Sample Essay: Brothers And Keepers

This paper analyzes the book Brothers and Keepers by John Wideman in the light of the general strain theory by Agnew. It analyzes the characters of the brothers mentioned in the book.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction

Strain Theory

Analysis

Conclusion

References

Introduction

Brothers and Keepers is a true account by John Edgar Wideman about his brother being sentenced to prison for life for murder. This is something which Wideman understands and learns to cope (Wideman, 2005). He questions the meaning of criminal behavior and its development. He examines the nature of the prison system as he must learn to cope with that system as a visitor. He is an outsider who gains an insight by his visits and letters written by his brother from the inside. The general strain theory says that social forces cause crime which was extremely radical at the time. In mechanical societies, crime is normal. In organic societies, the function of law is to regulate the interactions of various parts of the whole of society. Strain refers to the processes by which inadequate regulation at the societal level filters down to how the individual perceives his or her needs. It also refers to the pains experienced by the individual as they look for ways to meet their needs. The strain theory says that crime breeds in the gap and imbalance between aspirations for economic success and possibilities of achievement. Crime is concentrated among the lower classes because of their least legitimate opportunities for achievement. Culture and social structure produces intense pressure for crime. The lower classes are vulnerable to this pressure because they have to maintain their unfulfilled economic aspirations despite frustration or failure. Persons with high economic aspirations and social class aspirations are linked independently with crime. Components of income, education and occupation are used to measure the strain or pressure. They are indicators of a pattern of involvement in crime. Frustration is defined as an internal state in which goal blockage or irritating event occurs. It criminology it is referred to unexpected acts of violence.

Strain Theory

Agnew’s strain theory proposes that strain is not structural or personal but emotional as it involves a breakdown of beliefs in the role others play for expectations about normally occurring events. There is a difference between long term anger and episodic anger. An adverse environment can breed negative emotions that motivate one to engage in crime. Involvement in crime is sporadic for Agnew as people would desist if not for persistent negative events and affect. The failure to achieve positively valued goals can increase personal disappointment and encourages the person to stop desiring to put as much effort into relationships. Another type of strain which is produced when a dramatic change or loss occurs. This can include a serious illness or death befalls a family or close friends. The individual continues to show negative actions which occur as an anger induced response to create deviant behavior. This type of inescapable negative stimuli could be child abuse or peer pressure. Agnew’s general strain theory is concerned with types of strain rather than sources of strain. It aims to collect multiple measures of injustice. It strongly holds that strain can cause personality. Irritability is the main reason which causes personality to experience strain. Solitary adaptations may be possible with stress and hassles. There is also the sense of inequity or injustice which can also cause strain.

Agnew’s general strain theory says that frustration can breed anger, resentment or disappointment. It claims that actors do not enter interactions with specific outcomes in mind. Distress occurs when individuals feel establishing equitable relationships. Stressful events can interfere with achievement of expectations or fair outcomes.  Emotions are associated with strain in criminology according to Agnew. Distress can occur if individuals have feelings of being unrewarded for their efforts in comparison to the efforts and reward of similar others for similar outcomes. The negative emotions associated with negative relationships may be successfully handled by engaging in criminal behavior than in non criminal behavior. Anger has a significant impact on all measures of crime and deviance. Frustration is due to the inability to escape or cope with persistent reminders about the importance of these contexts. The general strain theory of Agnew defines aversion to the environment as stressful life events. Research has now determined that anger is related to crime and deviant behavior. It is a major influence on middle class criminal behavior. Stress related anger is related to breakdowns in relationships. Positive and negative events can induce incautious behavior than bring one contact with authorities. The causes of deviance can be different according to general strain theory. Drug use as deviance has been given special treatment because it does not represent an attempt to direct anger or escape pain but is used to manage the negative affect caused by strain. A distinction between stressful live events and life hassles has been useful in connection with events and nonevents. Hassles are micro stressors that can breed irritation, frustration and characterized by everyday transactions with the environment. Hassles can demoralize leading to emotional withdrawal from rules of compulsory role interaction. Stress has been equated with everyday tension and found to explain minor forms of crime and deviance. Strain theory continues to attract attention and support in a variety of different directions. It has progressed steadily in the field of criminology. Many fine ideas and debates have been perpetuated over the years like sociological phenomenon of altruism, egoism and other things. Strain theory provides a good job in providing structural and functional explanations of conflict theory and crime. It locates a process, event, or factor within a larger structure by emphasizing on locations and relations among positions in that structure. A functional explanation uses a structural approach to analyze how interdependent parts fit into and sustain an overall system. Strain theory assumes that society progresses into differentiated and complex societies. Specialization and individualism can create disruptions until the system can generate new methods of social relations. The system as a whole generates new ways to fulfill old functions.

