When The Music Dies: The Systematic Attack On An Offender's Social Structure

The single most common element of all antisocial and criminal behavior is a lack of appropriate social support structures. Conversely, the single most common element of all rehabilitated criminal offenders is the development of appropriate and substantial social support structures. A meta-analysis of studies on the effects of social support structures in relation to antisocial and criminal behavior shows a clear and conclusive direct relationship between the lack of social support structure and criminal behavior. This relationship is so strong that it is demonstratably possible to trigger criminal behavior by simply causing a person to experience the loss of appropriate social support. This works with even “law-abiding” and socially “well adjusted” persons, though in such cases the loss of social support must be pronounced in order to overcome the persons residually perceived social support.

In cases when a person is already susceptable to antisocial behavior (due to a clearly lacking social support structure) the opposite is true. In this case, a very small almost insignificant perceived loss of social support will cause a severe relapse.

Clearly, social support is the key to social control of antisocial and criminal behavior.

So will someone please tell me why we insist on passing laws and creating institutions that seem to have no other goal than to undermine the social support structures of people who have demonstrated a clear lack of said appropriate social support in the first place?

Systematic efforts to use social support for rehabilitation are blatantly superficial. You can't just tell an offender, “I support your positive social behavior” and expect that to fix anything. (Actually, studies show that even such superficial efforts have an effect on criminal behavior. But only superficially, which should be expected.)

(A perfect example of the difference between substantial and superficial efforts to develpoe social support structures for x-convicts can be found in the history of the Interaction Transition House in Seattle, Washington.)