Social Structure Theory Paper

Running Head: SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY Social Structure Theory Name: Course; Institution: Instructor: Introduction: Social structure theories have been found to lay the emphasis when evaluation people as the most important cause of deviant and criminal behaviors. They have been used to give credence to the widely held view that crime is largely as a result of disadvantages in the economic class position in the society. According to the social structural theories, in the highly dense low class neighborhood, there emerges forces that collude to create the ideal circumstanced for frustration, strain and disorganization, frustration which contribute majorly to the creation of crime. It should not be lost that the search for success is not the basis for the strain that causes crime but rather a combination of different factors such as neglect and abuse, deviant behavior, homelessness and frustration about poverty which individually one could easily overcome or address as exhibited in the movie Discussion: The Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone is a classic movie that easily exposes the social structure theory. When the Pelican Bay State Prison was first mooted and created, it was intended for the hard core criminals who had proved disruptive in other prisons. However, it has changed over time to become the epic of criminal life with criminals going out of their way to get incarcerated in the prison. It highlights cases of criminals who engage in heinous crimes while in other maximum prison so as to be transferred to this facility. The social structure delves into how society is organized by social institutions, family educational, religious, economic and political institutions and stratified based on various roles and statuses. It is the intention of structural theorists to better understand the underlying causes of group crime rates as opposed to why particular individuals commit crimes. In the social structure theories, the individual is relegated to the background as the group takes center stage. The challenge thus becomes understanding the motivation behind the group psyche in making criminal decision. To best understand the social theories, one must view the society as a system consisting of mutually sustaining parts and characterized by broad normative agreement. It is these social institutions that keep the society running smoothly because of their specialized social functions. At the end of the day, irrespective of whether the role their play beneficial to the majority or not, each of the institutions does contribute to the smooth running of the society as a whole. One of the social structure theories is the Durkheim’s theory of anomie. With Anomie meaning lack of rules, plainly, the theory best captures the condition of normative deregulation in society. However, irrespective of how entrenched deregulation is practiced and embrace in society, there will be present mechanical solidarity in the form of small groups of people within the greater society come together motivated by their common and shared experiences and state of affairs, principles and tough emotional ties to the collectivity. In developing the theory, Durkheim points out that crime is common among all societies happening at all times thus making it a typical and a to be expected observable fact. In as much as criminals are a menace to society and are viewed as not adding any tangible value, they occupy an important position in society. They serve to demarcate the extent of tolerable behavior in any society. It is generally accepted that all human beings without exceptions desire to get maximum pleasure at all times. However given the deficiencies that naturally exist in human talent, when so overwhelming, it works to frustrate a few from achieving the maximization goals lawfully. It is important to remember that social structures are generally identifiable via three distinct concepts. They are the glue that gels individuals or groups strongly to each other, they are also the defining behavioral patterns that emerge and form the strand that joins a group of individuals or groups to each other and finally, they are the agreed upon customs that are institutional entrenched and work to influence how participants in the social system relate to each other. The video, Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone projects this aspect very clearly and strongly. When an individual joins the facility, they have to join a gang is order to not only survive but also to have a relatively safe time while inside. To a viewer it can not be lost how despite the prisoners being looked inside, they are able to create networks and collaborations making them emerge from behind the prison walls much more informed in criminal ways while the already hard core, are able to continue running their criminal organizations and make incredible sums of money while still incarcerated. The video does raise some pertinent social issues. Pelican Bay State Prison is considered the ivy league of criminals. Among the criminals there is prestige that comes with having being incarcerated at Pelican Bay State Prison. A former inmate commands respect and at times is held in awe by other criminals just on account of having spent time at Pelican Bay State Prison. What may have been lost to a casual observer are the life long bonds and connections that are created as a result of joining one of the gangs in prison. Criminals who were at best mediocre before being imprisoned at Pelican Bay State Prison emerge from serving their time much more criminally knowledgeable. While behind bars, they get an opportunity to learn from the best minds on the latest criminal techniques while in some cases some get their plans developed further to increase their success rates when finally executed. The sociological theories manifest themselves in various forms and levels. The low level theories will be focused on trying to explain the specific aspect of a social behavior. This is meant to make ...