SOC 2230 Lecture 18: Criminogenic Families

• School: University of Virginia
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2230
• Professor: Mc Connell Bob

Document Summary

Families can be criminogenic: can produce criminals, can cause criminal predispositions. Involves: supervision, discipline, confrontation when something bad is done, setti(cid:374)g li(cid:373)its o(cid:374) (cid:272)hild"s a(cid:272)tio(cid:374)s. Responsiveness: how warm or supportive the parent may be, how attuned the parent is to the (cid:272)hild"s (cid:374)eeds: so(cid:272)ial, ph(cid:455)si(cid:272)al a(cid:374)d e(cid:373)otio(cid:374)al. Criminogenic families: high demandingness, high responsiveness, disciplines child and sets limit on behavior, child does not resent demandingness because the demandingness is balanced by love and concern, child forms attachment to parent. Authoritarian (leads to delinquency: high demandingness, low responsiveness, cold parent, not loving, child feels ordered around, no attachment to parent, may feel resentment. Link between poverty and delinquency not direct. Relationship between poverty and delinquency is mediated by parenting style. Conditions of poverty make parents behave in a certain way: lead to a certain parenting style, parenting style allows delinquency to happen. Combines several theories to make a more complete model.