week 3 homework help

Conflict versus Empathy

Chapter 5

Juvenile Delinquency

Case Study in Crime

Sam Houston High School is located in inner-city Houston, Texas. The school’s demographics are as follows:

68% of Student families receive government economic assistance

18% of students have been identified as having a gang affiliation

Four Year Graduation Rate – 18%

56% of students have an immediate family member incarcerated

87% of students live in a single parent household

Racial 22% Caucasian

54% African American

26% Hispanic

2% Other

The Analysis

Sam Houston High School has been plagued by significant numbers of teen crimes. The school is most concerned with four specific crimes:

The possession of weapons on campus

The presence of narcotics on campus

Sexual assaults between students

Violent confrontations between students

The Assignment

Looking at these four criminal activities, identify:

What do you believe are the primary sources for these specific crimes?

What can the school do to prevent each criminal behavior?

What can the local government do to prevent each criminal behavior?

What can the community do to prevent each criminal behavior?

The Competing Theories

Social Reaction Theory

Social Reaction Theory holds the viewpoint that human interaction is defined by labels. People strive to either avoid labels, or embrace them, as part of establishing their identity.

When a person embraces a label, whether it be positive or negative, they instinctively begin to mold the expectation of the label.

The Interaction

Social Reaction Theory begins with the identification of Symbolic Interactions.

For a label to attach, there must be a way this label is communicated. This communication is the Symbolic Interaction.

Symbols can be material (such as jewelry or clothing), an organization, gestures, status symbols, or anything else that distinguishes someone form another.

What makes a label

Labels are completely subjective. They can change from generation to generation, while others remain a societal constant.

Positive labels are defined as those which the majority of society finds acceptable. Adherence to these labels reinforces a sense of contribution to society

Negative labels are those which society has deemed deviant. Adherence to these labels stigmatizes people, and pushes them as outcasts to society

Consequences of Negative Labeling

Labeling does not necessarily attach to a criminal act. When a person commits an isolated crime, but does not identify with the act ( by socialization, personal accountability or being caught by society), there is little long-term effect on the individual. This is called primary deviance, and is considered the best hope for rehabilitation.

Labeling attaches when a person begins to identify themselves by their actions. This is called secondary deviance. Secondary deviance is much harder to break, as it involves a stigma.

Those Outside the Norm

People who commit deviant acts but are never socialized, are certainly criminals. However, because they have never accepted a label, their criminal behavior is purely for personal gain or enjoyment.

Some people are falsely accused of a label, when they do not identify with it. This conflict may cause someone to begin to identify with the label, or adopt an opposite label, to fight the identification.

Effects of Labeling

So what happens when a person accepts a negative label? Here are some of the examples:

Self-Fulfilling Actions

Destruction of the personal identity

Outcast Ceremonies

Retrospective Reading and obliteration of the past

Social Conflict Theory

This theory follows the following principles:

Those in control of the economic power in society control the laws and law enforcement.

The law is administered in unequal ways to different members of society, based on their wealth or social class

The rebellious nature of youth is controlled by the government, and is a natural response to capitalism.

People not willing to conform are reduced to the role of menial labor in society

Having a suppressed economic class is necessary in a service based economy, and generates criminals.

The Outcome

While this theory may seem to be an indictment of modern society, there are two competing political outcomes of this theory:

1) Social Justice – This approach says the redistribution of wealth is the best way to reduce social conflict

2) Restorative Justice – This approach does not deal with wealth. Rather, as a means of reducing conflict, empathy is proposed between criminal and victim.

Our Focus

We will be analyzing the issue of Restorative Justice.

So how does Restorative Justice work? By creating empathy. The presumption is that all people are good, and want to do good in society. By removing conflict between people and society, crime can be reduced and mitigated.

Restorative Justice also relies on the presumption that every person is connected to a community of some sort, and those connections can be used as leverage to prevent crime.

The Models

Restorative Justice can be implemented in many forms. Some include:

Reintegrative Shaming – Every person in every society has peers to which they feel responsible. By utilizing those peers that have a positive influence on individuals, shame can be used to change behavior. However, shame cannot be permanent. There must be an avenue for re-integration

More Models

Offender apologies to the community

Making the justice system into a healing process with the community

Removing labels of “criminal” and “victim”, and instead resolving conflict between people

Giving people a vested interest in their community

Using community assistance programs

Yet More

Sentencing Circles (Teen Court as an example) – where sentencing is committed by peers

Victim Impact Panels – where offenders are asked to empathize with the people they have disaffected.

Community Service – as a method the offender making restitution for their actions and being reaccepted into the community.

Back to our Case Study

We will now break into small groups

The object of your group is to formulate an approach to the crime problem at Sam Houston High School

You are to formulate two proposals, which must address all four target crimes. One proposal must focus on the concept of Restorative Justice, and the second must utilize Social Conflict.

Can a balanced approach using both methods work? Which proposal do you believe would be most effective?

Finally, how does your approach mesh with the delinquency theory you prefer from last chapter?

Assignment

There is no class next week. The assignments due on D2L and through the discussion boards have been extended two weeks.

In two weeks, in ADDITION to your regular assignment, your group is required to present a 5-7 minute presentation on Restorative Justice and Social Conflict.

All members of the group must participate, and the assignment will count the same as one week’s worth of scores.