Assignment 1: Social Structure Theory
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 1
Social Structure Theory Paper
Laquita Taylor
Criminology 314
Instructor JP
January 18, 2015
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 2
Introduction
In this paper, I am going to discuss about the video of social structure theory, with covering the following topics. I will discuss how the video supports a social structure theory, the primary subject and the content, social issues discussed. Social structure is created by the distribution of power, wealth, and prestige. The way people behave would be the same regardless of their social environments. Statistically, people in one social environment do tend to behave differently from people in a very different environment. …show more content…
Social structure are patterns that reflect our everyday lives. Poor people are viewed as the main ones quick to commit crimes. Cultural deviance leads, for example, to the formation of well-organized gangs. If poor behavior in younger children is pointed out early and seek help in advance the problem should be prevented. Most violent behavior with children begin at home then occurs next in school. Young children experiencing delinquent behavior should be seen by a psychiatrist to diagnosis the issues. I am going to discuss in the last part of this paper, what are some possible ramifications for this social policy change. The video that I have chosen for this paper is the “Senseless Hate Crime” to best fit with my agreements of the social structure theory being the main reason for criminality evolving. Social structure theory is defined as unfavorable circumstances among the economic class being the main concern of crimes occurring. Crime occurs when people are frustrated by the lack of financial success. Some people who are under stress turn to crime, but negative emotions may build up. It is normal that most young adults who are fresh in college will experience doing drugs or drinking alcohol.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 3
Most young adults that become drug or alcohol addicts must have their substance. If addicts are without their substance he/she will do whatever comes to his/her mind. In the video “Senseless Hate Crime” on July 2, 1990, a man named Julio Rivera was killed by a gang known as DMS because he was gay. Rivera was a considered a peaceful man that worked as a bar tender.
Rivera was loved by his community and he was trying to escape the violence on the streets in Queens, New York. There were three guys that killed Rivera in a schoolyard in Queens, New York. One of the top suspects was 21 year old Daniel Doyle who was a college student that became a violent person in college. Doyle became addicted to drugs and would tease other students at school. He was raised by his parents who raised him to be a respectful and responsible adult. His behavior had changed and Doyle became involved in a gang known as Doc Martens Skinheads. Erik Brown twenty-one years of age and Esat Bici twenty years of age both help brutally murder Julio Rivera. Doyle along with his two friends were out drinking at his house and they left headed out to kill whoever they could find as a target. They ended up finding Mr. Rivera hanging out and he became their victim. This film was selected because it explains the causes of how an innocent life can be taken. Mr. River did not know that he was a target to someone murdering him. His life was taken due to irresponsible young adults who abused drug and alcohol. Doyle and his friends chose to join a gang that would forever destroy their lives as young adults. According to Christian Parenti says that, “when crime is a pressing issue, community mobilization frequently focuses on stopping the violence rather than on broader questions of social justice and economic redistribution” (2000). Mr. Rivera was a man that was innocently killed by violent young adults, who were under the influence of alcohol.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 4 The people in Queens, New Yoralk felt that the case should have been classified as a hate crime, but Mr. Rivera autopsy reports revealed he had drugs found in his body. Mr. Rivera’s case was a very disturbing case especially for his family, they believe justice was served, but it took a while for it to occur. The case should have automatically been reviewed as a hate crime. The people of Queens, New York, felt that it was wrong for Doyle and his two friends to have killed Mr. Rivera for no apparent reason. Law enforcers had to investigate the case a second time to make determination on what to label the case under. His family wanted the right kind of justice served for their victim’s murder. The people of Queens, New York believed the case should be considered a hate crime. Doyle testified in court and informed the court that he came up with the idea to kill whoever he could find as a target. Doyle and his two friends ended up meeting up with Mr. Rivera. Mr. Rivera did not assume that his life would come to end on July 2, 1990. Rivera’s family were in disbelief that Mr. Rivera was announced dead due to his sexual status. His sister-in-law Peg Rivera did not believe Mr. Rivera was not just murdered for doing anything wrong. She did not get to meet her brother-in-law until after 15 years. She would go and visit the bar that he loved and worked. She pointed out that Mr. Rivera was well liked man in Queens, New York. The people eventually began to fight back for what they believed about Mr. Rivera’s case as a hate crime. The people of Queens, New York, protested until the authorities reviewed the case again before finalizing a decision.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 5
According to Paddy Hillyard and Steve Combs states that, “For it is clear that various forms of harms are not distributed randomly, but fall upon people of different social classes, genders, degrees of able-bodiedness, racial and ethnic groups, different ages, sexual preferences, and so on” (2007). Mr. Rivera’s lost his life because he was gay, but he is still considered a human that is attractive to the same sex. Everyone has the freedom of speech, to believe in what they want to believe in, and rights that are protected that cannot be violated.
