The specific mechanisms for intervention would include sentencing juvenile offenders to mandatory suspension of social relationships deemed capable of precipitating delinquent or criminal conduct in lieu of harsher penalties. Another mechanism might be the strict enforcement of particular municipal codes, such as ordinances prohibiting the public assembly of groups of individuals or the promulgation of such legislation for that purpose where existing legislation is lacking in that regard.
Likewise, the strict enforcement of other commonly overlooked activities technically prohibited by ordinance, such as the timely vacating of parks promptly at closing time, loitering on private commercial property adjacent to convenience stores, and truancy statutes would all be incorporated into a Differential Association-oriented approach to delinquency prevention.
More generally, that concept of delinquency prevention would necessarily emphasize police enforcement of any statutes conducive to discouraging gathering and loitering in the manner often associated with deviant group culture and habit. However, it is doubtful that such a program could prevent serious criminally-oriented associations.
Social Bonding Theory-Based Delinquency Prevention:
Because Social Bonding Theory considers deviant group association to be symptoms of preexisting predisposition to deviance rather than its cause, a Social
Bonding Theory-based delinquency program would not emphasize strict enforcement of ordinances designed to disrupt gatherings of individuals. Instead, that approach to preventing delinquency would focus on providing social outlets and opportunities within the community and its institutions designed to promote positive social bonds as a means of preventing the development of social disaffection and...
All of these elements would be designed to help identify youths at risk of greater susceptibility to disaffection and deviant influences by virtue of poor social bonding in connection with providing alternate opportunities for some of the beneficial social bonds otherwise lacking in their lives. In some cases, the program would seek to strengthen the quality of social bonds within families through inclusive activities; in other cases, the program would seek to provide healthy alternative opportunities for social bonding for individual youths whose family situations or immediate social environment outside the school does not include adequate social bonds to ensure healthy social environment.
In all likelihood, the Social Bonding approach to preventing deviance would encounter its greatest difficulty in connection with criminal gangs, precisely because of the extent to which they already provide substitute social bonds for those traditionally found within families of origin (Pinizzotto, Davis, & Miller, 2007).
References
Henslin, J. (2002). Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach Boston: Allyn
and Bacon.
Macionis, J. (2003). Sociology 9th Ed New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Pinizzotto, a., Davis, E., Miller, C. (2007). "Street Gang Mentality: A Mosaic of Remorseless Violence and Relentless Loyalty." FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,
Sep/07: 1-7.
