) Merton's anomie theory is based on highly emphasized success goals and a means deficiency that results in relative deprivation, which leads to a state of anomie or norm less-ness, which in turn leads to crime. Highly emphasized success goals include acquiring an immense amount of money and myriads of material possessions. Means deficiency is the inequality of the school systems and unequal access to the means to achieve these success goals. The remedy for anomie theory is to create different success goals (such as happiness and wellbeing), place less emphasis on material goods, and create more opportunities that are legitimate. .
Meanwhile, Sutherland's theory proposes that excess association of crime-favorable messages is responsible for crime. That is if the number of messages favorable to crime outweighs the number of messages favorable to legitimate actions, crime will occur. In addition, neutralizations develop as pre-behavioral rationalizations that allow individuals to engage in deviant behaviors that overcome the norms society holds. However, there are problems with each theory. An individual who has been exposed to multiple messages favorable to smoking crack, for example, may lack the hardware such as cocaine and a pipe to engage in this activity. Another example is found in the movie "Office Space." The three guys wrote a computer program to slowly funnel money from the company, but they do not have a person that can help them launder the money. Thus, opportunity theory seeks to synthesize Merton and Sutherland into a two-factor theory of being objectively possible and subjectively acceptable.
Objective availability is the ability needed to commit a crime. Objective availability can be broken down into learning structures and performing structures. Learning structures and performance structures exist in both legitimate and illegitimate fields. Learning structures are learning environments for acquisition of values and skills associated with the performance of a particular role in both legitimate and illegitimate society.
