Criminological Theory of Anomie and Social Control Shown in the Movie 'Falling Down"

In Robert Cormier’s novel, We All Fall Down, is a young-adult thriller that explores the evil side of humanity through a number of corrupt characters. Cormier, to a large extent, accurately depicts manipulative and dishonest behaviour whilst also showing the evil lurking within the prominent characters of Harry Flowers, Buddy Walker and Mickey Stallings who showcase the dark side of humanity. Cormier explores this through Harry Flower’s manipulative actions that result in the suffering of others. Additionally, the constant dishonest behaviour is shown predominantly through the main protagonist of Buddy Walker, who deceives the one he loves. Cormier continues to depict the evil lurking in society through the theme of appearance versus reality through the seemingly harmless character of Mickey Stallings. Cormier successfully depicts manipulative and dishonest behaviour as well as showing the evil lurking in the dark side of humanity.

This book was about a lower class that wanted a new way of living, a fair way that but only for those who were worthy. Never Fall Down gives an inside look into the twisted and gory genocide that affected and ended many lives. This book can make anyone squirm and understand the affects a traumatizing event can have on just one human

With the help of Ronald Reagan setting it into action and Bill Clinton's major part, the War on Drugs tore apart black lives. During this period time cocaine and crack were hitting heavily on the black communities. Laws are passed to allow arrests without warrants so now colored and Latino towns are invaded by police. These no warrant arrests are a violation of the 4th amendment as citizens of America are protected against unreasonable searches and seizures. The government involves itself in the affairs of the people as,”the Republican campaign of 1964 linked the problem of street crime to civil rights protest and the growing unease among whites about racial violence”(31 Western). Propaganda is set in place to make a fight for equality appear to be a revolt. Nothing African Americans do seem to be working as their protests against how they’re being treated is misconstrued. The Black Panther Party is now beginning to protect its people from the steadily increasing violent attacks from Police. The Civil Rights movements of 1954-1968 have passed and the Black Panthers feel that no progress has been made. War breaks out between cops and the Black Panthers which leads Edgar Hoover, head of FBI, to proclaim”the Black Panthers are the single greatest threat on U.S. soil.” Civil Rights movements have since been criminalized as acts of retaliation to the government. A large focus is set on institutions as the,”Clinton Crime bill embarked 9.9billion dollars for prison construction and added life terms for 3rd time felons”(31 Western). Prisons are to be rehabilitation systems. Yet here it is seen that Clinton is pressing to put people away forever and spending large amounts of money to see it happen. Now prisons are being created all across the country to put the increasing amount of felons away. The 3 strike rule affects the

Why some people cannot escape from criminal activities while others never have any problems has been examined for decades. The study of criminology targets why individuals commit crimes and why criminals behave in certain situations. This criminology research helps to break down a true story on the film “Blow” which tells the story of George Jung, one of the most significant drug traffickers in the United States in the 1970’s. The film depicts several criminal theories on why George lived his life the way he did. This paper will explain the theories best noted in the film Blow about General Strain theory, Differential Association theory and Social Bond theory. These three theories help possibly explain why George became a criminal.

Falling down is a brilliant sketch of a relatable character who examines, contemplates, and protests the many life events of which seem to play out in such a fashion that, just perhaps, everyone can in some form association with, as it almost appears as though Bill has found clarity in a world of which he perceives has gone mad; thus, bringing to light the most trivial of things that for most, if not all of us, has the propensity to set us off onto a similar digression from time to

This book, when it was published in 1989, was in the center of racial controversy. Some statements in the book raised certain questions relating to racial, social and economic status. The book surrounds a mostly white town under seige by a black man who's daughter lies in a hospital bed thanks to two drunk white men. While the black family awaits news of the trial, the father takes justice into his own hands,

Ethan and Joel Coen’s No Country for Old Men (2007), the Western thriller film based off Cormac McCarthy’s novel written in 2005, implements narratives that reflect the criminal justice system in modern society. The film offers an interpretation on the criminal justice system through text and subtext. The text of the film argues for fate, predestination, and luck while the subtext serves as a support beam through lighting, imagery, and in this film’s case, a lack of music. Further support of the text and subtext can be found through an analysis of the main characters, including the criminal Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), Sherriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), and the “hero” Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin). These men’s approaches to fate and the imagery associated with their characters shape the film, changing the way we measure criminality.

