Social Bond Theory Paper

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Growing up in the modern world is a difficult process with many temptations. Kids learn that they need to fit in and be accepted. Sadly, since not all youth get those needs met at home, they look to gang activity to fulfill desire for acceptance. Since these children learn behavior from an early age, the police and community realized the importance of teaching them about the dangers of joining gangs. There are many theories that could explain this behavior among juveniles, and the creators of the program use these theories to support G.R.E.A.T.. Keeping these influences and theories in mind, law enforcement developed Gang Resistance Education and Training. Referred to as G.R.E.A.T., Gang Resistance Education and Training is a gang and delinquency …show more content…

While most theories tend to ask why a person would practice delinquent behavior, Social Bond Theory asks why some people are not delinquent (Thompson, Bynum 2009). The program asks the same question about why a juvenile would participate in gang activity. According to the developer of the theory, there are four aspects of social bond that explains why a juvenile would, or would not participate in delinquency (Thompson, Bynum 2009). The first aspect is attachment. This focuses on the connection that people feel towards each other, and shows just how much they care about each other. If a juvenile has attachments to good people, and truly care about them, they are more likely not to join a gang (Thompson, Bynum 2009). The next element is commitment, which has to do with the reputation and success of a person. If a juvenile has worked hard to achieve a good social status and is successful, that serves as a buffer against delinquency. The successful juvenile does not want to lose all they have obtained or achieved, so they are more likely to conform to the law (Thompson, Bynum 2009). Involvement is another aspect of the theory. Involvement has to do with how much time and effort a person has put into legitimate activity. A person is less likely to engage in gang activity or another type of delinquency if they have put a lot of effort into a conventional activity (Thompson, Bynum 2009) The G.R.E.A.T. program acknowledges this and highly encourages juveniles to participate in sports, extracurricular activities, and after school programs to keep the student’s involvement at a high level. This also keep juveniles busy, with less chances to roam the streets looking for trouble (Personal Interview Conducted on March 27, 2014). The last element Hirschi argued was belief, which asks whether a person has a proper view of good morals and societal norms. These can range anywhere from a

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