Criminalogical Theories Applied to Monster The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member
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Criminalogical Theories Applied to Monster The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member
In Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, Kody Scott tells the story of the struggle between two significantly large gangs. At the age of eleven he was initiated into the Crips, and committed his first murder. It was this day that began what would become a career for Kody: banging (Scott, 1993).
Kody worked hard to secure a reputation for his name. He held loyal to his homeboys and began to build up the Crips. His potential for being in a leadership position became more and more evident as time went on. During one incident, a police officer referred to him as a monster, and the name stuck. He worked hard to live up to his name, and soon the legacy of Monster was well known, by not only his own gang, but in others as well (Scott, 1993).
In this paper I intend to show how Kody's early child hood and teenage years, both proceeding and during his life as a Crip, fit quite well with several theories that were discussed in class over the quarter.
The Arousal Theory says that because some peoples brain's work differently than others, things that stimulate, or interest one person may not do so to someone else. People with lower arousals have a greater propensity to be criminally prone (Class Notes).
Throughout the book there are several examples of how Kody was bored with the everyday happenings of his life. In one part of the book he said that the excitement of the streets was "...the only thing in [his] life that had ever held [his] attention for any serious length of time" (Scott, 1993: 5). I believe that Kody was a very intelligent boy, but he also had a problem with his attention span. He never finished his education, ...
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...d in any activities other than his gang nor did he have any desire to be. As for his beliefs he started out believing that he was wrong, but as time passed he began to rationalize what he was doing. He told him self that the bloods deserved it, or that they were asking for it. Eventually he believed himself (Scott, 1993).
Many theories, both alone and in combination can be used to rationalize why Kody Scott was the way he was, and they can be looked at in many different ways. I hope my interpretations of the previous theories help to better explain, and understand Monster and other delinquents like him.
Bibliography:
Bibliography:
Bohm, R. M. (2001), A Primer on Crime and Delinquency Theory, Wadsworth, California pg. 82
Class Notes (2001)
Scott, K. (1993), The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, Penguin Books, New York.
pgs. 4, 5, 17, 173.