International Criminology: Delinquency and Neutralization Theory

International Criminology
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Question Two
Gresham Sykes and David Matza studied delinquency and proposed the neutralization theory, also known as drift theory. Delinquency refers to actions that do not conform to the moral or legal standards of the community committed by a juvenile. These actions would otherwise be termed criminal if performed by an adult. According to this theory, delinquents try to neutralize their criminal acts by using justifications to support their behavior (Sykes & Matza, 1957). The justifications commonly used include blaming others, insisting that victims deserved the outcomes, suggesting that the victims experienced no harm, and stating that others have committed worse crimes.
In normal circumstances, a person contemplating committing a crime would feel ashamed or guilty about it, and this moral sense prevents people from going ahead to engage or participate in delinquent acts. Therefore, for delinquents to participate in immoral acts and then switch back to conventionally acceptable behavior, they apply neutralization techniques. These techniques help to nullify their deviant behavior and offset the guilt. Five neutralization techniques listed by Matza and Sykes include denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of victims, condemnation of condemners, and appeal to higher loyalties. Continuous use of these techniques inhibits a person's morality over time, leading them to commit immoral acts without feeling guilty at all.
 In genocide, we can conceptualize neutralization theory as both before and after committing atrocities related to genocide. For instance, to steal, rape, murder, or engage in other immoralities associated with genocides, the perpetrator must be able to block the moral sense that would otherwise prevent them from delinquency. To justify their actions afterward, they may utilize the neutralization theory by discrediting their involvement in the crimes they have been accused of or even denying being at or near the crime scene. They may also apply the technique of denial of injury by refuting the claim of causing harm to others, for instance, by mutilating people. The defendant may also apply the denial technique of the victim by turning the statement around in his defense. In this case, they may even accuse the plaintiff of oppressing them, therefore prompting the defendant to punish them in return. In addition to the five neutralization techniques, two extensions important to studying genocidal crimes include metaphor of the ledger (Klockars, 1974) and defense of necessity. The metaphor of the ledger refers to whether an individual has an account of many good things that they have done before and has gained an excess of goodwill that can allow them to do some wrong actions. Defense of necessity refers to a situation that compels an excellent person to commit a criminal act when they are at immediate risk of physical harm. 
Some of the cases where we can apply the neutralization theory include the Nazi Holocaust, whereby The German Nazi regime executed European Jews and the intellectually disabled and homosexuals between 1933 and 1945. Under the rule of Adolf Hitler...