...with the video for social structure theory when covering the following topics. I will introduce how the video supports a social structure theory, the primary subject and content, major principles of the sociology theory addressed and social issues discussed. I am going to discuss, in the last part of this paper, what are some possible consequences for a social policy change. The video that I have chosen to do this paper on will be the “Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone” to best fit with my beliefs of social structure theory simply the top reason for criminality evolving. In the video that I have viewed, “Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone,” there was a great deal of information in it that supported crime evolving from a social structure theory. The prisoners in Pelican Bay State Prison set a goal to get into this prison because it is more like a reward than a punishment. The motive for the a reward of these prisoners is that only the meanest most violent prisoners who are gang leaders out of prison. These gang leaders still run the gangs, although they are in prison and are fearless. These gang leaders come from the only family that they have ever known and would give their lives for the gang. Most prisoners, gang leaders are educated only in the streets and nowhere else. In the video it speaks of how Pelican Bay State Prison is known for the thousands upon thousands of gang leaders who set a goal to end there for more recognition. The prisoners who end in Pelican Bay...
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...fantasy of many but in our society there are people that will go to drastic measures to ensure that it becomes a reality. This is where the economy plays a role in criminal behavior. People tend to want that which they don't have and are on a constant pursuit to attain the American Dream. Poverty is one example in which this desire for money and survival can lead to crime. For example, a bum on the streets of Brooklyn, living in a cardboard box and currently unemployed may resort to stealing in order to survive. He may steal food for nutrition, clothing for warmth, and money for personal pleasure. The criminal behavior in which he took part in gave him instant pleasure and comfort. In this case the immediate effects outweigh the consequences of the crime. It was the best thing the though he could do to guarantee his survival. The rich on the other hand may not need to resort to these measures to fulfill their so-called " American Dream" because it is a reality. This shows how the lower-class system may make the poor more prone and vulnerable to crime. It is highly apparent that certain societies and social groups are faced with situations that may prove to be conducive elements towards crime. Gangs and crime are bred in large cities. People who have a tendency to get in trouble may easily be dragged into the world of crime. The second focus of sociology and crime is the lower class value system and its relationship to gangs. Gangs hold their own standards of...
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...Peers and delinquency: Juvenile Gangs, Groups and Fraternities 12/03/2010 Juvenile Delinquency Dr. Ibe By Shantrevia Jordan Nowadays we often hear about peer groups and how peers influence people. Everyone in the world belongs to a peer group. They are not only for kids. Peer groups are social groups consisting of people who are equal in such respects as age, education or social class. Members of a particular peer group often have similar interests and backgrounds bonded by the premise of sameness. Studies have shown that kids and young adults join peer groups to find a place in a valued group that gives them a sense of belonging; to identify and master tasks that are generally recognized as having value and therefore can earn respect by acquiring skill to cope with them; to acquire a sense of worth as a person; and to develop reliable and predictable relationships with other people, especially a few close friends and loved ones. Peer groups can have a negative or positive influence when it comes to their purposes. Gangs have been known to be negative peer groups that usually perform delinquent activities. On the other hand, fraternities are known to be positive educational groups that help nurture the community. A gang is a perfect example of a delinquent peer group. A gang is a group of people, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, that share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes...
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...Introduction There are many contemporary issues surrounding us in the world today. The increase in African American youth gang membership is one of the many issues that are still prevalent within our communities. The number of African American’s joining gangs is on the rise because of the strong bonds within neighborhoods and the inequalities within power structures. In this paper I will analyze two different theories from Sociologist’s. I will start by analyzing networks from Charles Kadushin and Manuel Castells then I will discuss power by C. Wright Mills and Ralf Dahrendorf. I will apply their concepts to the contemporary issue of the rise in the number of African American’s joining gangs. I will talk about solutions that are available from...
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...Structure - all humans live in structural societies general value specific norms > rules specific roles > status 3 Questions 1) who created? how were they created? (norms) 2) normative behaviors > who rewards & how 3) who punishes normative behaviors & how live our lives in a package of norms -- comes together as roles diffusion - the process by which things spread informal social norms > EDL (every day life) formal social norms > MSL (major social institutions) >>> Islam ordinance - law/rule passed by small government body (town or city) - Patterns of behaviors individuals share with others in their group or society - Predictability & reassurance of social behavior ex) students in a classroom may act different - different methods of studying, taking notes, acting. However the general structure is the same….Professors lecture, students listen. exams are given, students take them **It is the recurrent patterned interaction of people and social structures created by such interactions that grabs the attention of sociologists Group Behavior VS Individual Behavior -People's behavior within a group setting can not be predicted from the characteristics of individual group members. - Group members generally tend to act like each other even when their personal preferences are not the same as the rest of their group. Conformity - we live in groups ranging from size > family to maybe an entire society/community. all encouraged by conformity...
