Criminalogical Theories Applied To Monster The Autobiography Of An L A Gang Member Term paper
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In Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, Kody Scott tells the story of the struggle between two significantly large gangs. At the age of eleven he was initiated into the Crips, and committed his first murder. It was this day that began what would become a career for Kody: banging (Scott, 1993).
Kody worked hard to secure a reputation for his name. He held loyal to his homeboys and began to build up the Crips. His potential for being in a leadership position became more and more evident as time went on. During one incident, a police officer referred to him as a monster, and the name stuck. He worked hard to live up to his name, and soon the legacy of Monster was well known, by not only his own gang, but in others as well (Scott, 1993).
In this paper I intend to show how Kody's early child hood and teenage years, both proceeding and during his life as a Crip, fit quite well with several theories that were discussed in class over the quarter.
The Arousal Theory says that because some peoples brain's work differently than others, things that stimulate, or interest one person may not do so to someone else. People with lower arousals have a greater propensity to be criminally prone (Class Notes).
Throughout the book there are several examples of how Kody was bored with the everyday happenings of his life. In one part of the book he said that the excitement of the streets was "...the only thing in [his] life that had ever held [his] attention for any serious length of time" (Scott, 1993: 5). I believe that Kody was a very intelligent boy, but he also had a problem with his attention span. He never finished his education, but what good is reading and writing to someone who doesn't intend to make a living legally? He would learn more exciting things on the streets instead.
The Differential Association Theory states that "all behavior, pro-social and anti-social is learned, and that we choose the behaviors that are the most rewarding to us" (Class Notes).
The Night of Kody's initiation he had taken part in shooting down a group of 15 Bloods. After it all was over and he was laying awake in bed, he "felt guilty and ashamed of [himself]" (Scott, 1993: 13). He knew what he had done was wrong, but when the chance came again for him to choose between right, and what the set wanted him to do, he chose to follow his fellow Crips. Kody chose the praise and approval of his friends over the law, and what he knew in his heart was right (Scott, 1993).
The Social Learning Theory is similar to the Differential Association Theory in the respect that they both depend on the approval of others. It says that "...crime is something learned by normal people as they adapt to other people and the conditions of their environment" (Bohm, 2001: 82). People learn by reinforcement weather it is positive or negative. Growing up Kody began to feel more and more that his mom no longer expressed any love or care for him, but that she only nagged him. After returning home from juvenile hall the greeting that Kody got from his mother wasn't exactly what he wanted. "I knew she meant well, but I wasn't up to it tonight. I wanted to be loved, to be missed, to be wanted, not scolded" (Scott, 1993: 173). The Crips verbally approved of Kody. His mother on the other hand was so worn out and tired of what he was doing, that...
Bohm, R. M. (2001), A Primer on Crime and Delinquency Theory, Wadsworth, California pg. 82Class Notes (2001)
Scott, K. (1993), The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, Penguin Books, New York.
pgs. 4, 5, 17, 173.
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