Crime, Shame, and Reintegration

Crime

Braithwaite begins with the notion, taken from control theory, that individuals are naturally drawn to commit criminal acts for personal gain and hedonistic pleasure. Proponents of control theory assume that it is more important to look at why certain people do not commit crime, rather than why some do. It is assumed that, without a particular set of restraints, the average person would commit criminal or immoral acts.

Criminological research has established that various personal and circumstantial characteristics are positively correlated to criminality. Being male, between the ages of 15 and 25 years, unmarried, unemployed or without steady employment, of lower socioeconomic status, living in a city, and having low educational attainment are all indicative of a statistically higher propensity for crime. The opposite is also true. Individuals who are female, younger than 15 or older than 25, married, of a higher socioeconomic status, living in a rural area, and having greater than secondary school education would be found to be at a significantly lower risk of committing a criminal act.

According to Braithwaite, the very characteristics that lead one person to have a higher propensity for criminality also lessen his or her relationship with family and community and leave a person less susceptible to the deterring power of shame. Those characteristics associated with a lower risk of criminality correlate to increased contact with family and community, which in turn increases a person's susceptibility to shame. For example, an individual who is married with children has responsibilities to his or her family that may constrain him or her from making risky or poor choices, whereas a single individual does not necessarily have such ties to family and responsibilities. Those who are more integrated into the community and involved in relationships with others are less likely to commit crime because they appreciate the shame and embarrassment that would result from violating community norms and values. Furthermore, those who are firmly integrated into a community feel personal responsibility for the safety and well-being of those around them. In contrast, those who are not integrated into a community or involved in meaningful relationships with others are more likely to commit crime because they do not feel a sense of responsibility [Page 202]to those around them, and they are not constrained by feelings of shame.

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