Examining Theory Paper Joseph Fenick CJA/314 July 24 2015 Mr. Timothy English
I decided that I am going to go with the video for social structure theory when going over the following topics. I’m going to introduce in what way the video backups a social structure theory, the main content and subject major principles of the sociology theory addressed and social issues discussed. I am going to discuss, in the last part of this paper, what are some likely effects for a social policy change. The video that I have selected to do this paper on will be the “Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone” to best fit with my views of social structure theory simply the top reason for criminality evolving.
In the video, “Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone,” there is a huge deal of material in it that reinforced crime evolving from a social structure theory. The prisoners in Pelican Bay State Prison set an objective to get into this prison because it feels more like a prize than a penalty. The reason why it more prize than a penalty is because, the leaders of the gangs still run the gangs, while they are in jail and are unafraid. These gang leaders come from the only family that they have ever known and would give their lives for the gang. Most prisoners, gang leaders are educated only in the streets and nowhere else.
In the video it tells of how Pelican Bay State Prison is known for the thousands upon thousands of gang leaders who set a goal to end there for more respect. The prisoners who end in Pelican Bay go in tough and unshakable, and when they come out they are not weaker but tougher and more devoted than ever to be the gang leader that they are. The gang is not lost without their leader right beside him or her because they know they will be staying in touch, with the leader on a regular basis. It is a life wanted by these gang leaders and members who will climb to the top of the gang.
The key topic discussed in the video is how the gangs are run from these gang leaders living inside the confinements of Pelican Bay. The prison is trying to fight back and put a stop to the gang activity, but it is doing no good. The prison are made try to and keep the gang leaders and members from continuing this activity of violence on the street and put them into a jolt but the gang members and leaders come to Pelican Bay to improve their skills instead of losing touch of them. The prison is a war zone with violence at every corner and communication to the outside to mandate killings. This state prison has not been the upper hand for the law enforcement to keep gangs at a low but a backfire situation.
The social issues raised in this video are the controlling of gangs through the prison in several ways. The gang leaders in Pelican Bay run drugs through communication methods used while in prison, and if there is a setback that needs to be taken care of through murder, it is the responsibility to the gang leader to order the call. Pelican Bay wants to stop this running that the gang leaders do, but it is not as easy as it seems. The battle of keeping the gang leaders from running the gang still while in prison is more of a war instead of a battle. There are so many different views that the prison staff has to look at in each battle of this war that goes on every day in the Pelican Bay State Prison.
There are two key principles that I see that are addressed in this video. The two principles are absence of healthy home growing up and gang life being the only family these prisoners of Pelican Bay has ever had. The prisoners confined in Pelican Bay State Prison have not ever had any other life except for the gang that they come from. The life of gang violence is what happens daily in the prison
