Summary Of Homicide In Hollenbeck

The CNN documentary “Homicide in Hollenbeck” centered around crime in the Hollenbeck neighborhood of Los Angeles. The documentary focused on the LAPD and the challenges and experiences they face in controlling crime in Hollenbeck. As the title suggests, the documentary focuses on violent crime, specifically homicide, and the causes of crime. The documentary implemented multiple perspectives and different points of view to paint a complete picture of the issues they were covering, such as from police officers, former gang members, family members, and a priest. Although there are many theories that could explain the crime shown, in my opinion, Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory of crime best accounts for the examples of deviance depicted in the

Gangs often glorify violence and the use of violence, using it as a way to establish dominance, gain respect, or resolve conflict. One example of this shown in the documentary is with Yogi being murdered. Police say that he was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the head and neck, an example of ‘overkill’. This use of extreme violence is commonly used in gang culture to send a message of power and prevent gang members from snitching to authorities. Another example of this theory is with Richard Moya, who grew up in a housing project in Hollenbeck, around family members who abused drugs, and witnessed his father getting shot to death at age four. The theory points out how vital our peer and close relationships are, as these relationships have the greatest impact on individuals. Growing up around crime and deviant behavior from birth, and experiencing traumatic events, like the murder of your father, those individuals are almost guaranteed to engage in criminal or deviant behavior. This ultimately happened with Moya, who joined a gang at 13 and went on to live a life of crime and