Racist Crimes in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Racist Crimes in the United States - Essay Example There are kids out there getting physically hurt and killed everyday simply because of the color of their skin, or their hair is not right, or they speak a foreign language, etc. Basically only one criminological theory is required here to investigate what this research is trying to present but it is planned by the author to implement two since it will give a better understanding and perception into how criminology utilizes theories to decipher why crime occurs. This literature will look at the Socialist theory, include hints into the General Dynamic Theory and also include the Lombroso's Theory and Individualistic Choice theories more than others because they are both implicitly intertwined in explaining this specific issue of youth crime relative to racial hate crimes. The extent to which life circumstances have an effect on adolescents and the percentage of criminal activity has been debated for decades now. Criminologists have applied various theories to the common occurrences of youth race crimes and other juvenile crimes to try and deter the adverse behaviors of young people. Theoretically, criminologists are actually searching for a logical explanation as to whether or not the social environment of which disadvantaged youths are growing up in really does play a significant role in the amount of juvenile crime that is evident in this current century. "The extent to which a common explanation of crime applies to all members of the offending population is a contentious issue within criminological circles" ( Piquero, et,al; 2000). There are a multitude of scholars in the criminology field that claim it is a undeniable fact that the social aspects of young teens environments, such as in areas of: family, school, employment, and social circles, all have a tremendous influence on the life experiences that juveniles will endure. Those from lower class neighborhoods, where poverty, lack of employment, lack of education, domestic violence, and other negative activities are transpiring, have a psychological effect on the youth and how they perceive their quality of life. Two criminology experts, 'Sampson' and 'Laubs' claim that although there is always a reason behind any act of crime, the events that take place in life carry the strongest dynamics in characterizations of delinquent activities and race crimes committed by the youth. The theory that they utilize is the General Dynamic view point. One of the theorizations that this particular theory focuses on is one that takes into consideration the variables of time and how individuals perceive time and change in regards to committing acts of racist crime and other criminal acts. Theorists that studied this criminological idea are focused on whether or not the individual criminal behavior of adolescents deviates over time, as they develop (Piquero, et,al; 2000). This is especially emphasized in the study of youth crime due to the fact that adolescents who are exposed to racial hatred and other adverse life elements, over a period of time, during the developmental years, often mimic the lifestyle habits that they have grown up around. For instance, there is a large percentage of below poverty level Hispanic neighborhoods in New York City who are involved in hate crimes within gang related