We as people cannot do not have control over other people’s sexual status. Gay, lesbians, and other homosexuals should not be treated any differently than normal human beings. Those that are homosexuals believe in dating the same sex instead of opposite sex. No one should not be murdered because of their sexual status. People that target homosexuals should be given life behind bars without the possibility of parole. Mr. Rivera was picked on by three irresponsible and uncaring young adults. He deserved to be accepted no matter what he believed in. They are old enough to know that people have feelings and their feelings should matter. Innocent people that are killed because of their sexual status deserves the right kind of justice. Everybody is different in every way, but we all should be able to come together as one in this world. Homosexuality is not a crime and the police cannot arrest anyone for being gay. Homosexuals should be respected because it provides happiness to the couples. If homosexuals are not being respected their rights are being violated. Homosexuals are entitled to make considerations as straight people. They do not have to hide their identity because they represent themselves. They are people who are ready to adopt new ways of doing things. It is a fact that homosexuality is role portrayed in every society. Homosexuals are …show more content…
main targets that are being bullied by other people who are against their beliefs.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 6
Conclusion
Based from the video “Senseless Hate Crime” a homosexual man named Julio Rivera was killed because of his homosexuality. Three young adults decided to kill an innocent person whoever they saw first as a target. Doyle was the main suspect in Mr. Rivera’s case. Mr. Rivera did not bother no and he work in a bar as a bar tender. On July 2, 1990, Mr. Rivera’s life was taken and his death left a toll in the city of Queens, New York. Doyle and two of his companions were drunk at his house party and headed out to take an innocent life. Doyle and his companions did not care who they targeted. Their minds were set on killing somebody. In this case Doyle should have receive life behind bars without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Doyle and his companions violated Mr. Rivera’s right. They abused his homosexuality rights as being accepted as a homosexual. They are young adults with maturing minds, but they did not have to target anyone as a victim. They were drunk and Doyle knows how his attitude gets when he is under the influence of too much alcohol. Doyle peer pressured his two companions into murdering someone, but they all were responsible for their own actions. Mr. Rivera was only hated by Doyle and his two companions. The saying is friends do not let other friends drink alcohol. If Doyle’s friend really cared for him as a friend they would have tried to change Doyle’s mind about his idea. Doyle’s friend could tried to reach out for help if he tried to refuse their help. Doyle needed psychiatric help because his behavior started to get out of control when first attended college. When people grow up hiding anger the chances are they will eventually try to harm themselves or other people. They cannot take their anger out on Mr. Rivera’s being a gay man residing in their community. Thus we find a much greater probability of criminal behavior among people who have been brought up in a poor, lower-class social environment.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 7
Murder is one of the top crime that receives the worst punishments among all the rest of the crimes.
No one cannot predict when someone will be killed unless he/she will become the murderer. People who admires killing people should be placed in a psychiatric facility where they can be monitored. Medical treatment will be needed to treat those patients who admires killing people. Some people do not have a role model to motivate them planning goals and sticking to it. It is important to have your parents involved in your life even when you reach adulthood. Most parents want to know their child’s goals because they want to help them reach their goals. It is hard for parents to hear that their child has committed a murder crime. We as parents cannot fault ourselves for whatever mistake our child has done. When our children reach adulthood we have done our part raising them. They have to make wise decisions and do what is best for them as adults. Crimes can strike against anyone from any social class. A child growing up from a rich family can easily go out into society and rob a bank. It depends on how long that child has been angry. A person can seem happy on the outside, but we do not know a 100 percent how he/she is feeling on the inside. It is a good thing to study people, their environment, and their behavior. You learn so much about a person when you gather a lot of information about him/her. It will not hurt to talk to your child about whatever they have concerns about in
his/her life. When your child opens up about his/her issues he/she might feel a lot better. Society can be controlled if children or young adults would open up to an older person about their concerns. Education is an important factor to children and young adults. Young adults are just entering adulthood and still have some learning to do.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 8
It is okay as a young adult to continue experiencing having fun, but just the right decisions. While you are an adult it is best to keep a smile on your parents face rather than seeing them crying. Young adults are in charge of their own live, but staying positive will get you far in life.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 9
References
Hillyard, P., & Tombs, S. (2007). From 'crime ' to social harm? Crime, Law and Social Change, 48(1-2), 9-25. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10611-007-9079-z
Parenti, C. (2000). Crime as social control. Social Justice, 27(3), 43-49. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231910764?accountid=458
Social Structure Theory Paper
Laquita Taylor
