The Channel 5 Documentary, Connecticut Kia Boyz by Andrew Callaghan demonstrates a group of primarily teenage boys stealing cars and engaging in reckless behavior. The cars they steal are typically Kia’s or Hyundai’s. These vehicles are often stolen and broken into in the urban areas of Bridgeport and New Haven. The mainly known members are Yk Swervo and Topher from Dat Trench. These minors use social media platforms to exploit what they do and how simple it is to steal a car. There is not much behind why they do what they do besides entertainment and money, but it causes safety concerns in their area. The Connecticut Kia Boyz was inspired by seeing other Kia Boyz on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram from different states, originally …show more content…
The Kia Boyz operates in plain sight and runs public social media accounts where they document themselves in a first-person perspective on what they do. They steal specifically Kia’s and Hyundai because they are well-known vehicles that can be easily stolen and broken into. The Kia Boys display how easy it is to steal a car and showcase how to break the dashboard apart. The documentary explains how they break apart the dash by using a flathead screwdriver and inserting the end of a USB cord into the ignition to start the engine. Once they have turned the ignition on, they drive the stolen vehicle around and either crash it or leave it in a different area than where they picked it up, often on the opposite side of town to avoid any detection from the police. Their main motivation is financial gain. They sell it to the “hood”, for minimal amounts, from $50-$100 per Kia that’s stolen. They also profit from selling any personal belongings that were found in the car. Their reckless behavior caused concern in the endangerment of themselves and the people around …show more content…
If crime is influenced in family life, it is often found that engagement in criminal activities might be present. Lastly, some people are treated differently depending on whether they have more money than others or not. Being educated on these terms, we can learn how to help groups like the Connecticut Kia Boyz and make things fair for everyone. The documentary of the Connecticut Kia Boys teaches the audience that some people turn to crime. They get influenced easily by following social media trends. Following these trends can lead to a person ending up in the wrong area at the wrong time. The video displays that the Kia Boyz don’t care if they get chased around by the police. They know the consequences of being caught but will never be as bad as facing time, since they are underage. Additionally, the video teaches that social media can influence and lead to risky and reckless behavior like car theft. Kevin Morse’s story brings hope that change is attainable even after having a past full of regrets and many mistakes. He uses his background to understand the crimes committed and put a stop to
Police reported to a robbery in progress and found a Jeep backed up to the door of the restaurant upon arriving. Two suspects were walking out with handfuls of stolen merchandise. The robbers, a man and a woman, were arrested at the scene. These robbers were 23-year-olds, married couple Erika and Benjamin Sifrit.
This documentary Lockdown: Gang vs. Family by Gail Mitchell (2007) was a good way to prove the sociological theories that were mentioned in this paper. After reading more about the theories, I applied them to my life and my peer’s lives and it could be a proven fact for everyone and not just criminals. It is just more applicable
When teens are getting involved in multiple dangerous activities, parents usually get involved in straightening out their behavior. In this documentary, the parents are rarely shown, and when they are shown, they are not doing anything to stop their child’s behavior. The teens are having parties involving underage drinking, drugs, and other activities in their parent’s backyards. They are allowing illegal activity to go on right outside of their window.
Burglaries, robberies, and shootings, all of which may leave victims or innocent bystanders severely hurt or dead, are now frequent enough to concern all urban and many suburban residents. Living in a dangerous environment places young people at risk of falling victim to such malicious and aggressive behavior observed and learned from others. Social institution such as education, family, religion, peer groups, etc., play a major role in the influence of crime in the urban neighborhoods that Anderson describes. As said in the essay, "although almost everyone in poor inner-...
From 1990 to to the present there has been a sharp increase in juvenile crime across the United States. From 1996 to the present there has been a slight decline from the statistics in 1995(OJJDP). What was the cause for this uprise in juvenile delinquincy? I will discuss 2 different theories to why there was such an increase in juvenile crime rates. I will analyze the rise of the "Gangsta-Rap" culture in the early 1990's and how it may have affected teenagers that are in lower-income families. Many people believe that the increase in real life violence on television is a cause for violence in juveniles. I will discuss the evidence for this theory. It seems to me that the best theory to explain the rise in juvenile crime is the social constructionist theory. Different sub-cultures of teens have higher crime rates than others because of their interests, whether it be the music that they listen to or the types of television programs that they watched as child.
