kely when a persons’ definitions favoring law violation outweigh their definitions towards unfavorable law violations. Conditions that define the nature of Differential Association are Frequency, Duration, Intensity, and Priority. Frequency is when a person associates with deviant people. When a person is around deviant people then deviance is more likely. Duration is the length of time spent with deviant others. Intensity is the degree to which you identify with deviant people. And priority is how early in life deviance influences occur. In the movie Sleepers the boys had close association with deviant people their whole lives. The boys grew up in a place called Hells Kitchen. This is a place known for its deviant behavior. The boys frequently associated with people that committed deviant acts. When the boys were young they worked for King Benny. The boys knew he was a criminal and they decided to work for him. By getting a job with him, they increased their amount of time in which they would spend with deviant people. Since the boys were with deviant people their whole lives it wasn’t thought of as wrong to commit deviant acts. When the boys committed these acts they did not feel as they were doing anything wrong. After the boys had grown up they led totally different lives. Tommy and Johnny had continued to live their deviant lives. They were members of a group in Hells Kitchen that were known criminals. The two boys were thieves and would kill at will. They were constantly surrounded by other deviant people. Their whole lives were spent with deviant people so they felt nothing wrong with committing deviant acts themselves. When Tommy and Johnny shot and killed Sean Nokes, the guard from Wilkinson House for Boys, they felt nothing wrong about it. They just thought it was another day in their lifestyle. However, Shakes and Michael were two totally different stories. These two had grown up and conformed. They now followed ...
