Compare and contrast Merton’s strain theory with Agnew’s general strain theory.
What will be an ideal response?
Merton believed that people experience strain when the socially approved goals
(wealth and status) do not mesh with the socially approved means (work) to achieve
those goals, dividing the adaptations into five groups: innovators, ritualists, conformists,
rebels, and retreatists. Agnew looks into individualized psychological sources as
correlates of criminal behavior, highlighting three potential sources of strain: (1) failure
in achieving positive goals, (2) the loss of positive influences, and (3) the arrival of
negative influences. Strain-inducing events are more likely to lead to criminal behavior
when they (1) are seen as unjust, (2) are seen as high in magnitude, (3) are associated
with low social control, and (4) create some pressure or incentive to engage in criminal
coping. Both incorporate anomie, but Merton is macro, and Agnew is micro.
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A mandatory sentence is also a form of __________ sentencing, but it differsin that it takes discretion away from judges by requiring a certain length ofincarceration
Fill in the blank(s) with correct word
Changes in burglary and robbery rates in the 1980s have been linked to
a. Changes in the unemployment rate in the United States. b. Improvements in the national economy. c. An increased demand for crack cocaine. d. An increased willingness of offenders to use violence to commit crimes.
What are status offenses? What has research found relating to gender differences in these offenses?
What will be an ideal response?
Latent fingerprints on documents are best developed with fluorescent fingerprint powders
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.