Have you ever asked yourself why certain individuals become criminals?
Differential association theory is a theory in criminology which aims to answer this question. This theory was developed by Edwin H. Sutherland, who was a sociologist and a professor. He created the theory to explain the reasons why people commit crime.
The theory is based upon the idea that criminals commit crimes based upon their association with other people. Basically, criminal behavior is learned by associating with other criminal individuals. In addition, criminals can exist in any income, race or sociological background.
Sutherland stated nine basic tenets of his differential association theory. He has written extensively on each one. However,