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Sociological theories of juvenile delinquency
Sociological theories of juvenile delinquency
Sutherland, Edwin H.: Differential Association Theory
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One of the positivist theory demonstrated in Crips and Bloods: Made in America is Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory. Both gangs initially started as a new generation watched the turmoil that their parents endured. They saw the police targeting and the response of their parents. That is how the Crips was formed. Sutherland’s Theory states, “If an individual associates with people who hold deviant (or criminal) ideas more than with people who embrace conventional ideas, the individual is like to become deviant” (24). The founders of the Crips associated with rest of the African-American population as they grew up watching their families be brutalized by the police and result in riots or other criminal behaviors. Society had such a
This can be connected to the Crips and the Bloods by the similar treatment the African Americans receive compared to the roughnecks. This recognition as being a roughneck makes it much more difficult to get a job, and escape the society they are currently in.... ... middle of paper ... ... Anderson discusses the code of the streets and how this set of rules and norms dictates how people behave in South Las Angeles and gives rise to organized gang violence.
This paper will cover issues that young minorities encounter in the movies; Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008), Gran Torino (2008), A Better Life (2011). Movies will be summarize, and compare and contrast youths experienced. Criminological theories shall be utilized to further elaborate issues. Finally steps and theories will be utilized towards solving issues, also possible methods to correct the issues will be addressed in the end.
An estimated 1.4 million people are active in more than 33,000 street, prison, and outlaw motorcycle gangs across the country, according to a report from the FBI. FBI officials, however, were quick to emphasize that the apparent 40 percent increase in membership may reflect more accurate reporting of numbers in gang ranks (FBI). Neighborhood-based gangs have proven that they can be very violent. Neighborhood Crip Rollin’ 6o’s is the most popular street gang in many states. Neighborhood Crip Rollin’ 6o’s is a gang that have many interesting things about it such as it’s early formation, how to get in and out, and what they do.
In the documentary, Crips and Bloods: Made In America, it gives us a detailed history and insightful interviews from first generation club members. It is quite astonishing to think that gangs like the Crips and Bloods started because of young men of color wanted to be a part of organizations like, the Boys Scouts, Cub Scouts, and other clubs like them. In turn, these young men of color created their own clubs to have organization amongst themselves and to do something positive. Every single human gathering take after unmistakable standards, which are constantly upheld by authorizations of some kind, shifting from casual objection to physical discipline. (page 136). Although young people of color tried to do something positive, start their own clubs, and organized car meets, police deemed these clubs to be gangs. I feel as though the police and some politicians seen young people of color forming their own clubs as signs of deviance. Deviance is described as Modes of action that do not conform to the norms or values held
Many have attempted to explain gang involvement in today's society. However, there is an underlying activity of youth joining gangs that does not seem to have enough media coverage or thorough explanations. As the name suggests, youth gang membership is about the juvenile population creating and joining gangs. Research indicates that youth gang membership exists in contemporary north America (Bernburg et al. 2006; aLilly et al. 2011; Maclure and Sotelo 2004; Sims 1997; Wiley et al. 2013; Yoder et al. 2003). This paper will examine the factors associated with youth gang membership using Karl Marx's conflict theory and labeling theory in comparison. Although conflict theory helps explain why a troublesome economy and coming from a low-socioeconomic status contributes to gang involvement, the theory has its limitations. On the other hand, labeling theory is unable to fully explain youth gang involvement based on the aforementioned factors. That being said, it can give a better explanation based on the factor of government intervention in the lives of citizens such as the context of stop-and-frisk which lead to unwarranted searches.
The film, Crips and Bloods: Made in America, analyzes the social conditions of young African Americans associated with gang violence in South Los Angeles. Given limited opportunities aside from education and employment, many young teens were forced to partake in drug-related gangs in order to survive on the streets of South Los Angeles. The barriers that segregated whites from blacks led to the poor economic conditions of these African American communities. Dr. Josh Sides discusses how those who crossed specific boundaries were harassed and put into place. One scenario can demonstrated by Bird, whom he talks about being detained and questioned by police as to why he had been robbing. He reacts by saying, “What does a robber look like…he looks
There were groups such as the Black Panthers, and the US Organization, which were known to have been rivals due to false rumors that had been spread by the government and the media. Black Panthers were known to have offered a more reliable source of protection during this time than the police did for African Americans. Sloan interviews current and former gang members from a variety of gangs spread throughout Los Angeles. He gives us a different perspective on where gangs came from and why they formed. Although they were originally formed to protect African Americans, they have strayed far from where they started.
