Constructing Crime - Evolution and Implications of Sociological Theory (From New Directions in the Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders, P 196-254, 1981, Susan E Martin et al, ed. - See NCJ-80920)

• NCJ Number: 80921
• Author(s): L T Empey
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 59 pages
• Sale Source: National Academies Press
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The evolution of sociological theories of crime during this century is traced, and their changing implications for social policy are assessed.

Abstract

For each theory discussed, the following issues are considered: (1) the beliefs about human nature and social order upon which it is constructed, (2) its underlying logic and basic content, (3) implications for social policy and how it has actually affected policy, and (4) how well it withstands logical and empirical scrutiny. The first theory considered is cultural deviance theory, which hypothesizes that criminal acts are caused by learned beliefs that make crime an appropriate response to social conditions. The second major body of theory discussed is strain theory. On the one hand, strain theory is like culture deviance theory in that it assumes that human nature is inherently social; on the other hand, strain theory assumes that the social order is characterized by value consensus, not by conflict. Under this theory, pressures to be criminal are generated by the frustration of legitimate aspirations, not by immature fixations or pathological motives. In the symbolic interactionist theory, the third theory discussed, all persons are exposed to deviant as well as conformist traditions. Whether or not persons become delinquent depends on the kinds of groups in which they intimately participate. Psychological control theory, the fourth theory considered, focuses on the quality and character of an individual's bond to society as the crucial factor in determining conformity to normative values. The fifth theory examined, labeling theory, is like the symbolic interactionist theory in its assumption that human nature is relatively plastic and subject to change. This theory is far more concerned, however, with the stigmatizing effects of official reactions to offenders than with the interaction processes that produce illegal behavior initially. Radical theory, the final theory discussed, considers that crime is the product of a perpetual class struggle that creates inequities and injustices that constitute criminogenic conditions. A total of about 155 references are listed.