This crime-dram movie by Antoine Fuqua Training Day is a spectacular and dingy tale of morality overflowing with great acting, wonderful pacing, and themes that are simultaneously prescient and timeless. The film resonates louder and louder with each instance of police violence across the nation, as those in power bend their institution to subdue those in their communities. At the same time, the film deals with ambition, the length that “heroes” should or will go to do desirable things. In a realistic and urban setting as seen at the peak of events in this film where Hoyt draws a firm line, his new worldview clashes directly with Alonzo’s, and there is simply no room for a quarter.

Sociological explanations of the causes of crime and deviance: an evalutation. Unusual behaviour, such as cross-dressing can be seen as deviant in some places, criminal in others and acceptable else where. According to sociologist William Graham Sumner ‘deviance is a violation of established contextual, cultural, or social norms, whether codified by codified by laws or not.’ According to Howard Becker 1963, defining deviance has is not a straightforward task. ‘Deviance is not the quality of the act.

The theoretical framework of strain theory can be credited to sociologist Emile Durkheim. Durkheim research on formed a platform for other sociologist to further develop strain theories of crime. One of which is Robert Merton. One of Durkheim’s major works that opened the door to further research on strain theories was his book, Suicide. In this book Durkheim sough to understand the why led to one’s own self-destruction. Emile Durkheim studied suicide rates and its association with crisis. Durkheim noticed trends in suicide rates that were associated with economic prosperity and economic crisis.

Falling Down is a film about a man who we know very little about (at

“Why does one conform?” is often the key question Sociologists explore when studying the Social Control theory of crime, as this theory is based around this concept (Orcutt, 2011.) Instead of hypothesising the incentives behind those who participant in deviant behaviour, Sociological theorists focus on the idea of social conformity (Orcutt, 2011.) Social Control is based on the premise that those individuals who are strongly bonded to society through religious organizations, families, peers, sports, community events, and other social institutions are less likely to participate in deviant acts (Orcutt, 2011.) The theory stresses the importance of strong relationships, active participation, and conventional moral values (Orcutt, 2011.) A probable

“Let us then suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters without any ideas; how comes is it to be furnished?...To this I answer, in one word, from experience” (Locke). Although there are several cases where delinquents are mentally ill through biological means rather than events that occurred in their lives, I do agree with Locke 's theory to an extent. In that most people are born with a blank slate, they are neither good nor bad, it is that we encounter in our lives that shape us into the person we become. Therefore, in my opinion the best theories so far that explains juvenile delinquency is a combination of several aspects from cultural deviance theory, strain theory, and social control theory.

Fruitvale Station is a movie that has the capability to bring many emotions to the surface. This movie can foster critical thinking, but it can also draw the viewer in to experience the raw emotions and suspenseful moments of this real life story. Unfortunately, Oscar Grant’s life was ended abruptly after he spent the night celebrating the New Year with his friends and girlfriend, Sophina. From this story, it is clear that Oscar was attempting to change his story by being a better father to his daughter, Tatiana, thinking about marrying Sophina, and better providing for his family by getting a stable job and being a man that his mother and sister could rely upon. While the incident that occurred at Fruitvale Station could be analyzed from any variety of theories, this paper will examine these events from the lens of Conflict Theory and Social Learning Theory. These theories intertwine in many ways, but they also differ from each other in very important aspects. Fruitvale Station is a cinema depiction of a true story involving the death of Oscar Grant in a train station in Oakland, California during the early morning hours of January 1, 2009. This incident has sparked many civil rights related protests and discussions. Oscar Grant was survived by his mother, who has been very vocal since the incident, fighting for equal rights for minorities, his sister, and his daughter, Tatiana (Johnson).

Dragnet is a television series centering around Sergeant and police detective Joe Friday in Los Angeles that originated in the 1950s. It is a police procedural/detective drama and was produced by Jack Webb. Through previously interpreting the findings of the show’s mise en scene and other stylistic features, it was found that the formal features of Dragnet are ultimately used to convey power relations and to establish trust or misgivings in interpersonal relationships in order to convey a sense of realism within the series, which the series is distinctive for in its genre. After interpreting the findings, it may be argued that Dragnet served as a tool to uphold the public’s faith in the police system (its symptomatic meaning) by appealing to the middle class’s highly-valued morality and by reiterating that the law is impersonal (its explicit meaning).