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...Victomology Victims of Crimes and the Media Violent crime, gangs, and drugs are tearing our families apart. Violent crime and victims have become an issue in America and the rest of world. The negative effects of television, Movie Theater or any kind of media is affecting our children and teenagers. Statistics indicate a decline in violent crimes in our country and an increase in our national population in prisons. It is indisputable that our families are the victims in these drugs, gangs and organized crime issues in our communities. Nobody can discussed or argue that we need to stop this malicious act of violence. In addition, nobody can disagree that this violent crime is hard to fight. Gangs are born in impoverished sections of major cities. However, gangs and drugs activities are not limited to inner cities. Gangs and drugs are in suburbs and rural communities and in communities of great economic diversity. Gangs do not recruit certain type of race, economy or cultural status. Exist in every level and every kind of community. (Stewart, 1989). Therefore, our problem is everywhere and anywhere. The lack of parental supervision, employment, recreational opportunity and breakdown in family structure are the main reasons why our children are joining the ranks of these organized criminal institutions. It could be wrong to say it, but the truth is these gangs provide them (our children) with enough companionship, protection...
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...Today seems like the perfect day. What the children do not know is their next door neighbor is an unofficial ex-gang member. He decided to leave the streets and move his family into a better neighborhood away from his old lifestyle. The children continue to play and while one of them is in midair shots are fired. The gang the neighbor was in decided there is only one way out of their brotherhood. A drive by shooting is taking place. Screams are...
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...that fall victim to gang violence, and perhaps the most influenced by this lifestyle are the poor youth of the country. Neighborhoods that are overtaken by these gangs often recruit their own to continue these groups and they start them out young, so they can be ready whenever they are needed. With young gang member numbers coming up across the nation, there has been a concern of how fast the numbers have grown and the average age of the recruits. While the media has the tendency to either ignore or misinterpret gang life in the United States, there are other parts of media that are truthful and work hard to share the reality of many people like us who are living completely...
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...Spur Posse Intro to Sociology Christina Freye 11/17/14 Spur Posse This subject is very prevalent in many societies today, back in the day your sexual life was very precious to young people. But society has changed so much over the years, people think that this is ok it’s a normal way of life. I believe that a lot of the pressure on young people are due to TV shows, parents, internet, and magazines. Now today everybody openly talks about what happens in the bedroom. The Spur Posse is very detrimental to young girls especially if they were kind of forced into sex with these young men. In young lives today there are a lot of peer pressure all around, peer pressure is influence that a group, observers or individual exerts that encourages others to change their attitudes, values, or behaviors to conform to group norms. I feel like this issue is a main reason why this is going on in society today. This is not setting a good example for younger kids, most kids look up to their older sibling when they see them doing it they think it’s alright. When you are on in a team sport that plays a big role in your decision making. A lot of young people struggle with making the right decisions. When you hear of someone else doing something you tend to want to do it to, even though it may be the wrong thing to do. In any groups there is a lot of influences and curve your decision making and may lead to deviant behavior. These groups learn different attitudes and behaviors concerning deviance...
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...imagination can be defined as the capacity to see how sociological situations play out due to how people differ and social circumstances differ. It is a way of thinking about things in society that have led to some sort of outcome, and understanding what causes led to that outcome. Things that shape these outcomes include (but are not limited to): social norms, what people want to achieve (their motives for doing something), and the social context in which they live (ex. - country, time period, people with whom they associate). Basically, as an aspect of sociological imagination, what people do is shaped by all these things that result in some sort of outcome. Second, sociological imagination can be also the ability to see things socially and how they interact and influence each other. To have a sociological imagination, a person must be able to pull away from the situation and think from an alternative point of view. It requires “thinking ourselves away from our daily routines and looking at them anew". The actions of people are much more important than the act itself; as a result, sociological imagination is the capacity to shift from one perspective to another. To illustrate, Mills believed in the power of the sociological imagination to connect "personal troubles to public issues." Cle Sloan is the director of the movie and a Blood former gang-member. Cle Sloan utilizes his sociological imagination to investigate L.A.’s gang problem when he...
