Final answer:
False, under strain theory, an innovator is someone who accepts societal goals but uses illegitimate means to achieve them when unable to use conventional methods.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that an innovator is a person who accepts the cultural goal and goes to college and graduates with the intention of achieving the acceptable means to deter from crime is false. According to strain theory, proposed by sociologist Robert Merton, an innovator is someone who accepts society's goals but adopts illegitimate means to achieve them when they cannot access conventional, approved methods. For example, an entrepreneur without means to afford their business venture may resort to embezzling from their employer for start-up funds.
According to strain theory, an innovator is a person who accepts the cultural goal of achieving financial success, but uses deviant or criminal means to achieve it because they lack socially acceptable means. Therefore, the statement in the question is false. Innovators do not go to college and graduate with the goal of achieving acceptable means to deter from crime. They may resort to criminal activities, such as embezzlement, to attain their desired goals.