Media Violence and Sex as Causes of Juvenile Crime Dr. Edwin Sutherland (1883–1950) developed his differential association theory, one of the most widely accepted theories of crime causation, based...

Media Violence and Sex as Causes of Juvenile Crime

Dr. Edwin Sutherland (1883–1950) developed his differential association theory, one of the most widely accepted theories of crime causation, based upon social learning theories. Differential association theory was a breakthrough in that it explained noneconomically motivated crimes, did not use class or race as the bases for criminal behavior, and offered treatment strategies. Central to differential association theory was the premise that criminal behavior and the means to commit crime were learned in peer-to-peer social relationships. Sutherland developed his theory well before the advent of television, videos, social media, video games, and music that promotes violence and sex. Sutherland did not recognize these influences as significant causes in promoting criminal behavior. However, today, there are many scholars who advocate that exposure to aggressive sex stimuli and violence through videos, movies, television, video games, and music can result in juveniles engaging in criminal behavior. The acceptance of this theory is seen in the ratings of these media to restrict juveniles from exposure to them. Also, exposure to media violence is perceived by some as a causal factor in explaining why juveniles engage in mass shootings. How could one collect data to examine the relationship, if any, between media violence and sex and criminal behavior of juveniles?