Preview

Crime and Delinquency Subculture Essay Example

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2076 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Crime and Delinquency Subculture Essay Example
Crime and delinquency subculture reflects on culture patterns surrounding crime and juvenile delinquency. It is created not only by individuals, but as one culture, the American culture. Subculture is derivative of, but different from some larger referential cultures. This term is used to share systems of norms, values, individual, groups and the cultural system itself. Criminal or delinquent subcultures indicate systems of norms, values, or interest that support criminal or delinquent behavior. That's why many juveniles are linked to the same criminal acts as youngsters. They tend to follow a pattern that is expected in their age group, like stealing. Young people experience their opportunity as being blocked out. They engage in collective actions and adapt pro crime values that reinforce their delinquency.
In a book by cloward and Lloyd they state that "The youngster who is motivated by a sense of injustice generally commits his first act of deviance in a crime of uncertainty and fear of disapproval". This statement sounds like appreciation among delinquents is required to sustain satisfaction in their subcultures (p 161).
In criminal subculture the young drug dealers selling drugs was a way to be somebody, to get a head in life and to acquire things like jewelry, clothing, and cars, the symbols of wealth, power and respect. All the things delinquents want at a young age. Crime becomes meaningful to young men and women when they interact with one another and when they participate in youth culture (Sullivan, 1989). Youth violence is considered to be a serious contemporary problem, yet many delinquents are treated as an adult if the crime is function as an adult act.
I find this interesting because may delinquents share the same formality of values and norms that make up there culture. Every young male or female will have experienced some kind of influential crime. What one has done so will the other, that's how I put it.
While delinquent

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Using the material from item A and elsewhere asses the usefulness of subcultural theories in explaining subcultural crime and deviance in society.…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is a term “life as a party” that alludes the idea of the enjoyment of good times. Offenders usually effort to maintain that kind of lifestyle, therefore they commit crimes in order to be able to experience activities they find pleasurable. In the other hand offenders also commit crime in order to avoid circumstances they perceive as threatening.…

    • 549 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Crime occurs when society does not provide its members with equal opportunities in society. The individuals are not given equal opportunity in society will not have the same investment in their community as members of society that are afforded job and educational opportunities. When social functions are not equal the members of society are not recognized by society, he or she will develop their own unique subculture is more accepting of crime (Rock, 2012). This type of subculture appears in lower income and poverty…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Certain behaviors demonstrated by the adolescent become unregulated and uncontrolled. These youths grow up and due to their unregulated behavior, consequently corrupt the future youths of the community they live in (Why Do Youth Join Gangs?). Their behaviors become cultural norms within the community resulting in the creation of barriers that prevent social and economic opportunities. The defiant character that may manifest from gang affiliation produces a “fatalistic view of the world” providing the youth with the interpretation that everything or anything that happens around them is fate and…

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Albert Cohen who was a student of Merton believes that in many urban cities youths create sub-cultures. Groups of youths that is determined by who is feared more on the streets. They are delinquents who act out on impulse and do not think of what consequences there actions will bring and who are only loyal to themselves. Walter Miller lends into the theory of delinquency by defining it as having a need for excitement and a search for thrills.…

    • 313 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cohen (1971), status frustration: young people are frustrated at being caught in the transition between child and adult status/lack of an independent status in society. The peer group provides some support for an identity and status that is independent of school or family, and therefore takes on a greater importance among young people. The lack of responsibilities and status, and the search for excitement and peer-group status, mean that many young people drift into minor acts of delinquency and clashes with the law. Peer-group pressure may also give young people the confidence and encouragement to involve themselves in minor acts of delinquency, which they would not engage in on their own. This problem of status frustration affects all young people, and explains why many of…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Labelling Theory

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The criminal career is composed of re-offenses due to lack of social integration, exclusion from mainstream structures and in some cases renegation of the societal norms. The deviant is theorized to perceive no other choice but further deviance because the label attached to their discovery turns them into untrustworthy or even dangerous individuals. The social response only creates a backlash that manifests as acceptance of the label, retreatment from society or…

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “Delinquency is defined as the total prevalence of delinquent acts during the past12 months. The delinquency scale was adopted from the delinquency scale currently utilized in the Monitoring the Future Study of United States students that has been ongoing since1975” (Benschop, Harrison, Korf, & Erickson, 2006, p. 67). Race and ethnicity play a significant role in juvenile delinquency. As we grow up we are and become a product of our environment. Race and ethnical background play huge roles in who we are, how we are raised and what kind of life we provide for ourselves. It would be very hard to say that every aspect of juvenile delinquency is because of race or ethnicity, but there is without an influence. Many people are not aware of the amount of serious crime that is committed by juveniles that in turn place them in the jail or prison system for long term. There are many different aspects within the juvenile delinquency topic that will be examined. The first one is regarding age. This is not necessarily going to be specific to the age of a person is when their crimes are committed, but when does a majority of the delinquency begin. The second aspect of this topic that is important is to examine the crimes that the juveniles are committing. Each different crime that is committed means a different type or form of sentencing. The third aspect of this topic and is without a doubt much of the cause of the crime are criminal street gangs. The general population has little to no idea about how significant the gang problem in our society is. This problem also plays a major role in how race and ethnicity have become to play such a significant role. When you look at our society’s criminal justice system there are many different views. In many cases the adults who spend…

