assigment

Religion, Work, Mass Media, Drugs and Guns

Agnew (17)

Religion

Why Religion MIGHT reduce delinquency

1. increases external and internal controls, stake in conformity, and internal control

2. increases exposure to conventional models, teach conventional beliefs, and reinforce conformity

3. reduces strain and provide social support

4. reduces likelihood of being labeled delinquent

DOES religion impact delinquency?

Empirical data indicate religion slightly reduces delinquency

especially for “victimless crimes” like alcohol and marijuana use

part of association due to third variables, including low self-control, parental attachment, and parental supervision

effect partly indirect through peer associations

Why religion affects victimless crimes more than serious crimes

serious crimes condemned by both religious and nonreligious individuals and groups

victimless crimes more strongly by religious groups

Fundamentalist and conservative religious groups commit fewer victimless crimes

Work

How does work affect delinquency?

work might reduce delinquency

1. reduce monetary strain

2. increase control and provide stake in conformity

3. reduce social learning of crime

4. often reduces crime among adults

Empirical data indicate work slightly increases delinquency

1. relationship strongest for drug/alcohol use and minor delinquency

2. association found when adolescents work long hours in menial jobs

How does work increase delinquency?

1. increases strain

often poor working conditions with long hours

work demands are combined with family, school, and social demands

2. more likely to have money for drugs/alcohol

3. reduces certain forms of control

stake in conformity because less time spent with family members and devoted to schoolwork

direct control because less time spent with parents, and adolescents less dependent on parents for money

much work time unsupervised by adults

4. fosters social learning of crime

work source of delinquent friends

more time spent with delinquent friends

Mass Media

TV/ Movie Violence

1. hundreds of studies examine effect on juvenile violence

experiments examine whether groups exposed to media violence engage in more subsequent violence than do groups not exposed to media violence

real world studies attempt to take account of relevant third variables and issues of causal order

2. data indicate a small to modest effect on juvenile violence

3. conditions under which TV violence is most likely to cause violent behavior

committed by attractive characters

rewarded and not punished

presented as justified

negative consequences are not shown

4. explaining causal effect of media violence on juvenile violence

social learning theory

exposes juveniles to violent models

models often attractive characters and their violence is frequently rewarded

control theory

desensitizes viewers to violence

reduces levels of internal control

strain theory

view world as more dangerous place

become more suspicious of others increasing likelihood of violent response

Violent Video Games

1. game players are active participants in screen violence so some argue video game violence may have stronger effect than TV/movie violence

2. survey data find association between playing video games and aggression

association may be due to third variables

association may be due to aggression causes one to play violent video games

3. experimental data indicate small, short-term increase in aggression

Music

Music with violent themes

1. few studies that examine effects on aggression yield mixed findings

2. some suggest an association between listening to “violent music” and increases in aggressive thoughts and feelings

Mass media violence not a major cause of violence as many people claim

Drugs

How Drugs May Affect Delinquency

1. pharmacological effect of certain drugs

weaken self-control and/or increase irritability

withdrawal may increase irritability and frustration

2. engage in crime in order to obtain money to purchase drugs

3. drug trade contributes to crime

drug sellers and customers use violence against one another

drug sellers and users are attractive targets for robbers

4. drug use increases predisposition to engage in delinquency

reduces bonds to family and school

lowers academic performance

increases likelihood of association with delinquent peers

What does the research show?

1. data indicate individuals frequently are under influence of drugs when they commit crimes

2002 study fund 60% arrested male juvenile test positive for drugs other than alcohol

victimization data suggest four in ten violent crimes involve use of alcohol

2. strong association between drugs and delinquency

3. association does not mean drugs cause delinquency

drugs and delinquency are caused by same third variables

delinquency causes drug use/sales

prior delinquency increases likelihood of subsequent drug use

4. serious drug use does contribute to delinquency

effect not as large as associational data suggest

much of effect due to third variables

Guns

Guns Possession and Ownership by Juveniles

1. common among certain categories of juveniles

institutionalized delinquents at time of incarceration

male delinquents

gang members

males in certain inner-city high schools

2. reasons why juveniles own or carry guns

for protection

for sport or recreational purposes

3. large majority acquire guns illegally

4. factors associated with gun ownership

male

parents own guns

peers own guns

belong to gangs

threatened or shot at with gun

sell drugs

How do guns contribute to delinquency?

1. United States has highest rates of gun ownership and lethal violence in industrialized world

2. studies show positive association between rate of gun ownership and rate of gun-related crime

3. studies show juveniles who own or carry guns much more likely to engage in most forms of delinquency

those who own guns for protection 23 times more likely than non-gun owners

those who own guns for sport 3 times more likely than non-gun owners

4. association does not prove guns increase likelihood of delinquency

may be caused by same third variables

may be that delinquency causes gun ownership

5. guns contribute to certain types of delinquency

homicide

serious, violent crime

6. guns increase likelihood that certain predisposed individuals will engage in crimes

Guns PREVENT or CAUSE more crimes?

mixed data as to whether guns cause or prevent more crimes

1. criminals have avoided victimizing individuals that they thought were armed

2. National Crime Victimization Survey

guns used for self-defense purposes about 100,000 times a year

guns used to commit about 1 million crimes a year

3. other surveys indicate guns more often used for self-defense purposes