Getting Behind the Punch: "The Knock Out Game"

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Recommended: Social learning theory and youth crime

Outside, a middle aged man walks outside from the back entrance after a long day at work. As he moves through the back alley, a swift cracking noise echoes the area. He drops on the ground, instantly going into a state of unconsciousness as cackling and footsteps run away from him. This horrible scenario has been occurring for the past few years in various urban areas to people who seem “vulnerable.” This “knock out game” has various methods of operation but for the most part, “…it typically involves either one forceful punch to the head or a more generalized assault to a random individual (typically standing or walking alone) without any warning or provocation, and without any ulterior motive such as theft or retaliation” (Zonfrillo, Arbogast, & Fein, 2014, p. 513). This trend tends to have a similar demographic of perpetrators (teenage males), yet it does not necessarily mean that the motivation to perpetrate these random assaults are all the same. These recent attacks are a social problem because they do affect a person’s well being and safety in society. Three different case studies will be examined, along with different criminological theories and finally policies that could be applied for punishment and prevention crime control measures.
As mentioned earlier, most cases are not economically motivated which rules out conflict theory since that ideology is associated with perpetrators who believe in class conflict, and using any means to obtain monetary or social power within a divided society. On side note, the trend and cases discussed, Social Learning theory appears to be a universal motivation for incidents which occurred within the context of group settings due to the motivation and skills given by peers (or social media...

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... from http://www.myfoxny.com/story/23359158/ny-teen-has-hearing-in-knockout-game-death-case
See/Methodist University, E., & Kieser/Methodist University , E. (2013).http://global.oup.com/. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199844487/guide1/study_guide.pdf
Senate passes stronger penalties for 'knockout game'. (2014). Spin Control [The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington - BLOG],

The Associated Press (2013, November 22). Deadly 'knockout' game gains national prominence | syracuse.com. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/11/deadly_knockout_game_gains_national_prominence.html
Zonfrillo, M. R., Arbogast, K. B., & Fein, J. A. (2014). The Knockout Game: Recreational Assault and Traumatic Brain Injury. Lancet, 383( 9916), 513-514. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60184-7

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