STUDENT RESPONSE 1 (VALERIA)

Travis Hirschi is a sociologist known for his control theories in Criminology. He believes that all people have the potential to commit crimes because of the immediate gratification that comes with it, that is usually short-lived. He claims it is the bonds that we make in society that keep us away from committing delinquent acts and crimes. Hirschi argues that the social bond a person maintains with society contains four main elements, and they are 1) Attachment to parents, peers, and schools, 2) Commitment to the pursuit of conventional activities, such as getting an education, 3) Involvement in conventional activities, and 4) a Belief in values. Hirschi believes that these 4 elements must exist for a social bond not to weaken and therefore these weakened bonds lead to antisocial behaviors where a kid feels no regard for the law and violate it. The author mentions that sensitivity with parents helps kids gain skills that will keep them away from dangerous activities, “People who feel kinship and sensitivity to parents and friends should be more likely to adopt and work toward legitimate goals or gain skills that help them avoid antisocial or dangerous behaviors” (Siegel & Welsh, 2017). More so, kids who have a weak or strained relationship with their parents do not worry about their manners, behaviors, or even a positive future for themselves, “Because they do not have to worry what their parents or teachers think or about how current behavior will affect future achievement, they are free to engage in unconventional activities, such as shoplifting, substance abuse, and precocious sex” (Siegel & Welsh, 2017). It makes sense that kids who do not have someone to trust or to teach them correct behaviors will lash out at society, with behavior and self-control issues. Committing to activities to better your future while wanting to be involved as well puts kids at less risk for delinquency, as “kids who do well and are committed to school are less likely to engage in delinquent acts.” On the opposite side, those who break rules by skipping school are not committed to a future in their education, because “It is also likely that they will not believe in conventional values, such as honesty, hard work, and discipline” (Siegel & Welsh, 2017). Believing in values is also important to teach kids to have morals, so that they recognize that some actions have consequences in life and that their future can be interrupted in very negative ways by engaging in criminal activities.

Personally, I was raised by honest parents that taught me from a young age to continue my education, and to not get pregnant till after I was done studying. I was heavily influenced by my belief in values that from a young age, I knew right from wrong. I have always been sensitive to certain aspects of life and have made careful choices to stay away from peers that would skip school, for example. Though where I was raised had a lot to do with my values today, I stayed in school, got great grades, and strived to stay away from anyone affiliated with criminal or delinquent behavior. One of my biggest fears is being incarcerated, because I was taught the Justice System is unfair or impossible to leave. I think my gender, being a young woman, I was raised being constantly watched and supervised, and this gave me a high level of self-control, which helped me stay on track with my personal goals in life, while those lacking self-control; usually males, are more likely to engage in criminal behaviors and make the wrong decisions to hang out with delinquent peers, while females tend to hang around similar people with similar goals. Men follow this path because, “Along with low self-control, antisocial tendency, a trait more commonly exhibited among males than females, is another factor that has been identified to interfere with pragmatic decision-making processes” (Paat & Markham, 2016). Culturally, growing up in a Hispanic household, my father taught me to be polite, honest, and proper. I would see how my brothers would be in jail when I was around 6 years old, my parents would visit them and my mother would leave them, feeling heartbroken and responsible. Seeing that at such a young age, I think was the closest that I got to delinquents and even though they were charged with minor drug offenses, I just knew they had lost their freedom, labeled as criminals forever. I remember after they got out, they still associated with the same peers who got them into drugs. I never understood why they did not talk to our family. This is also why I never took risks, as there is nothing wrong with staying in your comfort zone; I think this and having little strains in my life kept me from ever wanting to commit crime.

STUDENT RESPONSE 2 (JOHANNA)

The four main elements according to Hirschi which are related to the social bond that one maintains with the society are attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. Attachment describes the strength of the bonds that one shares with the relationships that exist in the social environment. The main source of attachment when it comes to relationships in the social environment are family members. Family influences how one behaves and whether one turns out deviant or not although most of the times family is viewed as a positive contributor to the attachment element. Schools and friends can also play a role in attachment.

The second element is commitment. Commitment has to do with conventional goals and standards that one gets accustomed to in the social environment. Hirschi asserts that an individual who invested resources, time and energy in complying with the socially acceptable standards has more to lose when involved in deviant behaviors than one who has no commitment (Siegel & Welsh, 2017).

In regard to the element of involvement, Hirschi argues that when one is involved in socially acceptable activities such as school, church service or even work, the person has limited chances of engaging in deviant acts and the reverse is true in his submission.

Belief has to do with the fact that one has an ingrained belief system on the values and norms of the mainstream society as being valid (Siegel & Welsh, 2017). As one internalizes these values and norms, it becomes very difficult for one to violate them.

Most definitely these elements influenced me and continue to influence me even today. Take for instance belief, I just believe that it is wrong to take something which is not yours without requesting the owner. I have always also been committed to the good of the society and so I cannot imagine me starting to engage in criminal activities as that would deal my commitment a blow. I am also involved with school and work and as such I even from a tender age I would not imagine being deviant.