Francis Cullen Social Support Theory Case Study

Francis Cullen has developed a different sort of integrated theory of crime and delinquency. Cullen concentrates on the theme of social support implicit in many of the other theories and uses ten propositions to construct an integrated theory around this theme. Instrumental support can be seen as when an offender receives concrete aid in finding a job, receiving a grant for scholarship, and receive a loan from another source. Many theories say delinquents are very antisocial which leads to them turning to a life a crime. If an individual does not have a group which they can belong to, they will most likely turn to negative behavior which leads to a life a crime.
Not everybody is sociable, but the small percentage of the delinquents feels as such they are an outcast to the world. That can be a very disheartening feeling to anyone. If people do not feel welcomed earlier on they will most likely not …show more content…
Cullen give pointers that welfare and job programs help buffer the effects of poverty in these communities. Many people argue that these programs are handouts to lazy individuals that depend on government assistance. These programs have been proven to lower the crime in poverty stricken areas. Communities with high family dysfunctional, weak friendships networks, and low participation and voluntary organizations have more crime.
The third proposition of Cullen’s Social Support Theory is if a person has a strong support system from their family that individual will most likely not engage in criminal activity. If an individual has a strong economic support system, why would they involve themselves with criminal activity? It just does not make sense for a human to do anything such. Family support lower the children chances of breaking the law. Parents provide excessive support by doing activities, supervising activities with their friends, and showing