Analysis

Wideman’s brilliant piece of work breaks through the standard biographies and presents readers with a combination of family memoir, true crime narrative and indictment of the justice system. What are interesting are his own learned scholarly discourse and his brother’s street dialect alternate throughout to give readers a dual perspective of family, culture and society. Robert is neither blamed nor lionized by Wideman (Wideman, 2005).  He recognizes that his younger brother is chance taker and rebel with a cause. He is a convict who retains his dignity by loss and tragedy. The book stretches beyond the limit of non fiction as it brings different perspectives, different voices and different narrators. Wideman wanders in the novel all over the place as it results in shifting realities (Wideman, 2005).  The state’s expressive, punitive gestures against offenders who are constructed as ‘alien others’ may be understood in this way. Rather than recognizing, in line with the narcissism of small differences, that those we reject closely resemble ourselves, we fall back on archetypes of ‘us’ and ‘them’. Research has described this process as the ‘splitting of the ego’, wherein parts of the self that are perceived as ‘bad’ are split off and identified with an outside object or another person. However the guilt of the criminal establishes the innocence of the society; but, like all oppositions, it risks a potential identification between its terms. We unconsciously attribute to others the undesirable aspects of our own personalities. This sort of scapegoating is a particular expression of general problem of shadow projection or denying the shadow. The shadow is an unconscious part of the personality that the conscious ego rejects or ignores. Ego and shadow, although separate, are seen to be inextricably linked together in much the same way that thought and feeling are. The ego, however, is in perpetual conflict with the shadow, in what is the battle for deliverance. The outcome of this battle depends on our ability to comprehend the shadow and to reconcile it with our conscious personality. Freud’s thesis in rests on his contention that the fundamental hostility of human beings towards one another constitutes a constant threat to civilized society. Rather than loving his neighbor and reserving his power to defend himself from harm, man is led by this ubiquitous aggressive drive to seek opportunities to exploit and sadistically attack others.

As the middle and upper class individuals grow older, they are exposed   to more different and maybe more white collar criminal opportunities as they move in to the trusted occupational positions. The potential white collar criminals have worked hard to earn positions of trust and power; they get rare chances to engage themselves in crimes which are unavailable to others. Because of the nature of jobs that are available to large organizations, it is very important to bear in mind how organizations influence individual behavior. The configuration and culture of an organization may control the perceptions of individuals and how they take advantage of criminal opportunities. An organization can expose individuals to various criminal opportunities but also encourage them in different ways. Examples are of hierarchical section of labor and disperse decision making which is found in various organizations that gives individuals the permission to hide behind the company “web” to avoid being held responsible. In addition, the organization can also encourage its workers through awards and promotional incentives to find creative solutions to meet the needs of the company. Organizations can create opportunities for white collar crimes and as well to pressure to take advantage of these opportunities. Hence organizations are important factors in creating situations.

Another important factor is that unlike ordinary street crime offenders, white collar offenders struggle their way to achieve a high level of material, occupational and social success. In other words, in order to gain something one thing has to we lost. Usually our mind thinks that the trap of success and achievements are the basic factors that promote conformity.

In order to understand white collar criminal offense, the laws and courts have shaped severe punishments that show importance on the doings engaged. The method in use with repeated tendency of repeating the crime involves “three strikes laws”. They emphasize on white collar sentence on the offense and refuse to recognize to the clean slate of the criminals. The conception of white collar crime is new. Despite the fact that it has been determined in this era, it has not been constantly considered by all. In the beginning a sociological idea, “white collar crime” is a term used legally. Crimes dedicated to maintain social status and high respect earned in the society is a white collar crime. The more precise legitimate definitions of white collar crimes emphasizes on the crime itself. Tax fudging can be a white collar offense conducted by anyone who fails to report all that he or she has.

Conclusion

An argument can be made that a crime foundation that has been laid, allows for a unbiased methods to be adopted which cannot be influenced by the individual’s class and does not on a whole effects on political or corporate influence. The problem arises about the prevailing offense-based approach is there is no list of white collar offenses. The arguments that the act determines the designation but does have a clear list of crimes included and excluded does not let one know if a crime should or should not be treated as a white collar crime on discussion. Accessible information show that common crimes such as murder, rape, drug violations, assault, and armed robbery disproportionately victimize the poor, while white-collar crime has a more universal impact on a broad range of socio-economic groups. The damage they cause is not limited to financial professions but also citizens who have limited assets and savings. The statistical data on white collar crime is limited but case studies and an increasing amount of subjective evidence have reported their sufferings. For example, media coverage of the Enron debacle showed workers and families who lost their jobs, savings, and pensions.

A uniform data and costs report does exist for common crimes and is used to initiate reforms, study trends, and develop appropriate policing activities regarding such crimes. However there are no uniform data and costs reports on white collar crimes are not available. White-collar crime data and costs must be collected from sources that are available to us. They include government agency data, journals, forecasting models, newspapers, and court jury reports. Several criminologists and other experts put forward the statement that white-collar crime produces more economic loss than common crimes (e.g., burglary, robbery, assault) in terms of both direct and indirect costs.

References:

Wideman, John (2005). Brothers and Keepers. Mariner Books.