How do illegitimate opportunity structures assist in ...



How do illegitimate opportunity structures assist in explaining delinquency and criminal behavior? How is this associated with different types of subcultures?

According to the opportunity structure theory, the existence of illegitimate opportunity structures prepares the ground for delinquency to occur. Illegitimate opportunity structures present compensable opportunities of crime woven into life’s very texture. Illegitimate opportunity structures tend to be created due to the failure of legitimate opportunity structures. They tend to draw the poor and needy into committing certain types of crimes in unequal proportions. Street crimes such as drug trafficking, car theft and prostitution are explained by the opportunity structure theory. Within the higher classes, suite crimes tend to be a product of illegitimate opportunity structures, involving physical harm, and at times, even death, like for instance due to the concealment of information that a risk of leaking is associated with silicone breast implants. When values, beliefs, and norms of a subculture are at odds with those of mainstream culture, then people from that subculture are more prone to delinquency. Youth who are faced with status frustration and failure in terms of gaining economic success and membership into the middleclass through mainstream approaches, tend to indulge in delinquent subculture.

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of delinquency



What general factors are identified as the primary deficits of social structure theories? How would you evaluate these deficits?

Social structure theories are based to a great extent on information derived from urban settings that are unique to America, so their universal applicability may be limited. They tend to overly focus on social inequality and ignore some critical American criminal justice aspects and gun-linked policies. They also do not clearly recognize or discuss the processes that enable the acquisition of criminal behavior.

They do not explain the variation in behavior among individuals whose degree of deprivation is similar, and they usually ignore crime committed by the advantaged. The main deficit of social structure theories in my opinion is that they blame the society for crimes and not the actual deviants who make a conscious and rational choice to carry them out.

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