Criminology 314
Instructor JP
January 18, 2015
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 2
Introduction
In this paper, I am going to discuss about the video of social structure theory, with covering the following topics. I will discuss how the video supports a social structure theory, the primary subject and the content, social issues discussed. Social structure is created by the distribution of power, wealth, and prestige. The way people behave would be the same regardless of their social environments. Statistically, people in one social environment do tend to behave differently from people in a very different environment. …show more content…
Social structure are patterns that reflect our everyday lives. Poor people are viewed as the main ones quick to commit crimes. Cultural deviance leads, for example, to the formation of well-organized gangs. If poor behavior in younger children is pointed out early and seek help in advance the problem should be prevented. Most violent behavior with children begin at home then occurs next in school. Young children experiencing delinquent behavior should be seen by a psychiatrist to diagnosis the issues. I am going to discuss in the last part of this paper, what are some possible ramifications for this social policy change. The video that I have chosen for this paper is the “Senseless Hate Crime” to best fit with my agreements of the social structure theory being the main reason for criminality evolving. Social structure theory is defined as unfavorable circumstances among the economic class being the main concern of crimes occurring. Crime occurs when people are frustrated by the lack of financial success. Some people who are under stress turn to crime, but negative emotions may build up. It is normal that most young adults who are fresh in college will experience doing drugs or drinking alcohol.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 3
Most young adults that become drug or alcohol addicts must have their substance. If addicts are without their substance he/she will do whatever comes to his/her mind. In the video “Senseless Hate Crime” on July 2, 1990, a man named Julio Rivera was killed by a gang known as DMS because he was gay. Rivera was a considered a peaceful man that worked as a bar tender.
Rivera was loved by his community and he was trying to escape the violence on the streets in Queens, New York. There were three guys that killed Rivera in a schoolyard in Queens, New York. One of the top suspects was 21 year old Daniel Doyle who was a college student that became a violent person in college. Doyle became addicted to drugs and would tease other students at school. He was raised by his parents who raised him to be a respectful and responsible adult. His behavior had changed and Doyle became involved in a gang known as Doc Martens Skinheads. Erik Brown twenty-one years of age and Esat Bici twenty years of age both help brutally murder Julio Rivera. Doyle along with his two friends were out drinking at his house and they left headed out to kill whoever they could find as a target. They ended up finding Mr. Rivera hanging out and he became their victim. This film was selected because it explains the causes of how an innocent life can be taken. Mr. River did not know that he was a target to someone murdering him. His life was taken due to irresponsible young adults who abused drug and alcohol. Doyle and his friends chose to join a gang that would forever destroy their lives as young adults. According to Christian Parenti says that, “when crime is a pressing issue, community mobilization frequently focuses on stopping the violence rather than on broader questions of social justice and economic redistribution” (2000). Mr. Rivera was a man that was innocently killed by violent young adults, who were under the influence of alcohol.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 4 The people in Queens, New Yoralk felt that the case should have been classified as a hate crime, but Mr. Rivera autopsy reports revealed he had drugs found in his body. Mr. Rivera’s case was a very disturbing case especially for his family, they believe justice was served, but it took a while for it to occur. The case should have automatically been reviewed as a hate crime. The people of Queens, New York, felt that it was wrong for Doyle and his two friends to have killed Mr. Rivera for no apparent reason. Law enforcers had to investigate the case a second time to make determination on what to label the case under. His family wanted the right kind of justice served for their victim’s murder. The people of Queens, New York believed the case should be considered a hate crime. Doyle testified in court and informed the court that he came up with the idea to kill whoever he could find as a target. Doyle and his two friends ended up meeting up with Mr. Rivera. Mr. Rivera did not assume that his life would come to end on July 2, 1990. Rivera’s family were in disbelief that Mr. Rivera was announced dead due to his sexual status. His sister-in-law Peg Rivera did not believe Mr. Rivera was not just murdered for doing anything wrong. She did not get to meet her brother-in-law until after 15 years. She would go and visit the bar that he loved and worked. She pointed out that Mr. Rivera was well liked man in Queens, New York. The people eventually began to fight back for what they believed about Mr. Rivera’s case as a hate crime. The people of Queens, New York, protested until the authorities reviewed the case again before finalizing a decision.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 5
According to Paddy Hillyard and Steve Combs states that, “For it is clear that various forms of harms are not distributed randomly, but fall upon people of different social classes, genders, degrees of able-bodiedness, racial and ethnic groups, different ages, sexual preferences, and so on” (2007). Mr. Rivera’s lost his life because he was gay, but he is still considered a human that is attractive to the same sex. Everyone has the freedom of speech, to believe in what they want to believe in, and rights that are protected that cannot be violated.
