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Sociological Theories: Gang Groups In The United States

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There are many different phenomenons that could be explained by sociological theories. Sociology studies these occurrences to explain why people do the things they do. Crimes rates can be defined by symbolic interactionism, functionalist theory and conflict theory. People are born into the wrong neighborhood and grow up stealing. There are many gang groups in the United States and the popular ones would be the Crips and Bloods in Los Angeles. They have their name which they hold meaning to and take great pride of what they do even if it’s violent. A person’s social interaction would be with dealers and burglars if they were born in the ghetto. People put so much meaning into family because they have always been together through the hard times …show more content…

They gave the example of farming being the main core of families but then the labor went into the cities and families dispersed. What used to be a unit turned into a self-sustaining household. It’s like the survival of the fittest, the smart hard workers became successful while the lethargic people turned to crime to make ends meet. Crime would make America a dysfunctional society because crime does keep society stable. To fix the problem, communities come together to bring justice by having courts and prisons. Also, we have police officers to be in charge of taking down the criminal. People try to defend themselves for the reason of their crime. A post I’ve seen on Facebook that’s a meme of Bernie Sanders and it says “When you see Wal-Mart getting robbed, but then you remember they robbed the middle class.” and he just doesn’t do anything about. Wal-Mart has made their fortune by good business strategies but workers would complain that they don’t get enough money and they don’t care about their workers since they don’t get benefits. Karl Marx believed that the bourgeoisie gained all their wealth by exploiting the proletariat. It’s hypocrisy that CEOs or people in the government get a bunch of money by the working class why they live in poverty. This leads poor people stealing because it’s a way for them to survive. All in all, there are different theories as to why crime exists. It’s a form of living for some people to get ahead in life but it shouldn’t be last

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There are many differences between sociological theories, psychological theories, and theological theories of criminology. When comparing these theories, we are able to recognize how they work together in describing crime. However, these theories have more differences than they do similarities. Sociological theories take the time to explain the influences of society on criminal behavior. Psychological theories discuss the individual themselves, and how their personalities, IQ, or way of thinking influences criminal behavior.

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Have Gangs Changed for the Better or Worse Over the Past One Hundred Years? Chicago gangs in the 1920s were notorious for prostitution, committing robberies, drug usage, and for selling alcohol during prohibition. However, they never had as much violence as the gangs in Chicago now. Al Capone was the top crime lord of the 1920s; he was never convicted for any of the crimes he did, and ended up going to jail for tax fraud. Even though Capone and other gangs did still kill, it was only rival gang members and was not nearly as often.

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One ramification of Black Organized Crime was the Gangster Disciples. This group was a Chicago-based street gang that started in the late 1960s by a merging of two gangs. They were a well-organized group and they had tens of thousands of members spread around the streets of Chicago. According to Abadinsky (2013)," the Gangster Disciples are Chicago's best-known African American crime group. " This being said people wanted to be a part of the Gangster Disciples mostly for the prestige of having that title; since everyone was welcomed many people joined.

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Crime is often found in every society. Why? Theorist argues that: crime occurs because members of society find it hard to comply with rules of behavior or they get a self-fulfillment breaking it. Crime/deviance can be an indication that an area needs attention. Also, it can bring about solidarity or togetherness in society.

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While this theory can be universal, it mostly applies to urban societies. Most people who live in these urban societies live in poverty and do not have the means to climb the social ladder. As a result they turn to crime.(Simons & Burt, 2011) This theory forces people to ignore the social norms within the society because they end up not caring about the appearance of the neighborhood or if they get in trouble with the law. Similar to social learning theory, people who commit crimes within a disorganized are not able to see how their actions can cause negative consequences.

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Humans are social creatures who thrive upon other’s approval, crave love and community, and are driven by their emotions. Gangs are created to feed those urges; people find a community who accepts them, take control of their own future and find an identity for themselves. In the 1960s, the first gang emerged in LA. The gang comprised of young, African-American men, who felt they only had themselves to depend on.

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In Chicago, and all over the nation, the effects of gang activity have been displayed, specifically in low income and poverty torn communities. Poverty is measured depending on a family’s annual income and determining if the amount falls below the poverty threshold for the family’s size. If the annual income does fall below the threshold, then the family and every individual in it is considered to be in poverty. Gang activity is more visible in the areas specifically in major cities similar to Chicago where poverty is a commonality in communities. although gangs might add structure in order where the government fails to do so in the projects and and similar low income communities the negative effects such as the distribution of drugs, violence,

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He discussed the programs need pertaining to embracing change in order to better serve the community. Gang activity is a reality in regard to Humboldt Parks east and west rivalries. Yet, gang involvement does not stop at age 18 like the boys and girls club program. So, there needs to be a specific prevention intuitive, which highlights gang activity between the ages of 18-24. In addition, Perez also mentions the high drop out rates in regard to receiving an education.

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struggling with their self-worth and identity, the acceptance and respect from their peers are extremely important. This sense of belonging that the gang provides is what the gang members are missing within their own families who mostly have troubled family history. In many cases, these peer groups draw their solidarity on the shared characteristics of being disadvantaged or discriminated against on factors such as race or social class. Being an active member of a group with common interests allows individuals to feel a sense of status and importance that they do not otherwise feel in the larger community (Thornberry and Krohn, 2001, p. 289). Involvement in gangs also leads to experimenting with high-risk behavior such as drug and alcohol abuse

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In the case of this perspective, gangs are more looked at for the way they interact with people and with each other. The article goes on to discuss the core principles of this perspective, meaning, thought and language, and how these can cause major problems within a gang if any were to be misinterpreted. This perspective also encompasses social constructionism which in this case looks more at the stigma of being in a group and trying to figure out how to solve it (Essays). This helps to explain some of the perverse incentives that usually occur when joining a gang. For example, this can encompass how a miscommunication can ultimately lead gang members to become violent and known more for their crimes they commit and how these were unintended starts for as to why a person may have joined a gang in the first

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The better performance in school, and the disregard for one’s peers’ delinquency, also points toward a more law abiding citizen. Gang members do not have healthy relationships with other gang members, nor do gangs discriminate based upon social class, and while delinquency is discouraged in all societies, the lack of social bonds within these societies fuel gang membership. The social control theory may explain why the MS-13 gang is so powerful, because most often these members are detached from their families, have low education levels, and have no regard for conformity. The lack of attachment to positive role models and discipline, results in an individual that can have poor intellectual and social abilities, not caring about the expectations of others or society, the perfect candidate for an MS-13 gang member. Effective methods of social control must involve the fear of punishment.

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Crime has a significant impact that leaves a negative reputation for all who live in that particular neighborhood. When using the social disorganization theory as a base, it is seen through rapid change, competition, and social structure, that poor neighborhoods tend to have a higher level

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The definition of a gang as most of us know it, is an organization or group of criminals. A violent group that comes in many different types’, race, age, and geographic background. However, most gangs reside in urban areas and in poor community. The most recognizable gangs that the American media, culture, and justice system look at frequently is African American gangs. Those are the at-risk gangs or thugs that is frequently said to African American gangs.

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Most of the gangs in the United States started from the urban regions. Despite the belief that the gang has been existing from a very long time, the gang in the United States started at around 19th century specifically at major cities such as New York, other cities like Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, as well as Miami and other major cities. The poor sections of the cities provided a more room for the vice in the United States. The gangs were based on ethnicities such as the Irish, Italians, and polish among many other ethnicities in the USA. The gangs were organized in groups that included; the shirt tails, who could wear their shirts outside their pants as a sign of group affiliation.

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