Social Structural Theory

Social Structural Theories states that crime is based on class, family, education, religious, economic or political institutions that could have an influence on whether or not an individual will par-take in crime. For instance, a delinquent growing up in a home with two parents is less likely to take part in crime rather than a delinquent who grows up in a single home. The reason behind this statement is that growing up in a home with two parents makes a child less likely to commit a crime due to the child knows that punishment is not easy to escape from versus a child growing up in a single home where that child knows that it is easy to get over the parent especially if that one single parent works consistently or if the parent has more than …show more content…
Sutherland explained that criminal behavior is learned from learning the specific traits and techniques it takes to commit a crime. Sutherland also explained that in actually committing the crime, the actual motive, justification and attitude of the criminals is explained through the Differential Association Theory. The world is viewed differently according to this theory since delinquent behavior is learned from the different attitudes, beliefs or expectations of groups around. Sutherland explained delinquent behavior is learned just as easy as it takes an individual to enjoy food or even drive a …show more content…
In this theory, he looks at delinquency in a way which has led an individual to continue down the path of being a delinquent. By this meaning, the youth commits a crime but what about the youth whether its environment, home, personality, or motives makes a youth continue to commit crimes rather than stopping after the first crime. Akers believes this theory can explain social structure and an individual 's behavior pertaining to crime that can either be reinforced or punished. There is positive reinforcement which is status being achieved when obtaining money from a robbery and negative reinforcement which is not being called a punk anymore after some act of bravery was achieved. Positive punishment is prison time given and negative punishment is the loss of a status when in a street if the individual