Chesney-Lindd And Meschmidt

1. Compare and contrast the theories of Chesney-Lind and Messerschmidt in how they would explain street level drug sales and petty theft.

These two can compare because they are both considered Macro level perspective theories. Macro perspective assumes that society’s larger structures shape those individual interaction and individuals’ lives. These theories circulated around gender and how they influence crime and criminal behaviors. These theories also are similar because they express why one gender may commit crime over the other gender. Most of society believes male and female criminality was the same due to the strain, control and learning theory. Chesney-Lind theorist of “A Feminist Theory of Female Delinquency”, was the first to challenge

Messerschmidt argues, gender intersects with race and class to create different masculinities. Explaining how masculinity varies by structural location and crime can be a way to “do gender” or show masculinity. Hegemonic masculinity is the ruling or dominance in a political or social context. For example a middle class white boy accomplishes dominance by conforming to school rules and by dominating in student organizations and sports. Boys who are not successful in school work, and do not participate in sports, they typically seek out other resources to prove masculinity. When it comes to hegemonic masculinity outside of school many boys show masculinities’ by pranks, vandalism, drugs sales and petty theft.This theory examines white working class boys may participate in theft to get extra cash, In order to participate in youth culture like wearing nice clothing and going to popular events. On the other hand lower working class, racial minority boys, often do not have access to paid labor, and their parents are unable to provide their youth culture needs. The street group is a collective solution to their prohibitions and a lifestyle that incorporates to the form of street activities. Our social

There are a variety of intervention strategies that could work with both theories. For Chesney-Lind “A Feminist Theory of Female Delinquency.” With this theory, individuals could engage in a family based intervention strategy, because within this theory they discuss how parents, family or close friends of the family may be abusing females. This abusive nature could result in females running away from home, becoming depressed, and angry with hostile criminal activities. This will allow the female victim and possibly her family to sit and express what she (the victim) is going through, and then they will be able to find other ways to get over the victims, depression and not run to the street as an outlet or for help. For Messerschmidt Masculinities and crime this theory expressed how men have to earn their masculinity and if they did not have the proper resources to show their manliness they will result to criminal activities. They results to showing masculinity by engaging in criminal behaviors like petty theft or drug sales. So these men could understand that masculinity is not only about being hard and aggressive, it could also be just being a great father, taking care if his children, participating in volunteer organizations, talking about sport and other positive things. This intervention strategy would steer