Crime and Deviance - Control Theory

Today I’m posting up a few points and criticisms of control theory. It’s not so well known as some of the other theories, but questions can and do come up on it, and it certainly reflects a lot of assumptions which crop up in public debate about crime, so evaluating it carefully is important.

Sociologists who use the concept of control

Durkheim
Social control and integration

Reckless

Inner containment – want family and career

Outer containment – type of social identity and community

Hirschi
Individuals selfish – lack of control will inevitably lead to crime

Strength of social bonds

More recent views - various sources:

Links to age and parenting styles

Youth lack self-control

Poor parenting skills – a key factor, rules not successfully enforced

Policies
More support for two-parent families
No/few unsupervised youth activities
Socialisation programmes for young people

Other versions of Control Theory

Administrative criminology’ Government, Home Office
Empirical basis/bias – what works?

Reduce opportunities for crime

Target hardening

CCTV

Anti-theft locks

Architecture – clear views, no hiding places, lighting, etc.

Neighbourhood Watch Schemes

UK – anti-terrorist measure – no bins at London rail stations

Zero tolerance

Power-Control Theory – Hagan

Less risk averse Individuals

Result of parenting styles and patriarchy – macho masculinity

Bernard 1987

Social bonds and commitment to them is of key importance

As criminals mature and have ‘normal’ commitments, e.g. family, work, it becomes more rational to stop offending – not worth it.

Criticism/evaluation

? Based on questionable assumptions about human nature – people ‘naturally’ selfish. 

? Neglectful of evidence for the selective enforcement of law and order

? Says little about gender or race – presumably it thinks these ‘categories’ are irrelevant?

? Reduces cause of crime to (questionable) individual characteristics

? Focuses on a very few types of crime – some of these are extreme

? Neglects power – e.g. class, race, gender, the state

? Useful to suggest asking why we don’t all commit crime – but answer to this is more complex than the theory allows for.

? Social control, bonds are important, but Marxist and other theories show that this is result of power, not consensus, as control theory seems to assume.

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