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The Opportunity Theory Essay

595 Words3 Pages

The opportunity theory suggests that offenders choose to commit crimes based on the opportunity that is presented to them to achieve their crime. For instance, if an individual is willing or ready to engage in crime and the situation proves to be favorable (environment) to the offender this opportunity in turn creates motive for the offender to execute a crime. This theory also argues that all crimes require opportunity but not every opportunity is followed by crime. The perspectives of this theory can also be used to build off of Merton’s strain theory.
Furthermore, Clowards and Ohlins opportunity theory builds off of Merton’s strain theory because it involves blocked opportunities of success and that in turn causes strain or pressure that …show more content…

If an individual can learn how to attain goals with crime due to the illegitimate opportunities then they can just as easily learn legitimate ways just the same. As we know, the opportunity theory can be used to fill in the gaps of Merton’s strain theory, Merton fails to recognize that illegitimate opportunity as well as legitimate opportunities play an important role in crime. Merton believes that the pressures or strains brought on through social interactions. Cloward and Ohlin make a valid point when they suggest that to explain crime you have to take into consideration a person’s access to legitimate opportunity and access to illegitimate opportunity. Moreover, this theory can also be used to inform and extend the social learning theory. I state this because the social learning theory suggests that an individual learns by what they observe. For instance, if an individual grew up in a house hold were they were around drugs (maybe a family member is selling them) they will then learn this behavior. The same can be applied in regards to the opportunity theory. Meaning that if an individual is round this particular type of behavior they will have learned, in this case, how to deal drugs then they will have been afforded an opportunity to use those skills learned possibly be used when the open door, or in other words, an opportunity presents

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