Differential Association (forensics)

Question 1

What is socialisation

Answer 1

Offending behaviour is learned through the relationships and connections we form with people around us

Question 2

What is the first part to Sutherlands theory

Answer 2

Learned attitudes towards crime
-social transmission of values, motiviations and rationalisations for committing crime and law

-pro crime attitudes outweighs anti-crime attitudes

Question 3

What is the second part of Sutherlands theory

Answer 3

Learning of specific criminal acts
- such learning involves the development of techniques used to commit crime

Question 4

What is the nature-nurture argument to differential association?

Answer 4

• Focuses on nurture, ignores innate factors

Question 5

What is the free will-determinism argument to differential association?

Answer 5

• Leans toward environmental determinism.

Question 6

What is the culture bias argument to differential association?

Answer 6

• Assumes universal definitions of crime, ignoring cultural
  differences.

Question 7

Strengths of differential association

Answer 7

+ Wide Reach: explains why a
wide range of crimes may occur, including white collar crime which is thought to be a
feature of middle-class
offenders.

+ Provides a different perspective: Moved theories of
offending behaviour away from
early biological explanations, such as the atavistic theory, or blaming the person’s sense of morality. Instead considering criminality resulting from pro-criminal environments and circumstances.

+ Farrington et al

Question 8

Limitations of differential association

Answer 8

• However, runs the risk of assuming that those who are exposed to criminality in their environments will offend – as not everyone exposed to pro-criminal attitudes goes onto offend. (Nomothetic)