course material

1. SOCI 2336 Introduction To Criminology
Answer:
As per the control theory of crime, a lack of controls on an individual’s behavior results in
their engagement in criminal activities (Britt & Rocque, 2016). The four elements of control,
as per Hirschi, were attachment of the individual to conventional others, engagement of the
individual in conventional activities, commitment to conventional goals, and beliefs that are
at par with society’s values (Britt & Rocque, 2016). Attachment refers to the social and
emotional connections and links the individual creates with others, commitment refers to a
self-reflective aspect that prevents the individual from engaging in criminal activities be
reflecting upon how this may impact their ability to achieve the goals, involvement implies
individuals will have less or more time to Engage In Criminal Activities depending upon
their extent of engagement in other tasks, and belief implies that the individual will be
reluctant towards committing crimes if their values are at par with the collective values of
the society.
I do not agree with Hirschi’s theory of control because it only describes the individual
factors that impact their potential engagement with criminal activities. It fails to consider
the various societal factors that can cause an individual to be acquainted with criminal
activities, such as poverty, lack of education, etc. There are also various external motivating
factors that may cause an individual to engage in criminal activities, and these factors may
not be connected to the elements of attachment, involvement, belief, and commitment. The
theory also fails to identify that numerous individual circumstances can drive one towards
criminal behaviors and activities (Wickert, 2019). Due to these reasons, I do not agree with
Hirschi’s theory of control.
References
Britt, C. & Rocque, M. (2016). Control as an Explanation of Crime and Delinquency. In The
Handbook of Criminological Theory (pp. 182-208).Wiley Blackwell.
Wickert, C. (2019). Social Bonds Theory. SozTheo. https://soztheo.de/theories-of-
crime/control/social-bonds-theory-hirschi/?lang=en#critical_appreciation_relevance