Anomie Or Strain Theory Essay

Criminal theories are developed to explain why people behave in specific ways and help the criminal justice community understand and respond effectively to these actions. Anomie or strain theory can be applied to help explain and understand the events in Waco, Texas, on May 17, 2015, involving numerous motorcycle club members from various gangs. The first motorcycle club, McCook Outlaws, emerged in 1936 in Cook County, Illinois, but the name has evolved into Outlaws Motorcycle Club since its original formation (Dulaney, 2005). This club was formed to ride long distances but included alcohol and debauchery. Motorcycle clubs spread rapidly after World War II as soldiers returned and needed to feel like part of an organization. “It is during

These included the Hells Angels, Bandidos, and Pagans. Significant in the evolution of the one percenters was the arrest of two Oakland Hells Angels Motorcycle Club members for rape in 1964 which led to negative media coverage and government attention. Later, incidents involving members solidified the image, and “the outlaw motorcycle club subculture was handed down a life sentence of negative public opinion” (Dulaney, 2005, p. 9). It is important to note that the term outlaw means not associated with the American Motorcycle

Failure to meet the goals set by society leads to criminal behavior. Robert K. Merton expanded on Durkheim’s theory by stating that people strive for economic goals, and when they cannot reach those goals by legitimate means, such as a job, they will turn to crime. “Specifically, legitimate opportunities are far more available among advantaged classes and far less available among the disadvantaged” (Winfree & Abadinsky, 2017, p. 108). Outlaw motorcycle clubs reject society’s goals and the legitimate ways to obtain them and subsequently replace these goals with their own. Motorcycle clubs have often been thought of as being made up of rebellious members of society who feel the strain of being unable to achieve middle-class norms through legitimate