In this film review, I will define life course theory, and I will correlate the theory to Boyz N The Hood (1991). The definition of life course theory will come from my interpretation of Criminology Goes To The Movies: Crime Theory and Popular Culture (2011), written by Nicole Rafter and Michelle Brown. First, I will reconstruct the history context of life course criminology theory. Next, I will explain John Laub and Robert Sampson’s recollection on the Glueck’s data. To follow, I will give an example of family ties from the Boyz N The Hood (1991).
Life course criminology theory arose when Robert Sampson and John Laub discovered an earlier study on Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency (1950). Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency was a research
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study, assembled by Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck, both from Harvard University. Their study “focused on the causes of delinquency” (Rafter & Brown;2011, Page 168). However, the study was not welcomed by criminologists and was neglected. Until John Laub and Robert Sampson realized that they can use the data to build upon it. In remarks to the Glueck’s studies, Robert Sampson and John Laub discovered that good marriages with strong ties were able to prevent crime.
“For example, they found that marriage alone did not prevent the offenders in the Glueck sample from committing crime but that good marriages with close emotional ties did, for the latter created strong bonds, strengthened informal social control, and gave the men reasons to keep out of trouble” (Rafter & Brown;2011, Page 171). In other words, if you have a strong relationship with your married couple, you will most likely prevent a crime. In contrast, if you have a horrible relationship with your partner, you will most likely commit a crime. Further, John Laub and Robert Sampson reminds us that, “crime is more likely to occur when the individual’s bonds to family, friends, work, and so on are weak or broken” (Rafter & Brown;2011, Page 171). We see a perfect example in the …show more content…
film. Boyz N The Hood, a film directed by John Singleton (IMDb). Illustrates the life of Tre Styles, a boy who was raised by a divorced mother. In middle school, Tre gets into a dispute with his classmate, leaving him to move with his father, Furious Styles. In his father’s neighborhood, Tre reunites with his close friends who aren’t well educated as he is. His neighborhood becomes like a family and his close friends become like blood brothers. Tre lives with his father, his father holds a high respect for Tre, and he expects to receive the same mutual respect. Consequently, Tre learns valuable life lessons, and life morals through his dad. One strong correlation that I made with the life course theory and the film wasn’t until the end of the film.
After Tre loses his brother Ricky, Tre and his crew go out to seek retaliation. However, in the middle of the road trip, Tre demanded Doughboy to pull over, to let him out. With a negative body language, Doughboy pulled aside to let him out. At that moment, Tre realized that his father had taught him an important lesson. Furious taught Tre, that violence is not always the answer. I can relate this to the theory, because of the strong relationship between Tre and his father. Due to the strong father and son relationship, Furious was able to prevent Tre from committing a crime. Particularly, a
murder. Another great example of life course theory using the family ties lens was the relationship between Doughboy and his mother. In the film, Doughboy doesn’t have the greatest relationship with his mother. Furthermore, Doughboy’s mother doesn’t quite believe in him and does not support him as much as his other son, Ricky. If Doughboy would’ve had a great relationship with his mother to start with than he could have had been saved, from becoming a criminal. Again, these two examples of family ties are so significant and powerful when we look at it from a sociological perspective.
To begin with, Larson and Sweeten pose a few interesting questions. They set out to find how breaking up affects unmarried young adults, but the effects that will be recognized are limited to crime and substance use (Larson & Sweeten, 2012, p. 606). This is a goal that helps formulate questions that can later be answered at the end of recording data. The main general question they are looking to answer is as follows “Is romantic dissolution associated with increases in the prevalence or intensity of offending?” (Larson & Sweeten, 2012, p. 606) . This shows that they will be measuring crime. Likewise, the correlation between breaking up and substance usage will be taken into account (Larson & Sweeten, 2012, p. 606). This shows that they will be measuring different substances that each individual used. Moreover, in order to develop hypotheses, Larson and Sweeten did some extensive research to help guide the study. They took note of the ideas from “general strain theory (Agnew, 1992), the age- graded theory of informal social control (Laub and Sampson, 2003; Sampson and Laub 1993), and delinquent
Schmalleger, Frank. Criminology: A Brief Introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall., 2011.