Echoing the structural strain theory is the differential opportunity theory, which states that learning environments and opportunities are not equally distributed in the social system and gender, class and ethnicity affects conformity and deviance (Deutschmann, 2007). Taking both theories into account, those susceptible to joining gangs would be people that are deprived of opportunities and resources to succeed, mainly people of the lower class and racial minorities as exemplified by the high volume of emergence of racially exclusive gangs in the past. In the 1970’s, the United States of America lifted its quota on immigration based on nationality and this saw the influx of immigrants from Asia and the West Indies coming into the USA in hopes of getting rich or simply to flee from their war torn native lands. Instead of assimilating into the American culture, these immigrants brought along their own cultural practices and religions, which were rejected by the Americans and resulted in resentment between both parties. Racial discrimination was rampant and these once hopeful immigrants soon found themselves being isolated in the outskirts, jobless and helpless.
The documentary Crips and Bloods: Made in America, can be analyzed through three works: “Modern Theories of Criminality” by C.B. de Quirόs, “Broken Windows” by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling and “Social Structure and Anomie” by Robert K. Merton.
The documentary, “Crips and Bloods: Made in America” talks about many social concerns. In the documentary, both discrimination and economics are the main factors for the problems in Southern California. The gangs started because of discrimination. By denying people because of their skin color to join social activities such as the boy/girl scouts is what led to the formation of groups that later turned into gangs. Apart from that, hatred and threats escalated the situations that then turned the gangs into what they are today. According to the documentary, because of the gang rivalry there exists an invisible line that separates the territories of both the Crips and the Bloods. Not only is that the only factor, but also
The Crips, originating in Los Angeles, California, are one of the oldest, largest, and most notorious gangs in the United States. They have been involved in murders, robberies and drug dealing in the Los Angeles area. The Crips are mostly identified by the blue color worn by their members. What was once a single gang is now a loose network of "franchises" around the United States. The gang primarily (but not exclusively) comprises African Americans. The Crips have an intense rivalry with the Bloods and are also known to feud with Chicano gangs.
Albert Cohen’s book Delinquent Boys: The Culture of the Gang was the first attempt for Cohen to solve the problem of how delinquent subcultures could begin (Williams & McKay, 2014). Cohen found that delinquent behavior was found among the lower class white males and the most common form was called gangs (Williams & McKay, 2014). Gangs were characterized by the behavior that was nonutilitarian which was no reason for doing something, malicious an individual was just mean, and negativistic was to negate the middle class. Statues played an important role in the subculture theories, which status was a way to think of ourselves in reference to other people (Williams & McKay, 2014). Cohen said “everyone wants status but not everyone can compete for stat...
...haviors he so wishes to comprehend are those whom he labels as The Cocaine Kids. Now that examples of these drug sellers’ behaviors have been provided, the criminological theories that can explain such behaviors have been made visible to the unseen eye. Criminological theories including the theory of Differential Association, the Subculture of Violence Theory, and the Social Learning Theory can be viewed as methods for developing a knowledgeable understanding of how and why such behaviors introduced individuals to the drug-selling world, kept them submerge deep within it, and allowed for them to leave it.
Gang violence is a major problem in our society today. If nothing is done soon, gang violence could take place in our neighborhoods. MW Klein, a gang researcher, says that gangs are an aggregation of youths who perceive themselves as distinct, and that are viewed as distinct by the community. Klein also states that the gangs call forth a consistently negative image of themselves through their actions (Klein). To those involved in gangs however, gang membership provided a youth means of attempting to consolidate their gender identities (Douglas). Most of the early American street gangs have historically been ethnically based. Early gangs were mainly Irish, Polish, or Italian (Klein).
The differential association theory has been used to explain various criminal case studies and the model can be projected onto various crimes. For example youth delinquency and gangs are a steadily growing phenomenon in cities all over the world. Statistics show that 22% of all serious violent crimes in England and Wales are committed by gang members, they also commit half of the shootings which take place in the city. (Ministry of Justice: 2013) Gang behaviours could be underpinned by the differential association theory. It has been stated that it ‘powerfully calls up the image of [a] gang of