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...Rebecca Rashid published in the Washington Square News, an article on “Tattoo Tolerance: Older Generation Must Embrace Body Art.” Rashid’s article has brought light over the controversy of whether or not tattoos and body art are acceptable in the workplace, and how having these body modifications can affect they way that you as an individual are perceived in society. Employers are starting to see the results of how hiring tattooed employees affects their business. Even with the art of tattooing becoming more popular, the negative stigma around body modification is still heavily present amongst older generations and communities. Often times these tattoos of self-expressing art tell stories about the person who adorns the design. Ranging from...
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...become easier – and faster – for those to report and share deviance. Maybe now in the 20th century the levels of deviance seem amplified in relation to the past. It’s surprising, that even though there has been a drop in recorded crime over the years, the concerns about deviance in young people still remain high. This shows us, as a society, that we don’t necessarily believe in the regular statistical updates about crime. This means, in reality, these stories of youths committing crimes are now fuelled by media backing. Stories involving children, teenagers and gangs (usually committing petty theft or bullying) are made out far worse than it was in the first place. Unfortunately due to the media, youths are made out to seem far worse than they are, by identifying a groups of youths such as “gangs, knives and hoodies” they can create some sense of moral panic. This behaviour can then create a threat to the stability of society and make people re-evaluate their opinions. Most of the time, youths are depicted negatively in the media, and over time this stigmatism has stuck. The media are able to get lots of stories out of youth knife crime, gang crime and ASBO’s, and even some of the positive stories are given a negative twist. When you compare this to what it would’ve been like fifty to sixty years ago, stories like this wouldn’t have been published, based on this, I believe that many people would’ve been afraid to hear stories about crimes within the younger generation, especially...
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... A person’s upbringing can be negatively influenced by the socialization agents’ family, peers and media. Firstly, Family has a strong influence on the individual’s positive or delinquent behaviour. The absence of family resources may cause youth to engage in criminal behaviour. Families play an important role in the development of children; however when children are brought up with parents that are too harsh, children start disrespecting their parents and become violent. Research proves that a major problem in the absence of family resources is the lack of adequate parental supervision resulting in factors such as single parents long hours or both parents working and for these reasons, many youth are left on their own to figure out how to meet their emotional and psychological needs especially in the hours after school. Parents who...
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...main goal is to provide a safe living environment for Latino gang members in the community once they discharge from prison. Agencies The major agency being targeted for this community project is the Connecticut Department of Correction. The CT DOC’s mission statement is as follows. “The Department of Correction shall protect the public, protect staff, and provide safe, secure, and humane supervision of offenders with opportunities that support restitution, rehabilitation and successful community reintegration.” The project is focused on the successful reintegration of offenders to the community. There was a recent report in the Hartford Courant that stated that 80% of adult males in the state of CT have been recidivists between 2005 and 2010. This number is staggering and every effort should be taken by both the department and community agencies to help this number to decrease. This project will focus on providing an opportunity for inmates in DOC who have been identified as having an affiliation with a primarily Latin gang such as the Latin Kings or Los Solidos. The inmates chosen for the program will have denounced their affiliation with the gang and completed the gang program in DOC prior to discharge. The DOC has various contracts throughout the state with providers for halfway houses, sober houses, and ¾ houses. This project will fall into the same concept focusing strictly on individuals who were gang members. In collaboration with the DOC and a community partner...
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...enter Longview and it would seem like another ordinary visit to a nice, appealing, small town. Longview may seem beautiful from the outside in, but there is a continuous problem with gang influences. This would be something you expect from bigger cities such as, Houston or Dallas. I was once held at gunpoint, to this day my mother does not know about it. There are plenty of young people who live here who are terrified to talk about their personal experiences with gang members. In Longview, gang intimidation starts with younger children, but will Longview ever address the conflict? The answer to this question is no! Longview's top priorities are mainly on education and employment. It is never primarily focused on children or gangs. Gang members constantly try and increase the amount of members within the gang, but it becomes a dangerous act towards community. According to the Violence Prevention Institute, the process of gang recruitment is...
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