Some times families do not have the best circumstances in living, such as being in rough areas, not having stable jobs, and struggling to afford food and other needs. Another reason kids join gangs, is because they see the “cash flow” that comes along with selling the drugs and holding up gas stations and other stores. According to nationalconcernedofficers.com, when they speak about money, they say: “Many youth join
the American Dream. This theory is very useful in highlighting certain points that are not explained within other theories. Albert Cohen, describes the idea of status frustration. By which he argues that deviance and crime result from the inability of those in lower classes to achieve mainstream goals. It is useful for highlighting why, in the working class, those who cannot achieve in education, they then therefore suffer from status frustration and in this process turn to other people who also cannot achieve in this institution.
How far do sociologists agree that the key cause of crime in society is relative deprivation? Criminal activities have been happening for many years and happen for a variety of reasons and sociologists believe that to some extent, relative deprivation is the key cause of criminal behaviour in today’s society, however there are other aspects which could affect crime rates such as sub – cultural theories, the opportunity structure and inadequate socialisation. Relative deprivation is the occurrence of groups or individuals being unfairly judged with people similar to them. For example a young man who wants to live a flash lifestyle with expensive cars, lots of money and a nice house because he was educated with others who have grown up to experience these things. 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.
“Sweet Sixteen” It can be difficult to break the social inheritance, when you are a young teenager that comes from poor economic and social settings. These teens often feel social alienated and are more likely to be very rebellious or criminals. Each person’s social inheritance varies greatly depending upon the era and the socio-economic situation of the teenager’s family. I believe that it is very challenging for a teenager who is raised in both poor and criminal families to climb up the social ladder and abandon their social inheritance. The movie Sweet Sixteen gives us an insight to these social challenges.
An increased level of concern about public safety and crime rates may be brought about by increased incidences of shoplifting in particular areas. Lastly and most influential to our social framework is the strain and added family problems that result from the shoplifting arrest of a child, as well as the loss of youthful innocence and damage to their future. (Youth Service Council Of Orange, 2004) So why do so many juveniles shoplift? The easy answer is simply so that they can get something for nothing. However the real cause of shoplifting goes beyond this.
Crime can affect the way individuals perceive others generally creating bias and prejudice within a person’s frame of thought; hopefully we can make someone think a little differently. Social structure theories generally put forth that the disadvantaged economic class is a primary cause of crime. It states that neighborhoods which are “lower class” create forces of strain, disorganization, and frustration that lead to the action of crime, they have used these to put them into classes; social disorganization, strain theory and cultural deviance. Social disorganization theory suggests that slum dwellers violate the law because they live in areas where social control has broken down. The origin of social disorganization theory can be traced to the work of Shaw and McKay, who concluded that disorganized areas marked by divergent values and transitional populations produce criminality.
Social Disorganization Question and Answer Staycee Gibson CJA/384 December 16, 2013 Jessica Vesey What is Social Disorganization? Social disorganization is defined as complications of social ideas that create productive means of crime and social absence needed to form bonding elements and communal institutions related to family, friends, public settings, and social environments (Abadinsky, 2007). This type of organization often leads to delinquency committed by adults and youth when communities display negative support in activities involving moral decay of social control. Social disorganization is caused by anti-social inabilities involving community members and abnormal behavior from the same individuals that need complete guidance or support to perform proactive capabilities of social status. Social disorganization creates negative attributes of social control in racial or ethnic groups through normal convention means of unreliable support to enable individuals to resist from committing illegal actions.
Re-birthing Dreams Shocking statistics suggest a new kind of recession in today's age of knowledge: specifically, the decline of American college graduates, which is caused by students dropping out of school. As David Leonhardt informs the readers of the New York Times, the majority of dropouts are lower-income students. In his article, "The College Dropout Boom," Leonhardt addresses the issue further by explaining why the poor leave college, how they need help, and how dropping out negatively impacts their lives. Leonhardt's extensive propositions are united by a common thread: money. In other words, the contemporary pressure for money influences many lower-income students to enter college with inadequate funds, which ultimately forces them to drop out of college.
Relational identities between people are often unequal; between mother and child for instance. Without doubt identities are complex, as argued by Phoenix and Pattynama,’ it is often necessary to consider the combination or intersection of different identities’ (Phoenix and Pattynama, 2006, p169). Relationships are not always equal and can involve a power imbalance resulting in a winner and loser. Social life can breakdown and a result of this is when it is maintained through inequalities and often exploitation. Firstly, we’ll look at the work by writer Jonathan Raban, who in 1980’s visited New York and studied the homeless on the streets, observing the negative way they were viewed by others.
It was seen that those who are already at an advantage gain greater benefits and that those who are disadvantaged are losing more ground. The ideology of educational establishments is changing, and is more concerned about attracting the talented and the privileged than helping the disadvantaged. Some critics strongly attacked the new vocationalism, which characterises the different youth training schemes. Dan Finn refuses to accept that its real aim is to achieve the objectives it alleges. Finn states that confidential government papers that were disclosed to the London publication Time Out in 1983 show that the true purpose of the youth training schemes was to restrict the number of workers who would join trade unions, in order to minimise the bargaining power of the workforce.