Social Control Theory Essay

Social control theory, as described by Linden R., (2016) proposes that, “people refrain from committing criminal acts because they do not want to jeopardize their bonds to conventional society.” Simply put, people do, as they are told, because they do not want to be left out of society and they follow societal norms in order to not be labeled as delinquents. Of course, every society contains people who simply do not “fit in” with the rest of society. This could be due to many different reasons, which may start from a very young age or could be something that occurs throughout a person’s life. It is important to attempt to reduce the onset of delinquent and criminal behaviour starting from an early age. The role played by an individual’s school

Every child is different and enjoys different activities, so it is crucial to have a wide variety of clubs that one could join and get involved in. Sports are not something that every child wishes to participate in. Finding other ways to keep a child’s attention is important. For instance, cooking classes, art based after school programs or forming clubs based on similar interests (i.e., movies, games etc.,) between students in order to reach every child possible. Instead of allowing children to find their own ways to cure boredom, it is a good idea to get to know a child and find out what it is that they would like to get involved in within the school. This can be achieved by having smaller classes. As stated by the social control theory, “a student that is busy will not have time to get involved in delinquent activities” (Linden R., 2016). However, a student must be kept busy by activities that draw their attention and keep them interested over

The way this would work is that a young child would be paired with another student who is older than them, but not an adult. This would allow for the child to have someone to look up to, who is close to his or her age. The buddy would be someone who a teacher considers to be a positive influence on others and who is self-motivated. The child can rely on their buddy to help them out with homework or simply be there to lend a hand in life. The buddy system should be beneficial for both parties. The one who is volunteering to be a buddy should be able to use the experience on their resume as well as gain incentives such as extra recess time or an afternoon off school. This greatly ties in with all aspects of social bonds including attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. A child who has a positive influence in their life, someone who they respect and look up to, can possibly be steered away from delinquent behaviour. The “buddy” would be there to show right from wrong and encourage the child to participate in positive activities and also keep the child away from delinquent peers. Teachers, parents and other adults are important influences in a child’s life, but no influence is more important than that of a