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Hirschi Social Control Theory of Crime
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Providing in depth lecture notes about Hirschi's social crime theory about the general theories described by his research.
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Hirschi’s social control theory of crimeSociological theories of crime have traditionally been split into 3 base trends:
Anomie/ strain
Differential association/ learning
Control
Most criminological theories are based on aetiological causal reasoning
Focus is on motivations for crime, determinants of crime
Control theories use a different perspective
Rather than crime/ criminality being an abnormal act/ behaviour/ trait, control
theorists argue that it is both normal and prevalent
The question they are concerned with therefore is not ‘what causes crime?’ but
rather ‘why don’t some people commit crime?’
Social bond theory:
- Hirschi completed his PhD in sociology at Berkeley in 1968. This formed the
foundation of book causes of Delinquency
- Sociology was heavily influenced by the sociology of the Chicago School but had
begun to deviate away from its focus on urban studies and social learning
- Site of many student protests (Free speech, civil rights) and was seen as a ‘radical’
sociological development
- This was reflected in many of the works that emerged from that department
The social bond theory of Hirschi is incredibly simple (through thoroughly and robustly
argued) and hinges on three premises:
Firstly, that motivation towards delinquency/ criminality is widespread
Secondly, that delinquency and social bonds are inversely related
Thirdly, that there are 4 elements to social bonds: attachment, commitment,
involvement, belief
- Fundamentally social bonds (indirectly) constrain young people’s delinquency as
those behaviours threaten their social bonds
- Bonds create a ‘psychological presence’ that influences a young person’s thinking/
action
Attachment
- Emotional investment in relationships
- Anti- social/ criminal behaviour threatens those relationships/ investment
Commitment
- Commitment to present/ future opportunities
- Criminality jeopardises those potentialalities
Involvement
- Activities which bring satisfaction, enjoyment
- Criminality threatens
Belief
- Shared/ adherence to dominant value systems/ norms (Sampson and Laub’s theory)
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