    • 2141 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Relationship between Delinquency and Drug UseIn my attempt to discover if delinquency and drug use, or the sale of drugs were correlated with one another, my research lead to a positive correlation, especially when there was gang membership involved. The theory I have chosen to tie in with my review of the articles I found is the social learning theory of Edwin Sutherland known as differential association theory. According to Britannica online, Sutherland 's differential association theory of delinquent behavior is learned from other persons who are also engaged in delinquent behaviors. Sutherland believes that a person becomes delinquent because of an access amount of exposure to the definitions of criminal behavior and the violation of the law (Britannica 2007). This particular belief is a good theory to use to explain juvenile delinquency. Orcutt (1983) explains that Sutherland states that everyone has social groups which influence each of us in the actions that we chose to engage in according to the norms and values of that group. An example would be that most of our parents teach us that we should respect and obey the law. However, there are those that some people are associated with inside their social network that influence in negative ways, tempting and leading others into deviant behavior. Such as assuring those within a group that certain drugs should not be criminalized and that the chance of getting caught with them is very slim. With enough pressure and continued exposure to that mindset and behavior pattern, an individual whom has not been engaged in certain illegal behaviors becomes involved with those activities that promote the illegal and delinquent behaviors. The behavior referred to in this paper is the use or selling of drugs and its connection with juvenile delinquency and gangs. According to Orcutt (1983), Sutherland does point out that learning of social norms and values does not come from the mass population but for one 's own intimate…

    • 1995 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Delinquency Thesis

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Each year an untold number of teens, from seemingly well-grounded families, have become criminal statistics as they migrate from disassociated youths, to delinquency, to criminal activity. The common thought is middle-class young people are being pushed to gang life out of a need or desire to fill an emotional or physical void and these underlying desires have permeated the subculture and have become the norm instead of the exception. There are several theories which have attempted to explain the reason teenagers turn to deviant behavior, however, for this context we will be discussing only two; the first is the theory of Social Control, which is the way a society attempts to prevent and discourage behaviors that violate norms or laws. People tend to comply with social controls because we dread negative reactions from other people, and these reactions can include, anger, frustration, disappointment, pity and contempt, and if the deviant activity is extreme, then negative reactions may generate from the legal system, to include law enforcement, the courts, correctional and probationary systems (Barkin, S., 2012). The second theory, Strain Theory and Cultural Deviance, is the concept which advocates the values and moral of the middle-class, with a focus on financial success. Violations of this strain theory occur…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Four years now researcher in the fields of psychology sociology, genetics, and the juvenile justice system have contemplated the reason why some youth turn to delinquency and violence. To investigate the reasons, for some adolescents you would have to research on a case to case basis could fall into one category of multiple categories stemming, why they act the way they do and what cause these reactions. Some researchers may want to find reasons that is caused in the genetic line, it is the youth’s social atmosphere concerning in the youth has the right friends or any friends at all, or they could even to lead to arguments in the environment in which the child is raised. Also, having a strong focus on the gender and race influence on juvenile delinquency. There have been studies to try to find the true reason of juvenile delinquency. After being able to read multiple articles and understand the different method of research, it help give a certain balance of knowledge on the many different causes and cases of juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency can be detrimental to the development of the mind for youth and hurt them in the long run. Almost having an isolation from others, looking at things in a different mindset. “Through interviews with participants, parents, teachers, and officials, researchers collected data on large number of variables such as race or ethnicity, early sexual activity, school achievement and attachment, peer relationships, neighborhood, family, mother’s level of education, participants’ attitudes, individual characteristics, drug use, and delinquency.” (Pittsburgh Youth Study) Juvenile Delinquency can almost be considered as a plaque in the eyes because of the largest outburst over the years.…

    • 1980 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Juveniles Serving Life

    • 4252 Words
    • 18 Pages

    References: Bazemore, G., & Terry, W. C. (1997). Developing delinquent youths: A reintegrative model for…

    • 4252 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Juvenile Gangs

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Juvenile delinquency is no different from adult delinquency. It is a blatant and often persistent disregard for law and order, for moral and ethical standards and for the rights of others. Gang membership among juveniles is on the rise. And even these juveniles are dangerous. Gangs, according to police experts are much like the better known crime families, usually the leaders do not participate in criminal…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Merton's Strain Theory

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As stated in Item B ‘American culture emphasises achieving success, but unequal structure limits some individuals’ to do so legitimately’. They argue that lower working class delinquents don't have the same goals and values as the rest of the society due to blocked opportunities which leads them to illegitimate career structures. The three subcultures that they are likely to join are criminal, conflict and retreatist. Criminal subculture arises in areas with well established adult crime patterns. Conflict subculture develops in areas that have low social cohesion and retreatist subculture is joined by people who have failed in illegal gangs.…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Youth & Gang Violence

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hamlin, John. "Juvenile Delinquency." University of Minnesota. October 2, 2009 .Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UMD. .…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays