in this paper, you must compare and contrast the social, biological, psychological, developmental, and substance abuse antecedents to joining a gang and staying in a gang for males and females. You will use scientific theories of violence to address male and female differences such as power differentials, social learning differences and social stratification differences as explanations for gang
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in this paper, you must compare and contrast the social, biological, psychological, developmental, and substance abuse antecedents to joining a gang and staying in a gang for males and females. You will use scientific theories of violence to address male and female differences such as power differentials, social learning differences and social stratification differences as explanations for gang membership.
BELOW IS A PREVIEW OF THE ESSAY
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Substance
Abuse and Criminology Theories
Introduction
Similar factors often
influence men and women engaging in criminal activities. However, sociological
research shows that some salient differences need to be explored. Literature
has focused on identifying the gender differences in crime. Still, there is a
significant gap in understanding how antecedent events contribute to men and
women joining and staying in a gang and engaging in substance-abuse behavior.
The underlying factors or circumstances that drive men and women to engage in
crime and substance abuse are important to improve the work done by public
health organizations and law enforcement agencies in reducing crime and
substance abuse in affected communities. Sociological, biological,
psychological, and developmental theories explain the similarities and
differences in crime and substance abuse patterns witnessed in men and women.
Social Theory
Social Disorganization Theory
Social disorganization
theory is involved with studying how the surroundings of urban life affect daily
life activities concerning crime. The urban living environment is disorganized
and provides a suitable place for the practice of criminal activities. Social
entities such as family setups, schools, and businesses are often in-discrete,
leading them to fail to function as expected. Urban environments are
characterized by high rates of unemployment, inadequate schooling and
educational opportunities, low income, a high rate of unwanted pregnancies and
illegitimate children, and poor living conditions (Kubrin & Mioduszewski, 2019). The above represent
salient characteristics of social disorganization.
In a socially
disorganized environment, those affected will be subject to frequent conflicts
within and without the household. The increase in conflicts has a direct impact
on an increase in antisocial behavior such as crime. Gang violence is bound to
results from such an environment, where the rising cost of urban living directs
the youth to criminal activities such as drug trafficking and commercial
prostitution. According to Jacob et al. (2006), delinquency rates often decline
significantly as people move away from urban centers or cities. The important
factors that account for the high rates of delinquency rates include
demographic stability, income levels, ethnicity, and the physical conditions of
houses.
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