Theories Of Criminology

Lizabeth Gomez
September 7, 2015
Criminology 3301
Weekly Assingment #2

Crime in America is rising at an alarming rate. Criminologists have and continue studying socioeconomic trends globally to help find an explanation. In the past, society points the finger at ethnic and cultural backgrounds, which in fact there are many more contributing factors. Young males, in particular are more prone to being both as victims and perpetrators of violent crimes. On average, the likelihood of a young man being a victim of a violent crime is said to be a lot higher than that of a young female. In the recent years, the number of young males being involved and victimized by violent crimes has increased tremendously. So the question arises, who …show more content…
Society teaches young boys to be tough and rough, which makes them delinquent. Nwalozie (2015) explains that, “Criminal behavior is often predicated on subcultural behavior. Street youths have their code of behavior which makes them distinct from the rest of society, so they see themselves as victims and exhibit a differential attitude to law enforcement and mainstream culture (p. 7). Young males are more likely to be involved in crimes than adults, due to the fact that they are pressured and lack parenting especially a father figure/role model. Young males use violence as a tool to maintain their male identity. If a father figure is not present, they feel that they need to prove …show more content…
Young males rely on their learned cultural definitions of masculinity, which includes aggressiveness, sense of achievement, and physical strength, which can result in violence. According to Segun (2012), social and behavioral boundaries between ethnic groups has retained its significance because this seems to affect where one lives, with whom one associates, for whom one votes among others (p. 295). Society plays a big role as it becomes a factor in determining who will be easily influenced by others in the community. Many of violent crimes are being committed more and more by males because they believe in having pride, wanting to fit in and other times that’s all they know what to do. Although culture and ethnic backgrounds are contributing factors, there is also race, social economic class and over all criminal behavior that are associated with young males being perpetuators and victims of violent crimes. More young criminals are being exposed to crime and society play as part in this. Not everyone is lucky enough to grow up and be raised in an area where there is no crime occurring. We are left with an inappropriate representation of the younger male generation and alternative strategies should be taken to prevent the statistics from

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