SOCI 2336 Introduction To Criminology Essay Is Informative.

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.  

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