7.2 Why Don’t People Commit Crime?
Most theories that attempt to discover the cause of crime focus on the individual or societal factors that influence them to commit crime. However, social control theories focus on the question “Why don’t people commit crime?” Since the majority of society does not commit crimes, social control theories try to discover the reason people do not commit crime instead of trying to figure out why they do (figure 7.2). The notion of social control relates to formal or informal factors and relationships that keep people within certain bounds of what is socially acceptable because they do not want to harm those relationships. Social control theories focus on those factors and relationships.
Containment Theory
Criminologist Walter Reckless (1961) believed that crime was the consequence of peer pressure and the inability to resist. This is especially true when looking at juvenile delinquency. He argued that social pressure to involve oneself in violations of the law, as well as a failure to resist such pressure, is the basis for criminal behavior. When Reckless looked at criminality, he compared it to a biological immune response, saying that not everyone who is exposed to a disease contracts it. In other words, not everyone caves to peer pressure. Sickness, like crime, results from a failure of control forces that can be either internal or external. He called his approach containment theory.
According to Reckless, the inner control system (inner containment) consists of attributes like self-control, a positive self-image, good judgment abilities, resistance to frustration, and responsibility. These internal factors contain someone and prevent them from committing crime. In contrast, the outer control system (outer containment) consists of environmental buffers against criminal behavior, such as effective parental supervision or discipline, the opportunity to feel like you belong, and reinforcement of your goals. These external factors contain someone and prevent them from committing crime.
Containment theory posits that these control systems need to be strong enough to resist “pushes” and “pulls.” Pushes are internal factors that push someone toward criminality, like feelings of inferiority, frustration, or rebellion. These feelings can push someone to seek out deviant peer groups, especially if they lack a strong inner control system. External factors, such as poverty, are considered pulls that pull individuals toward criminality. For example, a child who lives in a very impoverished neighborhood that is riddled with illicit substances and gang activity would experience a lot of pulls toward delinquent behavior. Containment theory assumes that criminal behavior can be contained only when the inner and outer control systems are balanced.
Social Control Theory
Sociologist Travis Hirschi (1969) argued that human beings are similar to animals in that we sometimes fight and steal, while at other times we are pleasant and coo