The first twentieth-century criminologist to forcefully argue that criminal behavior was learned was Edwin H. Sutherland. His theory is called the theory of differential association because it assumes that criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication. Problems with control theory a. Arguably, the major problem with control theory is its assumption that delinquency will occur if not prevented. Some criminologists find it troublesome that the theory rejects altogether the idea of delinquent motivation. D. Critical Approaches to Explaining Crime 1.
Critical theorists assume that human beings are both determined and determining.
In other words, critical theories assume that human beings are the creators of the institutions and structures that ultimately dominate and constrain them. Critical theorists, on the other hand, assume that society is characterized primarily by conflict over moral values. First, unlike classical theories, which assume that human beings have free will, and positivist theories, which assume that human beings are determined, critical theories assume that human beings are both determined and determining. Second, in contrast to both classical and positivist theories, which assume that society is characterized primarily by consensus over moral values, critical theories assume that society is characterized primarily by conflict over moral values. Those who support labeling theory would address crime by, among other things, avoiding labeling people as criminals or by employing radical nonintervention or reintegrative shaming.