Upon reading your responses, I can see how individuals are labeled based on race and on stereotypes. In the film, “Boyz n the Hood”, I agree to what Sabrina said about the two scenes expressing discriminatory treatment by the criminal justice system. It was sad to see how when you are in need of help and the only source is turning their backs. It is not fair to be judged by your ethnicity, class, or where you live. This is related to labeling theorist, Howard Becker; whereas he states that certain individuals can even be labeled by being falsely accused. An individual can be labeled as a deviant, because of their race and yet never committed a crime (Adler, Mueller, & Laufer 2013, p. 189). We saw this in the one scene you pointed out, whereas Tre and his dad called the cops because of the break in at their home. Then
Reactive aggression is defined as violent behavior whereby injury is viscously imposed and where the resolution and end is the culminating resolution (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2014). Reactive aggression suggests that some individuals react with violence and or aggression in response to the experiences endured (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2014). In the film “Boyz N the Hood,” multiple clips simulate reactive aggression and proactive aggression, as these characters are continuously attempting to challenge each other An example of this can be seen when Tre, Ricky, and Doughboy are at a street hang out with friends and other gang affiliated individuals when one person from a rival gang vindictively walks into Ricky. As a result to what has transpired Doughboy, Ricky’s brother, responds with proactive aggression; threatening the opposing gang member by flashing a gun at him and indicating harmful violent behavior resultant to the action he displayed (Singleton, 1991). Essentially due to the previous encounter between the groups, later in the film, the rival gang member shoots Ricky as he is running for his life in an ally. At that moment, Ricky 's dream of successfully exiting from the hood was prematurely ended, as he dies from the gunshot injuries sustained. The
The Cocaine Kids: The Inside Story of a Teenage Drug Ring is an intriguing narrative of the experiences Terry Williams witnessed first hand while observing the lives of “The Kids” and their involvement in the cocaine trade. Throughout this piece, there are numerous behaviors displayed by the drug dealers that are each examples of and can be attributed to well-defined criminological theories. This paper will explore how such criminological theories are associated with how and why individuals are introduced into the world of drug selling, as well as, why they leave it. I will elaborate on this by revealing the motivations and conditions that seem to pressurize these individuals to be drug dealers. Although there are multiples shown, the specific theories I will explore are all based on the same idea that an individual becomes a criminal by learning how to be one through experiences, examples, role models, etc. Such theories include the theory of Differential Association, Subculture of Violence Theory, and the Social Learning Theory.
... create much room for improvement. In an effort to better understand desistance and persistence throughout the life-course, Laub and Sampson’s work is a decent starting point. More research is needed regarding the marriage effect, emotion, cognitive transformations, minorities, and women to better explain crime over the life-course.
The study of Juvenile delinquency and the theories pertaining to it are vital for several reasons. In order to more effectively engage with youths and foster positive behavior and schemas, the individuals must first be understood. The study of theory provides a means of understanding adolescents and the factors that lead to or detract from delinquent behavior. In the case of juvenile delinquent, Jordan Brown, theory helps to provide insight into why an eleven-year-old boy murdered his stepmother.
Sampson, R., & Laub, J. (1990). Crime and Deviance over the Life course: the salience of adult social bonds. American Sociological Review, 55(5), 609-627.
Thompson, W, & Bynum, J. (1991). Juvenile delinquency. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
... middle of paper ... ... Understanding psychological theories helps criminologists to design appropriate correctional strategies to mitigate crime. Works Cited Eysenck, H.J., & Gudjonsson, G.H. d. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a The causes and cures of criminality.
Bartol, C. R. (2002). Criminal behavior: A psychosocial approach. (6 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
The three eras that have characterized the field of criminology over the past 100 years are the “Golden Age of Research,” the “Golden Age of Theory,” and an unnamed era that was “’characterized by extensive theory testing of the dominant theories, using largely empirical methods’” (28). The “Golden Age of Research” era spanned from 1900 to 1930 according to John H. Laub. This era is identified as focusing heavily on the collection of data surrounding crime and the criminal. This data was assessed without “any particular ideational framework” (28). The second era, the “Golden Age of Theory,” spanned from 1930 to 1960, also according to Laub. This era is also rather self-explanatory, it is described by the development of theories; however, Laub
... Crime in the Life Course. Retrieved from http://criminology.fsu.edu/center/jjeep/pdf/annual2003/chapter7ar03.pdf Moffitt, T. E. (1993). A Developmental Taxonomy. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.sunysb.edu/ewaters/552-04/slidsets/brian_mcfarland_aggression/moffitt_aggression.pdf Siegel, L. J. (2000).
This theory is also known as social bond theory because it elaborates that instead of some natural inclinations toward crime, the individuals are deter from committing criminal activities due to strong social bonds. However, if the social bond of an individual is weak, the probability of involvement in a crime of increases. It is analysed from the research study of Warkentin and Willison (2009) that as per this theory individuals have natural tendency towards committing crimes if there are no social bonds. Moreover, it is also noticed that social bonds have positive influence on the reduction of criminal behaviour. This means that criminal activities within organisation can be controlled by emphasising on social bonds. The inhibitors of unwanted behaviour are divided into four types, which include belief, commitment, attachment, and
Bridges, K. M. Banham . "Factors Contributing to Juvenile Delinquency." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 17.4 (1927): 531-76. scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.