Much research has already been done into the motivation for criminal behavior. Can crime be explained on the basis of a single theory? It is precisely for that reason that many researchers, scholars and experts have wondered about it. There are several theories that attempt to explain criminal behavior. One of those theories is the cultural approach.
The cultural approach
The cultural conflict is central to the cultural approach. This is the conflict between Western society and its norms and values and, on the other hand, against traditional and religious norms and values from the country of origin, to which parents in particular are still strongly focused. The advantages of the cultural approach are that the factors that play a role in this are clearly identified. In addition, it can be taken into account in explaining criminal behavior. A third factor that plays a role here is understanding. On the other hand, there are also disadvantages such as generalization, disregarding individual factors and using it as an excuse for criminal behavior.
How does this actually work in practice? To make this a little clearer, a case study is given below.
A case
Ahmed is a seventeen year old boy. When he was thirteen, he came to the Netherlands in the context of family reunification. His father then lived in the Netherlands with his second wife. Father was divorced from Ahmed’s mother who lived in Morocco. Ahmed lived with his mother until he was thirteen and then joined his father.
Ahmed has been arrested for various offenses such as shoplifting, street robbery and forgery of debit cards. The cases of muggings were often accompanied by violence. The first crime he committed was at the age of fourteen, just after he arrived in the Netherlands. The first offenses led to a HALT settlement with community service, but for the following more serious offenses he was sentenced to conditional juvenile detention.
When Ahmed still lived with his mother, Ahmed also caused problems. He committed thefts and was involved in fights. Thanks to the great social control, his behavior could be kept within limits, but in the Netherlands he had more freedom. In the neighborhood where he lives, he almost immediately came into contact with boys who were also involved in criminal activities. Ahmed has joined one of the criminal clubs in his neighborhood and they often hang out on the streets at night. That group has more influence on Ahmed than his parents do. Ahmed’s stepmother speaks Dutch poorly; his father slightly better.
The cultural approach and the case
Ahmed comes from Moroccan culture. The case clearly indicates that there is great social control in his country of origin; As a result, the criminal behavior that Ahmed exhibited there remained within limits. I sense a clear cultural conflict in this case; Ahmed spent a large part of his life in Morocco and also inherited the traditional and religious norms and values from this culture. He is used to there being a lot of social control; problems were solved with his parents, neighbors, etc. and not with the police. In Morocco there seems to be a clear group culture, while in the Netherlands this is mainly an individualistic culture. In the Netherlands it is assumed that as an individual you have sufficient self-control and have your own responsibility. This allows Ahmed to go about his business quite easily without being challenged or others pointing out rules, norms and values in society. In the Netherlands, however, he did end up in a group culture, but this is more of a subculture. This concerns a criminal club from Ahmed’s neighborhood that he has joined. Clear rules apply within this group and participating in the group is more important than going your own way. Ahmed and the group clearly oppose Dutch culture and see themselves as Muslims.
The cultural approach describes that a gap between Moroccan and Dutch culture in this case can lead to confusion about, for example, norms and values and one’s own identity.
It becomes visible that Ahmed and his immigrant friends are often involved in criminal activities . The figures for the cultural approach also show that the juvenile crime rate among immigrant youth is many times higher than among young people of Dutch origin. For Moroccan young people this figure is three times as high as might be expected based on the population.
The cultural approach also formulates some factors that may play a role. Spending too much time on the street is one of them. The case clearly shows that Ahmed spends a lot of time on the street with his club. Lack of social control on the street also plays a role and this is also crucial because social control is no longer that great nowadays.
Conclusion
Using the cultural approach has many advantages. This helps to identify and explain certain behavior. It must have been quite a transition for Ahmed to emigrate from Morocco to the Netherlands during his adolescence. He is exposed to very different norms and values in the Netherlands and he has much more freedom here; there is no one left to look after him except ultimately the police.
However, there are also disadvantages. When you think of youth crime figures you quickly think; do you see now? When you meet a young immigrant you quickly think; that’s another one. However, it is very important to realize that the vast majority are not involved in criminal activities. In short; you quickly get generalization with this approach. The approach can be very useful and illuminating, but it will have to be accompanied by another theory in order to form a picture that is as objective as possible. my view on