Read the following scenario and then answer the questions listed in the Instructions section.
This hypothetical scenario is an example from a mid-sized city of about 200,000 to 400,000 people. The city core still has white-collar jobs in the office buildings, but the industrial areas are becoming increasingly abandoned. The downtown has a vibrant nightlife and expensive multi-unit housing inhabited by a predominately white middle and upper-class, college-educated population. The city’s next ring has somewhat older multi-family units and some single-family houses. In this ring, the population is made up more of African American and Latino families than white. Outside of that starts the oldest parts of town. This is the part that is having the most problems. Most of the residents are single parents, predominately African American. There are Latino areas, white areas, and other ethnic neighborhoods mixed in too. Much of this area has gang and drug problems. The gangs are generally mixed-race based on who lives in the area, but that is changing. Gangs are starting to move toward racial or ethnic membership, forming more African American gangs, Latin gangs, and new immigrant refugee gangs. The African American gangs and the new refugee gangs do not get along. These are the groups causing much of the violent crime issues in the area. The Latino gangs generally stay out of the violence unless another group enters their area to sell drugs.
A large group of refugees has moved into much of the public housing, both high-rise and scattered site housing. The local refugee community is tribal, and the youth are assimilating into the American way of life by turning away from tribal traditions. Some of the older leaders do not speak English, and the youth are needed to translate for them. The elders of this group wear ethnic clothing that distinguishes them from others. The youth wear clothing that more aligns with what they see on television and in social media.
The outer ring of the city starts to get more affluent again. This is where people buy older homes, either tearing them down or building them up to form larger suburban-style homes. Most of the inhabitants in this outer ring of the city are upper-middle to upper-class. This area is mainly white but does have a substantial racial and ethnic population. This area has well taken care of homes, with kempt lawns and clean streets. The crime rate is the lowest in the city in this area, and gang activity is almost non-existent. Many families have one or two members who either work from home or stay home to take care of the children. Commonly, one will see people talking on the street with their neighbors.
The city block where Joey lives consists of abandoned houses and other houses in various states of disrepair. No one on this block owns a house; they rent or are placed there by the Housing Authority. Many cars on the street do not run and have been stripped of their parts. The sidewalk and yards are littered with plastic toys. On most of the front porches, there are torn and ragged sofas where people sit for much of the day. There are no flowers or mowed lawns on these blocks. People walk through other peoples yards. Drug deals happen in the open. Drug use is commonly seen, and drug paraphernalia can be found all over the neighborhood. The police do not usually come onto these blocks unless they are called. The corner store sells food items and snacks for the local population. This store also sells glass vials with flowers in them that can be used as drug pipes. Other drug items are common in the store. A barbershop next door cuts both mens and women’s hair. There are no other neighborhood businesses to bring outside people into the area. Very few of the residents have jobs. Most receive some form of government assistance, social security, or commit crimes to survive. This area has many single mothers who have multiple children with multiple fathers. The fathers are seldom seen in the neighborhoods. Most of the mothers started having children when they were teenagers.
Joey and his friends play with rusty toys, old bikes, or other things they can find lying around the neighborhood. It does not matter which house the items came from; the kids just grab toys and play with them. Drug use and prostitution are common on the block. For the neighborhood kids, seeing glass crack/meth pipes or syringes lying on the ground is common. Homeless folks are seen sleeping or passed out on the sidewalk or in private yards daily. Joeys friends are other kids his age from the neighborhood. Joey does not have any friends who do not live on the block or nearby. Even though the area school district is trying to get away from neighborhood schools, Joey and the kids on his block cannot go other places unless it is on the bus because most of their mothers do not have working cars. Joey and his friends see on television kids who have lots of new clothes, new shoes, toys, and video games. Joey and his friends can play video games at some houses, but they are not the newest systems or games.
Crime is rampant on Joeys block. Gunfire erupts multiple times per week. The police department put up shot spotter technology to monitor where the shots come from because residents would not tell the police what they had seen or heard. Residents are afraid to tell the police anything for fear that their children or neighbor’s children will be harassed or that the neighborhood gangs will retaliate against them. When the police come into the area, they are used to people not being cooperative, so the police do not treat anyone who lives in the area with much respect. Verbal insults are common when residents deal with the police.
Instructions
Answer the questions below in 750 to 1000 words in APA and question/answer format, including APA format for title page, font, spacing, and margins. Copy the questions into a document then type your responses below each question. Use professional language with correct spelling, grammar, and mechanics as well as proper citations for your sources.
- What theories can you identify that coulddescribe the root causes of crime in the scenario?
- Choose at least three theories and explain howthey relate to the scenario.
- What do those theories explain? (Please provide details.)
- What do those theories not explain? (Pleaseprovide details.)