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Criminology

The search for theories that explain criminal behavior has resulted in any number of explanations for the causes of crime, from DurkheimÆs theories on deviance and MertonÆs strain theory to conflict theory and any number of biological and psychological theories. Sociologically, crime is viewed as a result of social forces rather than individual differences, a ôàsociological orientationö that according to Brown, Esbensen, and Geis (2001[b], p. 283) ôhas dominated American criminology since the 1920s.ö In order to more fully understand these theories, applying them to a real world situation often helps validate or undermine their credibility. This analysis will compare and contrast different sociological theories on criminology by applying them to various aspects in the life of former inmate now author Nathan McCall (1994) in Makes Me Wanna Holler.

In Makes Me Wanna Holler, Nathan McCall (1994) recounts his childhood and young adult experiences that include being abandoned by his father, exposure to crime, drugs, racism, and violence, and time spent as a member of a gang that participated in sexual violence against teenage girls. We see that the impact of these social forces tends to produce a mindset that tends toward delinquency, deviant behavior and crime. McCall and his friends understand that the world is fixed against them and in favor of whites, working hard and playing by the rules dooms one to abuse when Black, and that whites always seemed to win when you did play by the rules. McCall does take work but likens his employer to a slave master in a past life. Thus, a bond forms among McCall and his teen peers, one that is based on rejection of the status quo as a means of personal liberation. In this manner, we see conflict theory of crime in action:

Conflict theorists believe that norms do not reflect a consensus of society to protect the community, but rather are the outcome of competing interest groups w...

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Criminology. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 15:27, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1710634.html