NCJ Number
40332
Date Published
1969
Length
11 pages
Annotation
THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE USE OF VOCABULARIES OF MOTIVES ARE BY NO MEANS CONFINED TO SOME JUVENILES LEARNING TO BE DELINQUENT AND SOME OTHERS LEARNING TO BE LAWFUL.
Abstract
THE SAME PROCESS CHARACTERIZES BOTH THE CRIMINAL AND THE LAWFUL ADULT, AND MAY BE OBSERVED WITH PARTICULAR CLARITY IN THE ADULT OFFENDER COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE 'EMBEZZLER.' CRESSEY, IN HIS BOOK 'OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY,' STUDIED THE CRIMINAL VIOLATION OF FINANCIAL TRUST. HE HYPOTHESIZED IF A PERSON IN A POSITION OF FINANCIAL TRUST DEFINES HIS FINANCIAL PROBLEM AS BEING NONSHAREABLE, REALIZES THAT HE CAN SOLVE IT ILLEGALLY, AND AT THE SAME TIME APPLIES TO HIS OWN CONDUCT VERBALIZATIONS ENABLING HIM TO ADJUST HIS CONCEPT OF HIMSELF AS A TRUSTED PERSON WITH HIS CONCEPT OF HIMSELF AS A USER OF THE ENTRUSTED FUNDS, HE WILL VIOLATE THAT TRUST. WHEN THESE THREE COMPONENTS ARE IN CONJUNCTURE, THE CRIMINAL VIOLATION OF TRUST WILL OCCUR; WHEN ANY ONE OF THEM IS ABSENT THERE WILL BE NO SUCH VIOLATION. PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH OTHERS ALREADY CRIMINAL (DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION) IS, THEREFORE, NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRIMINALITY IN A GIVEN INDIVIDUAL. THE CRIMINAL VIOLATOR OF FINANCIAL TRUST AND THE CAREER DELINQUENT THUS HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON - THEIR CRIMINALITY IS LEARNED IN THE PROCESS OF SYMBOLIC COMMUNICATION, DEPENDENT UPON CULTURAL SOURCES FOR PATTERNS OF THOUGHT AND ACTION, AND FOR SYSTEMS OF VALUES AND VOCABULARIES OF MOTIVES....ELW