Social Learning Theory Of Criminology

| Criminology Midterm Essay | CriminologyCJ102-01 | | Brian Baughn | 6/18/2011 |

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Anytown’s Department of Job and Family Services’ implemented a new policy stating that “any household that has one or more documented offense of domestic violence, child abuse, or drug or alcohol related offenses committed by the mother, father, guardian, and/or caregiver, will result in the removal of any child or children from the home.” In addition to the removal of a child, “the child will be placed in the care of the state, or foster care services, until documentation can prove that the offender has undergone any or all of the following, and has thus been “offense free” for a period of no less than six months: alcohol and /or drug treatment,
“Social learning theorists argue that people are not born with the ability to act violently; rather, they learn to be aggressive through their life experiences” (Siegel, 2007, p. 121). In my opinion, the Department of Job and Family Services interpreted the theory properly. It is very possible that children are a product of their environment. Under the social learning theory, “people learn to act aggressively when, as children, they model their behavior after the violent acts of adults. Later in life, these violent behavior patterns persist in social relationships” (Siegel, 2007, p. 121). The social learning theory does apply to situations in which there is trouble at home. A child who sees his father abuse his mother out of anger could grow up to do the same because he learned from watching his father that violence temporarily relieves stress and makes a man powerful. Which we know is not true, but a child is like a sponge and learns from what is witnessed. Another example would be of a situation in which a child that grows up in a household where alcohol and drugs are abused on a regular basis in the child’s presence, could grow up to abuse drugs and alcohol as well; potentially leading he/she down a path towards crime. All of that said, however, I do feel that the Department of Job and Family Services misapplied the theory when implementing their new
Certain situations are just misunderstandings. In my opinion, the policy seems to judge to quickly and the tearing apart of a family should be taken seriously. I feel a parent should have more of a right to fight to keep his/her child than to keep him/herself out of jail. The Department of Job and Family Services isn’t exactly a court of law either. Not to mention the fact that the state is more concerned with taking a child away from his/her family in an attempt to reduce future crime, based on the idea that a child is a product of his/her environment. On the contrary though, studies show that children placed in foster care are actually more likely to become involved in crime than children that are comparably maltreated and stay with their families. While I do agree with the Department of Job and Family Services plan to implement such things as parenting classes,