Main Tenets of the Theory in Criminal Justice - Essay Example

A Case Study Exemplifying the Main Tenets of the Theory in Criminal Justice         Domestic violence or intimate personal violence can lead to a heinous crime. Because crime is a social issue, this paper intends to investigate the various factors that result in criminality. The specific case at hand is a husband who physically abused his spouse and eventually caused her death. To dig this case, some social learning theories will be explored.        The social learning theory of crime basically argues that some people learn to commit crimes through the same process through which others learn to conform. The theory assumes that people are “blank slates” at birth, having neither a motivation to commit crime nor to conform.        Social learning theories explain that people learn new behavior through overt reinforcement, punishment or observation. People learn through others’ behavior.  If people observe positive, desired outcomes in the observed behavior, they are more likely to model, imitate, and adopt the behavior themselves.  It also suggests that the environment can have an effect on the way people behave.  This theory believes that criminality is a function of individual socialization, how an individual has been influenced by his experiences or relationships with his family, peer groups, teachers, church, authority figures, and others.         Various theorists have attempted to develop concepts on how an individual within the social order learns. This has been an important topic because of the manner in which different people function within society. For example, the habitual criminal may not always learn from a jail sentence because of behavioral patterns learned in childhood. Yet, if this is the case, criminal justice entities, as well as psychological therapists have a method of understanding the behavior and treating it.         Learning is defined as the habits and knowledge that develop as a result of experiences with the environment, as opposed to instincts, drives, reflexes, and genetic predispositions. Associationism is the oldest learning theory. It is based on the idea that the mind organizes sensory experiences in some way, and is called cognitive psychology today. Behaviorism is the second oldest learning theory. It is based on the idea that the mind requires a physical response by the body in order to organize sensory associations. There are two types of learning in behavioral psychology: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Most social behavior is of an operant nature.         Sutherland's theory of differential association suggests that learning takes place through the processes of association—association with other people favorably disposed towards crime. (Hollin 52). Association is not inherent in criminals, rather with people who might either encourage or fail to censure criminal acts. Exposure to friends who battered their wives might likely influence a husband to physically hurt his wife or kill her.        Another theory that supports the idea of Sutherland is differential reinforcement theory. It states that behavior is a function of the frequency, amount and probability of experienced and perceived contingent rewards and punishments and imitation, in which the behavior of others and its consequences are observed and modeled (Akers 52).        Furthermore, it suggests that structural conditions affect a person's differential reinforcements. Criminal knowledge is gained through reflection over past experience. Potential offenders consider the outcomes of their past experiences, anticipate future rewards and punishments, and then decide which acts will be profitable and which ones will be dangerous.         Experience in the past, seeing his father beating up his mother might contribute to this criminal act.  Moreover, negative reinforcement during his childhood years might also contribute to his criminal behavior. Being punished every time the child confronts his father about hurting his mother reinforces the idea that it is reasonable to hurt a spouse.       Rotter, on the other hand, moved away from these theories and developed a learning theory. In Social Learning and Clinical Psychology, Rotter theorizes that the effect of behavior has an impact on the motivation of people to engage in that specific behavior. People wish to avoid negative consequences, while desiring positive results or effects. If one expects a positive outcome from a behavior, or thinks there is a high probability of a positive outcome, then they will be more likely to engage in that behavior. The behavior is reinforced, with positive outcomes, leading a person to repeat the behavior. This social learning theory suggests that behavior is influenced by these environmental factors or stimulus, and not by psychological factors alone (Mearns).        A criminal according to Rotter’s theory might believe that by physically hurting his wife, the individual could make his submit to his will, thinking this to be always right. Thus, disobedience can lead him to beat her up and murder her if it continues in the relationship.        Bandura expanded on Rotter's idea. According to Boerre, this theory incorporates aspects of behavioral and cognitive learning. Behavioral learning assumes that people's environment cause them to behave in certain ways. Cognitive learning presumes that psychological factors are important for influencing how one behaves. Social learning suggests that a combination of environmental and psychological factors influence behavior. Social learning theory outlines three requirements for people to learn and model behavior including attention: retention (remembering what one observed), reproduction (ability to reproduce the behavior), and motivation (good reason) to want to adopt the behavior.         To better understand and prevent domestic violence or intimate personal violence, social science researchers and epidemiologists have discovered the link between early exposure to violence and spousal abuse. This study uses Bandura's social learning theory to explain interpersonal and intergenerational violence. In the final analysis, it argues that effective treatment and prevention should include both criminal justice and public health strategies (Anderson & Kimberly 99).        There are measures in discouraging a person from committing a crime. Punishment is supposed to make criminal behavior less attractive and more risky. Imprisonment and loss of income is a major hardship to many people. Another way of influencing choice is to make crime more difficult or to reduce the opportunities. This can be as simple as better lighting, locking bars on auto steering wheels, the presence of guard dogs, or high technology improvements such as security systems and photographs on credit cards. Another means of discouraging people from choosing criminal activity is the length of imprisonment. In the case of a husband who has murdered his wife, a life sentence can make him realize the greivousness of his act. It will communicate to him that the society as a whole does not tolerate this kind of behavior and it will not go unnoticed or unpunished. In conclusion, the contributing factors that make a person commit criminal offenses are numerous and varied. They are often complexly interwoven in a single case. One single theory cannot explain the complexity of the conditions and circumstances producing delinquency or criminality. But some things are quite clear. The only way by which an individual can start to realize his mistake is to make him unlearn the things that he learned from his environment as he was growing up. A criminal who has been used to abusing his wife to the point of killing him should be first isolated from the society that has taught him wrongly. Through the criminal justice system, he learns new ways of behaving and living his life. Works Cited Akers, Ronald L., and Gary F. Jensen. Social Learning Theory and the Explanation of Crime: A Guide for the New Century. New Brunswick and London: Transaction Publishers, 2007. Anderson, James .F. & Kras, Kimberly. “Revisiting Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory to Better Understand and Assist Victims of Intimate Personal Violence.” Women & Criminal Justice 17.1 (2007): 99-124. Boeree, George C. “Albert Bandura, 1925-present.” 2006. . Mearns, Jack. “The Social Learning Theory of Julian B. Rotter.” 12 June 2008. Hollin, Clive R.  Criminal Behaviour: A Psychological Approach to Explanation and Prevention. Psychology Press, 1992. Read More