In June 2010, Earl Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud for a Ponzi scheme he operated. It is estimated that between 1982 and 2009, Earl Jones stole over $50 million (Wikipedia, 2013). This article will use stain theory, from the sociological perspective, and behavioral theory, from the psychological perspective, to explain Earl Jones' crimes. Earl Jones appeared to have a smooth and happy upbringing. He played hockey for many years, grew up with many friends and is remembered as the boy who always smiled. But for almost 30 years Earl Jones lived the life of a con man (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2011). In his early twenties, Jones began working in the financial field, dealing with estate planning and managing wills. In his early thirties, Jones, without registering as a financial advisor, managed to open his own investment advisory business. Jones seemed to have a knack for convincing people to invest their money with him. He raised money by promising investors impressive returns on their investments, but Jones never invested any of the funds he brought in. It used new funds to pay off old investors. Over the years Jones had spent over $13 million of the money raised living an exclusive lifestyle and the rest had been spent repaying returns that had never actually existed (Barlow, 1995). One theory that can be applied to this crime, put forward by Robert K. Merton in 1938, is the strain theory. Strain theory is the idea that individuals feel pressure to achieve socially determined goals. Society is divided into five categories that describe how people deal with tension; Conformity, innovation, ritualism, rebellion or withdrawal. The goals generally set by the company should… half of the document… demonstrate that both the stain and behavioral theories played an important role in Earl Jones' life. One can only hope that the positive punishment of prison has changed the way Jones will conduct his behavior once released. Works Cited Barlow, H. (1995). Crime and public policy: Putting theory into practice. Boulder, CO: Westview Press Inc. Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2008). Criminal Behavior: A Psychosocial Approach (8th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education inc. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (producer). (2011). Easy Way Out: White Collar Criminals [DVD]. Toronto, ON: CBC Learning Schmalleger, F., & Volk, R. (2011). Canadian criminology today: theories and applications.Toronto: Pearson.Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2013, October 27). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Jones_(investment_advisor)