Page 11 - Flipbook: Sociology Shortcuts Issue 5: Situational Action Theory
P. 11
Types of Selection
This over-representation of the Offending is, in this respect,
poor and disadvantaged in criminal something consciously chosen, not
offending is further explained by automatically given. Although, as
two types of selection: we’ve argued, even this kind of
individual action is heavily-
��social selection refers to the
objective conditions of an dependent on situational factors.
individual’s life, where young
people are born (selected) into These selection processes
disadvantaged families and represent a combination
consequently suffer a socially and of structural (social selection)
economically disadvantaged and action (self-selection)
upbringing. processes that can be used to
explain how and why some
individuals and groups come to
��self-selection refers to the
decisions made by socially involve themselves in persistent
disadvantaged individuals to offending:
actually seek-out and engage in Firstly, it explains why the socially
opportunities for offending. disadvantaged have higher rates of SELECTION
offending (“processes of social and
self-selection place the socially
disadvantaged more frequently in
contexts conducive to the
development and expression of
high crime propensities”).
Secondly, it explains why only a
relatively small proportion of
socially disadvantaged individuals
engage in criminal offending.
To take one example, the statistical
analysis of offenders shows young
males are far more likely to be
involved in criminal offending than
young females, even where they
occupy the same economic
positions.
Young women have a much lower
propensity for crime for a range of
reasons, not the least being the
kinds of peer group relationships
they develop. These are neither
conducive to crime nor do they tend
to place young women in
criminogenic settings that make
Cord Allman offending more likely.
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