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Strain Theory Definition

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Strain theory however takes a completely different approach and examines the social strain as humanities punishment. Work within the structure society has product or become members of a deviant subculture to achieve the same goals, just through alternative means.
Strain theory was designed to explain why U.S.A had a large influx in gangs. Therefore, examples of crimes under strain would be selling or associating with illegal substances or becoming involved in illegal activities such as theft. Strain theory clearly explains that “people turn to deviance in the pursuit of widely accepted widely accepted social values and goals”, Robert K. Merton. These criminal deviance is led by the goals of achieving the means of making money, regardless …show more content…

Both, classical and positivist theory exam and interpret the basic motion of human behaviour in collaboration to criminality. In the past, classical theory framed their research on how crime rates are influence by the alternative outcome outside of the criminal justice system, such as biological, psychological, and social factors, which at a similar point positivism assumed the close evidence but differentiation in punishment certainty and severity of criminal behaviour could not deter the variables of the positivist theory. (Rose …show more content…

- Criminals are fundamentally different from non-criminals.
- Pushes for rehabilitation and punishment.
- Sentencing are not fixed and allows the judge to implement reasonable punishment to the status of the individual such as juveniles and adults.
The negative aspect of positivist in today’s modern crimes:
- Fails to provide consistency in punishment allowing perpetrators to abuse the system
- Believes people would be born criminals
- Supports the idea of genetically perfecting and altering genes in humans to prevent criminality.
- Mens rea would be irrelevant to crimes and would push towards individual not having choice or free will but genetically born to be deviant.

Strain theory may help understand and implement measure to reduce criminality early on:
- Understands the issue our society puts on individual that force them to crimes
- Helps educate the system to reform for less punishment and more education based for

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Robert Agnew created general strain theory (GST). According to Agnew general strain theory is a hypothesis to explain why offenders have committed crime due to pressures or strain on them to counteract negative emotions. Agnew defines strains as any sort of situation that causes stress on the individual. This could be death in the family assault, loss of job, injury, financial hardships, or something else. There are two types of strains he focuses on.

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