist - Coined the term "anomie", initiated strain theory - Believed moral order more fundamental than economic order - Takes for granted that most people, or a consensus, share the same values, morals, and beliefs - Committed to preserving the social system - Regarded society as "an organism" greater than its parts - Durkheim's "Society of Saints" - Crime is a social fact and exists in all societies - What is defined as crime varies from society to society - Illustrates this using 'society of saints' example - Even in this society there would still be crime - However, criminal acts would be very minor - This is what he means when he says crime is a social fact - Conformity - Conformity cannot be taken for granted - Underlying assumption - Conformity and social control require socialization - Socialization: learning everything from language, proper behaviour, social conventions, and norms through education, parental supervision + training, and through peer groups - Non-conformity can be expected when social controls are ineffective - Origins of Social Control - Concerned with social disorganization + community breakdown - (Chicago School) - Social Disorganization: - Meant that juveniles didn't receive necessary support/ supervision, thus freeing them from the type of social controls that would prevent them from engaging in deviant/ criminal behaviour - Weakening controls (no parental supervision, etc.) lead to delinquency - People are selfish and act in their own self-interest (Hobbesian assumption) - [\*\*WHY DON'T people commit crime?\*\*] - Social Disorganization & Social Control - Social disorganization leads to a breakdown in **informal social control** - When informal social controls break down, societies become more inclined to turn to **formal social controls** - e.g. police, courts, prisons - Social Context of Control Theory - Came after the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and WW2 - People tired of fighting, starving, economic fall-out, etc. - Time of the "American Dream"---stereotypical American family - TV shows like *Leave it to Beaver, Lassie,* and *Father Knows Best* illustrate this - Social Context, cont'd. - Civil rights movement - Anti-war protests - Rock and roll music - Beatniks and hippies - Black power movement - The feminist movement - Homosexuality also started to surface - \*\*People start to turn to religion and the government to control chaos\*\* - Born-Again Christian movement really got going - Some events viewed as progressive/ positive - Others struggling for power - REISS'S Control Theory - Early control theorist associated with Chicago School - Combined psychoanalytic ideas (from Freud) with sociological concepts - Said delinquency could result from - Lack of development in internal control - Family, parenting - Breakdown for internal control - Drastic change in environment, foster care - Absence of/ conflict in rules - Family, friends, close others - Talked about how people conform through "acceptance" and/or "submission" - Containment Theory - Developed by Walter Reckless (1961) - Family and other social bonds control delinquent behaviour - **Inner Containment** - Components of the "self" - E.g., self-control, good self-image, frustration tolerance - **Outer Containment** - Social environment - E.g., family supervision and values, institutional reinforcement - May pressure a person into crime: - **Internal Pushes** - E.g. restlessness, impatience and anger - **External Pulls** - E.g., poverty, unemployment, influence of the media, or influence of delinquent friends - Inner + Outer Containment control/ contain crime - If these containments are weak, a person will be more susceptible to the pushes + pulls - Neutralization Theory - Developed by Sykes and Matza (1957) - If pressures to commit crime are so great, then why aren't more people criminals - Apart from committing crimes, why are criminals mostly like normal people? - Only different because got caught + labelled - Techniques of Neutralization - Delinquents did not need to learn different values in order to commit crimes, rather learned techniques through delinquent peer groups to excuse their criminal behaviour - Denial of responsibility - "It isn't my fault" - "The Devil made me do it" - Denial of injury - "He isn't really hurt" - Denial of victim - "He had it coming" - Condemnation of the condemners - "The government steals more money than I ever could" - "These big corporations steal from everybody---how dare they accuse me of pirating software?" - Appeal to higher loyalties - "He was on our territory" - Dreamt up rationalizations, justifications, excuses for actions - Makes treatment/ rehab especially difficult - Hirschi's Social Bond Theory (1969) - Form of social control theory - Four Strands of the Bond: - Attachment - Ties to conventional activities, institutions, and individuals - Commitment - Getting an education, vocational training, and eventually a good job - Involvement - Time spent in/with conventional activities, institutions, and individuals - Belief - Shared values---it's wrong to steal, people should respect the law - NEAT TRICK - **H**ershey's **C**hocolate **I**s **A**lways **B**etter - **H**irschi **C**ommitment **I**nvolvement **A**ttachment **B**elief - Why is it popular? - Social control theory popular because it conforms to public perceptions of why people become criminal - Also popular because it combines elements of anomie/ strain theory, social disorganization, and differential association theory - i.e. Chicago School - The Chicken or the Egg? (Act II) - Does a weakened social bond contribute to delinquency, or does delinquency contribute to a weakened social bond? - The Last Word: Practical Effects - Focus on strengthening social control institutions - Suggests providing rec. programs and social clubs (4-H, Boy/Girl Scouts) to keep kids out of crime - Early intervention programs + reintegration policing