Theory of Delinquency

Furthermore, Cloward and Ohlin combine Merton and Cohen’s theories by stating that there is a legitimate opportunity such as passing exams and getting a job, and an illegitimate opportunity, such as gangs. They believe that the working class have easier access to the illegitimate structure meaning that it is easier for them to commit more crimes and so face more pressure to do so. Cloward and Ohlin claim that there are 3 types of subcultures: criminal subculture in which people climb the professional criminal hierarchy, conflict subculture in which there is little/no social cohesion and retreatest subcultures in which people fail in both the legitimate and illegitimate opportunity and retreat to things such as alcohol and drugs. This is useful when looking at explanations of crime as it highlights the

“Deviance in sociological context describes actions or behaviors that violate cultural norms including formally-enacted rules (e.g., crime) as well as informal violations of social norms.”

Subcultural theory assumes that criminal behavior is learned through participation in a group, like a family, that share “values and norms distinct from those of the majority” (Bohmert, Ph.D.). The Occupy Wall Street movement can be explained by subcultural theory by accepting that the connection that held the unity of those involved in the movement together was the similar frustration. Miriam Bohmert, Ph.D. cited Phil Cohen in lecture, stating, “Subcultures arise in response to special problems people face” (Bohmert, Ph.D.). An unsatisfactory amount of material wealth caused a subculture (the movement) to form. Due to the fact that protests are deviant gatherings, Anthony Giddens would describe the Occupy Wall Street movement’s following as a deviant subculture. Without the significant amount of citizens that were involved in the movement, participants would be less likely to become deviant because the movement would have less political influence and the potential for dangerous riots would be less threatening. Although Tibbetts claims that subcultures socialize their children to share their beliefs, and not all participants in the movement citizens who were socialized to be dissatisfied with those in power, subcultural theory is still represented because of the prevalence of a group that shared a similar frustration, thus creating a collective

In any and every society, there is a level of deviance or crime, no matter how big or small. Deviance is when the norms of a society are disregarded, while crime is when there is a defiance of laws within a society. Individuals who are deviant tend to be nonconforming to the society in which they live, challenging social expectations and deviating from what is considered the norm. Meanwhile, crime is a form of deviance that also discards norms, but in a way that breaks the laws of a certain society or community. When looking at deviance and crime in a micro-level perspective, there are three different theories often used to analyze the reasoning for both in a society. These theories include the Differential Association Theory, the Control Theory and the Labeling Theory. In further dissecting these theories, one can gain a greater insight into the workings of society.

Two different subculture theories link racial differences in crime to racial differences in social class: the subculture of violence theory particular the one proposed by Marvin Wolfgang and Franco Ferracuti and various theories on subculture of poverty. The subculture of violence is a theory that states that high rates of violence in inner-city communities existed because the people who live in the area carried pro-violence values and norms. The idea behind this is that people living in violent areas will become very use to the violence, allowing for people to normally carry the norms and values behind violence, therefore the people will be more violent. With that in mind, the subculture of poverty thesis says that the values of the poor directly cause crime because people with a certain kind of characteristics tend to engage in crime rather than patiently wait for opportunities. In addition to the subculture of poverty theory, people in poverty indirectly cause crime because their values do not hold education and hard work as high as those in more well off

Hence, as they argued, delinquency was not "constitutional", but was to be correlated with the particular ecological environment in which it occurs. Therefore, it was highly possible that the ethnic diversity interferes with communication among individuals from different ethnic backgrounds because of their different culture and customs, as well as the lack of shared experiences. This would possibly lead to the fear, mistrust, even conflict within the community, and therefore, increased the crime/delinquency rates. They also advocated the influence and determination of the criminal subculture by saying that this problematic subculture would promote the delinquency and worsen the situation.

