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Edwin H. Sutherland's First Theorist Of The 20th Century

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Edwin H. Sutherland was the first theorist of the 20th Century to argue that criminal behavior was learned at the macro and micro levels (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Sutherland’s theory lists nine components and they are used to explain street crimes as well as white-collar crimes, the term that he coined. The first component of his theory is that criminal behavior is learned, not inherited (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). I agree with Sutherland’s first theory that criminal behavior is learned, not inherited. I do believe that starting at any early age; children are predisposed to criminal behavior by watching their parents or friends act in criminal ways. Criminal behavior “is more prevalent in individuals who associate and interact with individuals who …show more content…

96). I agree with this theory as well, because children watch their parents and other influential person’s every move and try to emulate them. Children are taught morals and values from their parents or guardians and it is through their verbal or non-verbal communication that plays a major role in if the child chooses the path of criminal behavior. His third component of his theory is that criminal behavior is learned through close personal groups and not from movies or articles in the newspaper or other forms of communication. I believe that criminal behavior is learned through close personal groups such as parents, family members, and peers. I disagree with him feeling that criminal behavior is not learned through communication such as movies and now days, social media and video games. While there is no direct correlation to violent video games causing our youth to want to commit crimes, it does show that “exposure to video games can be a significant risk factor for violent behavior” (Regis, …show more content…

Sutherland’s seventh component is that “differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity” (Bohm & Vogel, 2011, p. 97). I also agree with his seventh component because everyone at one point in their life will be around criminal behavior, but the more they are around it and depending on the level of crime they are around can have a direct correlation to that person becoming involved in such criminal behavior. Sutherland’s eight component is “the process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anticriminal patterns involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning” (Bohm & Vogel, 2011, p. 97). I agree with Sutherland’s eighth component because often times youth are recruited at an early age to be involved in criminal activity for many reasons. Pressure and seduction can lead to acts of criminal behavior and “criminal behavior can be credited to acts of spontaneity” (Regis,

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