In a modern age where the media retains a strong influence on the general population, many youths across the globe are feeling the effects of being misrepresented by media. The characteristics often forwarded by media frequently links youths with that of criminals and gangs. Similarly, depictions of teenagers being ignorant and haughty is now a widespread stereotype. These inaccurate depictions, which are sometimes taken for granted, are causing detrimental damages to the lives of youths and their futures as members of society. Despite the media’s likelihood to portray modern youths negatively, evidence suggests the opposite; that modern youths are in fact responsible,
Few social issues get as much media attention as youth crime. Statistics Canada reported a 3% increase in crimes committed by 12- to 17-yearolds between 2005 and 2006. In the last 15 years, the rate of violent crimes among young people has increased by 30% (Youth crime, 2008). From gangland-style killings in Vancouver to the senseless beating of an elderly woman in Hali-fax, Canadian cities are struggling with a wave of youth crime that was unimaginable a couple of decades ago. According to Statistics Canada, most Canadians believe that youth crime is on the rise and 77% believe that the sentencing of young offenders is too lenient (Youth crime, 2005). Many experts attribute the spike in youth crime to the increased number of street gangs - often the perpetrators of youth crime (Catalano and Hawkins, 1996). Research indicates that youth seek comfort from those who welcome them and reinforce their sense of belonging. Unfortunate-ly, some youth have no choice but to turn to street gangs in order to satisfy their need for approv-al, belonging and self-worth (Clark, 1992). Street gangs are not just issues in big cities. Over the last few decades, there has been an increase in the presence of street gangs in non-metropolitan and rural communities. For example, in 1960, there were 54 cities in the United States with a gang population. In 1995, there were street gangs in approximately 800 cities and towns across the United States (Swetnam and Pope, 2001). There is no consensus among experts on how to reduce youth crime. Criminal involvement usually starts before the age of 15, with first-time of-fences declining markedly once young people reach 20 years of age. Young people who become involved in criminal activities before the age of 14...
High crime rates are an ongoing issue through the United States, however the motivation and the cause of crime has yet to be entirely identified. Ronald Akers would say that criminality is a behavior that is learned based on what an individual sees and observes others doing. When an individual commits a crime, he or she is acting on impulse based on actions that they have seen others engage in. Initially during childhood, individuals learn actions and behavior by watching and listening to others, and out of impulse they mimic the behavior that is observed. Theorist Ronald Akers extended Sutherland’s differential association theory with a modern viewpoint known as the social learning theory. The social learning theory states that individuals commit crime through their association with or exposure to others. According to Akers, people learn how to be offenders based on their observations around them and their association with peers. Theorist Akers states that for one, “people can become involved in crime through imitation—that is by modeling criminal conduct. Second, and most significant, Akers contended that definition and imitation are most instrumental in determining initial forays into crime” (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball 2011:57). Although Akers’ theory has been linked to juvenile delinquency in the past, it has also been tested as a possible cause of crime overall. Individuals learn from observation that criminal behavior is justifiable in certain circumstances. In connection with juvenile delinquency and crime, peers and intimate groups have the most effect on individuals when associated with criminal behavior. One is more likely to mimic the behavior of someone who they have close ties with, whether the behavior is justifiable or...
Young teens are a popular commodity within the streets where gangs are dominant. Often times these gangs recruit young teens to establish a numbers game to try to out numbers rival gangs in case of a mass gang war. Other reasons the youth are targeted is to do the gangs dirty work whether it requires a young member to execute a hit, rob a rival member, or ste...
One of the biggest issues in America today is crime. It is a large problem that continues to erode our country economically as well as morally. Because of the vastness of the problem, many have speculated what the cause for crime may be in hopes that a solution will be found. Many believe that a bad family life, location of residence, and poverty hold a few of the answers to why an individual becomes involved in criminal activity.
Many young people join street gangs due to weak family relationships and poor social control. Social Control Theory presumes that people will naturally commit crime if there were left to their own devices (i.e. no laws in society) and people do not commit crimes because of certain controlling forces, such as social bonds that hold individuals back partaking on their anti social behavior (Bell, 2011). Examples of controlling forces are family, school, peers, and the law. Young people who are t...
With excitements, many teens get hurry out to disobey authority or involvement in crimes. The young may be engrossed to the mob’s way of living as it stays out of the law and takes place in illegal behaviors. Others prefer to be in the mob because of the many problems they encounter at homes. With the promise of a greater life by the gangs then the excited teens get attracted to the illegal activities of the mob (Bryman, 2008).
In society today the media’s has an extensive influence on the public by mediums such as the internet, television news, newspapers and radio. In addition, crime is often considered both a source of news and entertainment with such programs as CSI, NCIS and Criminal Minds being some amongst many others that also influence public perception on crime (Hayes & Levett, 2013). Evidence shows that the medias portrayal of crime can indeed affect the public’s perception although evidence will demonstrates that crime perception can be unique to each individual. Evidence shows that media reports have the potential to strongly influence people’s daily activities (Weatherburn and Indermaur, 2004). When the media reports on a crime it triggers an effect
The media has been focusing a lot of youth crime, which appears me to be on the rise. To explore this I have chosen to do research on this and focus on my main question, “What causes a youth to engage in criminal activity?” the main focus of this essay will be on the background of crime and how youth crime has changed, the major factors of what causes youth to engage in criminal activity, media use and perceptions.
Solutions to Juvenile Crime Crime is a plague that has haunted American citizens for centuries. The severity of crime has ranged from running a red light to cold blooded murder. Statistics indicate that crime rates have been on the rise in the past decade, especially in juvenile crime. Statistics show that, ‘the number of youths aged 14 and younger who have been charged with homicide has jumped by 43 percent in the past twenty years’ (Kids With No Hope, No Fear, No Rules, And No Life, 2).