Mary Bell Social Bond Theory

1968 was a year of tragic loss for the world. America was in the midst of the Vietnam War, and saw the assassinations of both Martin Luther King Jr and Robert F Kennedy. While across the pond in England they were dealing with an issue that was arguably even more tragic. This paper will consider the crimes of young Mary Bell, and will examine the possible reasons and motivations behind those crimes. As well as identifying the most appropriate criminological theory that may apply. The most effective way to prevent such tragedies in the future is to understand their origins.
The Crimes of Mary Bell.
Mary Bell was born in an impoverished area of Newcastle, England in May of 1957. Mary was the first born of seventeen-year-old prostitute Betty McCrickett. …show more content…
The Social Bond Theory was developed by Travis Hirschi, and states that a bond is formed between an individual and society through successful socialization. When that bond is weakened or broken, deviance or crime may result (Schmalleger, 2015). The main components that make up the social bond are; commitment, involvement, belief and attachment. Each of these components are missing or severely damaged in the life of Mary Bell.
Commitment refers to the time a person spends on conforming behaviors. It also requires a certain amount of consideration for the loss of that investment when engaging in deviant behaviors. Mary didn’t seem to show any concern for her loss of investment in culturally acceptable behaviors, likely because she did not value them herself. Involvement is described as the time a person might spend involved in legitimate pursuits. Mary was known as a petty thief and vandal, often spending her time roaming the community looking for mischief. Belief is described as a shared value and moral system (Schmalleger, 2015). Mary understood that what she had done was wrong on some level, as evidenced by her denial of guilt and her blaming of other children when she was questioned. Mary also seemed to comprehend that harming another child was wrong, she just had little respect for the moral standards of society. This attitude was probably picked up from her mother and step fathers deviant …show more content…
I do not believe that children grow to be as angry or as brutal as Mary Bell was without reason. Children do not have a complete awareness of the consequences of their actions, nor do they have the full ability to exercise self-control. Since children are a product of their environments, was Mary not also a victim of her situation?
Mary Bell was found to be a psychopath at the age of eleven and sentenced to a lifetime of incarceration. However, she was released at the age of twenty-three after serving twelve years. She was given a new identity, and is reported to be leading a stable life with a family; she is said to have recently become a grandmother. If we advocate the idea that prison should be for rehabilitation, then Mary's success after her release should be viewed as a victory. Mary is a testament to the fact that children can be reformed. Throwing away the life of a child who acted out due to the horrors that they were subjected to would be another kind of crime, I

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