We as people cannot do not have control over other people’s sexual status. Gay, lesbians, and other homosexuals should not be treated any differently than normal human beings. Those that are homosexuals believe in dating the same sex instead of opposite sex. No one should not be murdered because of their sexual status. People that target homosexuals should be given life behind bars without the possibility of parole. Mr. Rivera was picked on by three irresponsible and uncaring young adults. He deserved to be accepted no matter what he believed in. They are old enough to know that people have feelings and their feelings should matter. Innocent people that are killed because of their sexual status deserves the right kind of justice. Everybody is different in every way, but we all should be able to come together as one in this world. Homosexuality is not a crime and the police cannot arrest anyone for being gay. Homosexuals should be respected because it provides happiness to the couples. If homosexuals are not being respected their rights are being violated. Homosexuals are entitled to make considerations as straight people. They do not have to hide their identity because they represent themselves. They are people who are ready to adopt new ways of doing things. It is a fact that homosexuality is role portrayed in every society. Homosexuals are …show more content…
main targets that are being bullied by other people who are against their beliefs.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 6
Conclusion
Based from the video “Senseless Hate Crime” a homosexual man named Julio Rivera was killed because of his homosexuality. Three young adults decided to kill an innocent person whoever they saw first as a target. Doyle was the main suspect in Mr. Rivera’s case. Mr. Rivera did not bother no and he work in a bar as a bar tender. On July 2, 1990, Mr. Rivera’s life was taken and his death left a toll in the city of Queens, New York. Doyle and two of his companions were drunk at his house party and headed out to take an innocent life. Doyle and his companions did not care who they targeted. Their minds were set on killing somebody. In this case Doyle should have receive life behind bars without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Doyle and his companions violated Mr. Rivera’s right. They abused his homosexuality rights as being accepted as a homosexual. They are young adults with maturing minds, but they did not have to target anyone as a victim. They were drunk and Doyle knows how his attitude gets when he is under the influence of too much alcohol. Doyle peer pressured his two companions into murdering someone, but they all were responsible for their own actions. Mr. Rivera was only hated by Doyle and his two companions. The saying is friends do not let other friends drink alcohol. If Doyle’s friend really cared for him as a friend they would have tried to change Doyle’s mind about his idea. Doyle’s friend could tried to reach out for help if he tried to refuse their help. Doyle needed psychiatric help because his behavior started to get out of control when first attended college. When people grow up hiding anger the chances are they will eventually try to harm themselves or other people. They cannot take their anger out on Mr. Rivera’s being a gay man residing in their community. Thus we find a much greater probability of criminal behavior among people who have been brought up in a poor, lower-class social environment.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 7
Murder is one of the top crime that receives the worst punishments among all the rest of the crimes.
No one cannot predict when someone will be killed unless he/she will become the murderer. People who admires killing people should be placed in a psychiatric facility where they can be monitored. Medical treatment will be needed to treat those patients who admires killing people. Some people do not have a role model to motivate them planning goals and sticking to it. It is important to have your parents involved in your life even when you reach adulthood. Most parents want to know their child’s goals because they want to help them reach their goals. It is hard for parents to hear that their child has committed a murder crime. We as parents cannot fault ourselves for whatever mistake our child has done. When our children reach adulthood we have done our part raising them. They have to make wise decisions and do what is best for them as adults. Crimes can strike against anyone from any social class. A child growing up from a rich family can easily go out into society and rob a bank. It depends on how long that child has been angry. A person can seem happy on the outside, but we do not know a 100 percent how he/she is feeling on the inside. It is a good thing to study people, their environment, and their behavior. You learn so much about a person when you gather a lot of information about him/her. It will not hurt to talk to your child about whatever they have concerns about in
his/her life. When your child opens up about his/her issues he/she might feel a lot better. Society can be controlled if children or young adults would open up to an older person about their concerns. Education is an important factor to children and young adults. Young adults are just entering adulthood and still have some learning to do.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 8
It is okay as a young adult to continue experiencing having fun, but just the right decisions. While you are an adult it is best to keep a smile on your parents face rather than seeing them crying. Young adults are in charge of their own live, but staying positive will get you far in life.
Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY PAPER 9
References
Hillyard, P., & Tombs, S. (2007). From 'crime ' to social harm? Crime, Law and Social Change, 48(1-2), 9-25. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10611-007-9079-z
Parenti, C. (2000). Crime as social control. Social Justice, 27(3), 43-49. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231910764?accountid=458