Similarities and Differences in the Criminal Subculture and the the Police Subculture
The Similarities and Differences in the Criminal Subculture and the Police Subculture
Criminology
August 14, 2012
The Similarities and Differences in the Criminal Subculture and the Police Subculture A police officers job is to protect and serve. An officer is to offer assistance to those in need and to enforce the laws established by the law makers. A police officer’s job is not the monotonous 8-5 job that most have…..it is ever changing, 24-7. It is not a normal environment. Think about it, a police officer runs into a gun fight…….normal folks run away from it! A criminal is the exact opposite of a police officer. They often do not have jobs and those that do are normally using their job to commit their crimes! They are interesting in protecting and serving themselves and those in their group but that’s where it stops. A criminal is normally self-absorbed and is obviously not enforcing laws but rather breaking them. However, a criminal’s “job” is rarely monotonous and is certainly not normal. As for the gun fights that cops run to, the criminals are the ones having it in the first place! So you see, while the goals and objectives of a police officer and a criminal are polar opposite, they also have many similarities. They are both a subculture of the population as a whole. A subculture is a subdivision of a culture defined by occupation, ethnicity, class, or residence. A subculture forms a functioning group, unified by shared values, beliefs, and attitudes. The police subculture and the criminal subculture are both based on shared expectations about human behavior (Lyman, 1999).
It is interesting to research how these subcultures develop. The police subculture develops from a work environment. Officers see multiple problems and are placed in situations where they must grapple with the serious problems in life. These include the problems of injustice, pain, suffering, and death. This environment begins shaping an officer’s
Criminology
August 14, 2012
The Similarities and Differences in the Criminal Subculture and the Police Subculture A police officers job is to protect and serve. An officer is to offer assistance to those in need and to enforce the laws established by the law makers. A police officer’s job is not the monotonous 8-5 job that most have…..it is ever changing, 24-7. It is not a normal environment. Think about it, a police officer runs into a gun fight…….normal folks run away from it! A criminal is the exact opposite of a police officer. They often do not have jobs and those that do are normally using their job to commit their crimes! They are interesting in protecting and serving themselves and those in their group but that’s where it stops. A criminal is normally self-absorbed and is obviously not enforcing laws but rather breaking them. However, a criminal’s “job” is rarely monotonous and is certainly not normal. As for the gun fights that cops run to, the criminals are the ones having it in the first place! So you see, while the goals and objectives of a police officer and a criminal are polar opposite, they also have many similarities. They are both a subculture of the population as a whole. A subculture is a subdivision of a culture defined by occupation, ethnicity, class, or residence. A subculture forms a functioning group, unified by shared values, beliefs, and attitudes. The police subculture and the criminal subculture are both based on shared expectations about human behavior (Lyman, 1999).
It is interesting to research how these subcultures develop. The police subculture develops from a work environment. Officers see multiple problems and are placed in situations where they must grapple with the serious problems in life. These include the problems of injustice, pain, suffering, and death. This environment begins shaping an officer’s
References: ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE EDITORIAL. Lessons all around. You’re special, until you’re not. Thursday, August 9, 2012. Hickman, Matthew, Alex R. Piquero, and Jack R. Greene. Police Integrity and Ethics. 2004. Jacoby, Joesph E, Ed. Classics of Criminology. 1994. Lawrence, Noel. Police Subcultures Vs. Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. (2010) http://www.bodyguardx.com/blog/index.php/2010/10/01/police-subcultures-vs-law- enforcement-code-of-ethics. Lyman, Michael. The Police: An Introduction. 1999.