11).
Perhaps the most major and identifiable sociological theorist is Emile Durkheim. He literally helped formulate the ideas and theories of modern sociology, and many of the criminal justice theories are based on his ideas. Durkheim developed many of the modern theories of criminality, such as cultural disintegration, which can lead to an individual's gradual disassociation from society, with no bonds or commitments to a society that is dissolving around him or her. Durkheim felt this could help lead to deviant behavior and even suicide (Geiger & Fischer, 1995, p. 72). He also felt crime in society is normal, and it can even lead to desirable social reforms, ideas that were very revolutionary when he lived and worked in the late 19th century. Many later theorists used Durkheim's models, including social theorist Travis Hirschi, an expert in social control theory and delinquency.
Travis Hirschi is not the father of the social control theory, but his book, Causes of Delinquency, written in 1969 has been hailed as a landmark book in the field of control theory. He updated the book in 2002, and it is still the "Bible" of the social control theory. He believes that the cultural deviance theory helps explain why so many ghetto residents join gangs and become involved in criminal activities. He writes, "There is a very strong tendency for boys to have friends whose activities are congruent with their own attitudes" (Hirschi, 2002, p. 159). Thus, the social order of their environment is no longer family and value oriented, it is peer oriented, and this helps explain both the culture of gangs and the cultural devaince theory. These youths live ouside the mainstream of traditional society, and their values and needs are very different than a typical modern middle-class youth. They must survive, often in poverty, broken families, and with drug or alcohol-addicted parents and family members. Thus, their models for normalcy are far different than youths who grow up in a family with strong morals and ideals and pass those ideals through the family. The same youth in middle-America sees gang...
Reclaiming Children and Youth.. Retrieved October 02, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-206794465.html Wester, K, MacDonald, C & Lewis, T. (2008). A glimpse into the lives of nine youths in a correctional facility: Insight into theories of delinquency.(Report). Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling. American Counseling Association. 2008. Retrieved October 02, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-178713105.html Gibbs, J., Potter, G.B., DiBiase, a.M. & Devlin, R. (2008). The EQUIP program: Helping youth to
Less dramatically, in my own personal experience I have known people who have engaged in minor acts of delinquent behavior, for no apparent reason, and I have (successfully, I believe) had to deal with peer pressure to engage in antisocial acts. In this course I would like to learn more about the juvenile justice, theories of why young people commit crimes, and how someone's family influences the likelihood that they
Juvenile Delinquency Crime statistics from Chicago, Illinois testify to the increasing number of youth offenders. In 1989, the Chicago police reported that 64% of 274,000 their crimes were committed by individuals under the age of 25; 40% of these crimes were committed by teenagers under 18." (Malmgren, Abbott, & Hawkins, 1999) The recent headlines show that more and more kids are being expelled from schools for carrying guns, knives and for
In fact, many studies show that deviant or antisocial children may experience a strengthening of the bonds between parents and society in the process of their development. Therefore, while social control theory is one view, there are many alternative theories that take other findings and variables into account. In general, the view that a deviant child who does not change by a certain age is "condemned "to a life of
In those cases, "deviance" from socially accepted values would be considered a positive response rather than "delinquency" in an objective sense. Alternate ideas, such as differential association formulated by Sutherland (Pfohl 1994), in particular, demonstrate that even in contemporary American society, social values are extremely subjective and that specific populations - most notably, incarcerated prisoners - form their own societal norms and shared values that contradict those of larger society and
Sociology Portfolio The social experience evolves around different dimensions that influence people's everyday experiences and realities in life. Inherent in every event, interaction, individual, and even tangible material/artifact are reflective of a specific kind of social order. Everything is social, and using this premise, this Sociology Portfolio provides a survey of literature and relevant material that illustrate the role that social experience plays in the development of current and essential issues
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