A subculture is an offshoot of referential cultural but in essence very different from culture. The term subculture is commonly employed to signify shared systems of common values, norms and interests that distinguish certain people and societies from others. Thus, criminal or delinquent subcultures indicate systems of standards, morals and interests that endorse criminal or delinquent behavior. The numerous activities categorized in law as criminal are related to numerous delinquent subcultures. The standards, morals, or interests of these subcultures might back specific criminal acts, a restricted set of such actions (Anderson 1999). Trained criminals for instance are proud of their craft; manage their profession in order to keep them safe and their business proficient and usually stay away from other criminal involvement that might bring them to legal light. However, not all criminal subcultures that well organized. A number of are merely opportunistic, accepting several kinds of criminal behavior as opportunities come up. Hence specialization is rare in delinquent subcultures.

The Sub-cultural Theory is in reference to a smaller group of people within a larger group. The larger group might be the poverty stricken lower class society, and a sub culture to the larger group might be a smaller group such as the gangs (manly delinquent) that plague or cities and streets.

A review of a wide range of literature indicates that researchers have conducted significant research on this particular topic on juvenile delinquency and the impacts that the general strain theory has had in understanding such behaviors. However, the majority of these studies have not been able to provide a clear connection between the negative behaviors shown among teenagers and youths and their criminal behaviors. In most cases, researchers argue that such behaviors may come about due to

There has been a pleather of research regarding the issue of crime and deviance. A definition of crime and deviance can be explained in relative terms which are dependant on any particular society’s interpretation of crime and deviance. Cultures differ from one society to another and the general consensus of right and wrong can also evolve throughout time. Definitions of crime and deviance can evolve with factors such as time, pace and society. However the general definition of crime is that its an act that breaks the law and deviance refers to behaviour that most people see as differing from acceptable social norms or standards of society. The purpose of

Deviance can be defined as an absence of conformity to the social norm. Not all deviant behavior is necessarily illegal or harmful to individuals, these behaviors can range from standing in another’s personal space to murdering another individual. In some cases, it can be looked upon as a positive change or a unique and favorable act. Although, considered deviant because it is not the social norm, it still can have a very positive social aspect or lead to social change. Culture and the societies within these cultures have a significant impact on what is considered deviant and what is acceptable or even lawful behavior. The degree of deviance is measured by society’s reaction towards the action and the lawful sanctions that may take

A culture is the way of life of a particular group of people that is learned and shared. On the other hand subculture is described as the non-dominant group within a society, usually smaller groups as it is not the primary culture. A subculture is created based on an idea such as music, age, location, religion or even lifestyle. The subculture theory of delinquency explains the subculture that exists in society, which contains different value systems than the rest of society. The key element in the subculture theory of delinquency is to achieve an understanding of those who are seen as an outcast or delinquent.

Across the nation, social scientists and criminologists have researched and hypothesized the main contributing factors that promote juvenile delinquency. The Strain/ Anomie theory introduced by Robert Merton and later revised by several other theorists, attempts to explain why juvenile subculture tend to behave certain ways when confronted with pressures from everyday life. Revised by other theorists, the Strain theory attempts to provide the framework of juvenile delinquency and its sources in order to analyze the effectiveness of this assumption, as well as to implement certain crime prevention policies and programs to curb this problem. This paper is going to analyze how the Strain theory contributes it’s principles of delinquency

The term youth subcultures was first made and studied at the University Of Chicago in America (Blackman, 2003) . The school was of the sociological discipline and looked at subcultures as 'deviant ' groups, much of the research was conducted on gangs. The theorists were in disagreement with the picture the mass media had been painting about youth. This picture was of a homogeneous group in which class was not a factor and all youth adhered to one unified culture (Dvarionaite, 2015). Early American theorist of the Chicago school believed class was a leading factor as to why there was social disorganisation. Albert K. Cohen went on further to explain how class created divisions in society. Cohen described subcultures as emerging when, ' a number of actors with similar problems of social adjustment interact with one another and innovate new frames of reference. ' (Gelder and Thornton, pp 13, 1997). Cohen proved this through he 's work with young male delinquent

Through an understanding of causes of juvenile delinquency society may come to deal preventively with delinquency; certainly treatment of the offender needs to be based upon an understanding of the causal mechanisms that have produced him. In this paper we'll describe three theories of juvenile delinquency such as Social Learning Theory, General Strain Theory and Behavioral Theory and discuss appropriate preventive programs based upon these theories.