Disorganization, dilapidation, deterioration, and despair are all associated with social isolation and economic stress, which are two main factors of poverty (O’Connor, 2004). Police patrol through run-down, poverty-stricken areas more frequent in large cities. To the kids in these areas, this only backs up the idea that the enemy is society. Another indicator of juvenile crime
As he is unable to achieve these luxuries through work, he may turn to criminal activity because he wants to be like his peers as he feels pushed out. Sociologists believe that to some extent, relative deprivation is the key cause of crime in society however there are some other aspects that affect this. Sub-cultural theories are a belief of some sociologists where crime is explained by saying that criminals learn how to commit these crimes from their peer groups or subculture. Cohen in 1955 completed a study on working class boys in North America and found that they were easily involved in gangs. One aspect that was said to have pushed them away from the education system and towards these gangs was because they had middle class standards and values and these boys were unable to live up to the high expectations of these teachers.
Another organization called Youth Inc. grants access to valuable resources to help people find meaningful work and future careers. Both organizations have been very successful in providing their services as they have been able to assist people with finding employment, and keep youth occupied and distant from quandaries. Nevertheless, the media broadcasts Jane and Finch as impoverished; implanting a biased image in the eyes of strangers who rely on the media as their only source of news. They claim that the youth of the area are tightly knotted with gangs who are criminals that prey on innocent people and on each other. Hence, the notion of the media is misleading as the goodness within the Jane and Finch community is submerged under a biased
As shown in City of God the underprivileged children in this community suffered from a lack of so many of life necessities, that they were willing to participate in anything that they could to earn a little extra money; even joining a gang. They ended up joining these gangs because the encouragement to join a gang is just like it is in every other city: temporary protection, a sense of belonging, and the opportunity to make more money than anyone else in the neighborhood. City of God was a perfect example how poverty and crime are linked. It would seem as though the people in this movie were unable to obtain any resources that would improve their condition. With that being said, it is no wonder as to why the young men of this city were involved in committing small to major acts of crime.
In this case, the broken window is a signal that the community in New York was neglected, causing others to commit other types of crimes too. Once the window is repaired, people will feel less neglected and refrain from committing other crimes. However, recent studies and experiments, discussed in Caitlin M. Jones’ article “Genetic and Environmental Influences on Criminal Behavior”, show results that both contradict and support Gladwell, stating that genes also play a vital role in the outcomes of individuals’ behaviors. Other theories have also emerged; one of the more surprising ones coming from economist Rick Nevin, discussed in Shankar Vedantam’s “Research Links Lead Exposure, Criminal Activity”. Here, his theory argues that a high level of lead exposure leads to more violent behavior due to lead being a neurotoxin that causes impulsivity and aggression.
Gaol plays a significant role in achieving justice for society and victims as it incapacitates the offender so they cannot reoffend, provides a serious punishment for serious offences and keeps dangerous criminals off the streets. However as seen in the study by the Bureau of Crime Statistics Research, outlined in the media article “Prison is an Expensive Way of Encouraging Crime Study Finds” (SMH 22.09.10) gaol is a very expensive form of crime control and may turn prisoners into worse offenders while charging society approximately $260 per day, per prisoner. Gaol also leaves the offender unemployed, with no money to survive when released and it may lead to difficulties finding a job with a criminal record. Therefore it can be seen that gaol plays a varying level of extent in achieving justice for the victim and society and for most offenders it plays a low extent in achieving justice. Another penalty applied during the sentencing process is an Intensive
Have you ever really thought about how powerful of humiliation is? Some people believe that shaming sentence is a good way to warn and educate juveniles. In my opinion, inappropriate use of humiliations can easily ruin a young man’s life. On the other side, VORP is a better alternative than shaming because it provides an opportunity for both the victims and offenders to repair their relationships,; and then, to reach a win-win result. In the aspect of the victims, they always stay in passive positions in traditional justice system.
Social Trends By: Swandonna Rone Class: Criminology Instructor: David Di Bari Date: 04/07/12 One of the main things I think will always impact the criminal justice system is a person Socioeconomic Status (SES). SES is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation. SES affects overall human function: our physical and mental health, the neighborhood in which we live, our daily activities, and our access to resources. Those that posses a low SES are the one more likely to commit crimes, because they are trying to get more than they have or afford, and don’t care about the risk of their wrong doings. I think that a stricter Crime Control will suit the crime problems in the future.
At a bare minimum, these are the scaled down achievements of sought after success and social mobility to be attained by the under-classed. As for those who pursue illegitimate structure models, the hopes of acquiring success through the means of monetary benefit are at a much higher success rate. Unfortunately, as demonstrated in Favela Rising (Zimbalist, Mochary, 2005), due to the high level of danger associated with gang affiliations, the average life expectancy of a gang member is dropped substantially to that of approximately 14-16 years old. It appears that in a community of epidemic poverty, people are more tempted to adapt in the most detrimental of ways in order to acquire any resemblance of success that society deems as being a favourable attribute. Merton's fourth type of individual adaption is retreatism.
I also think that the sub-culture of the Mole people takes even longer to evolve than the culture above the streets, thus making it hard for a small change in the culture above ground to influence that of the mole people. The difference that I see between “us” and “them” is that I believe that the mole people are more devoted to living a life with a community. Toth states in her book, “Their community provides them with a sense of physical and psychological security and in their eyes also sets them apart, and above, the mass of homeless wandering the streets aboveground.” Compared to people living above the ground, the Mole people are open to and embrace the idea of living together