What do subcultural theories have to offer our understanding of youth crime - Essay Example

You wonder why kids, especially the male gender before 18 years of age already have a bad reputation from school, which the criminal courts can also support. These young people already understand their cultural values and what their society upholds to be morally right and wrong, yet they go against it to prove it wrong. They form independent social structures, in which they set their own rules and conduct activities to satisfy their ambitions. Sub-cultural theories have put forward motives that drive most of the young people into crime and deviance.

Lynch (2000) mentioned that crime does not necessarily happen because people have been imperfectly socialized, but instead occur, for they get to be socialized in a deviant group and learn its values. Their formulated values and beliefs are what they use to justify their illegal conduct in the midst of the dominant culture. It is the desire for most people to achieve and live the American dream in their lifetime. Acquiring wealth and living a satisfactory life seems challenging and only few in the society have managed that.

Although people can get a good salary, the life standard has gone up increasing the expenses incurred. This puts a barrier between the rich and the poor in the society, which determines their power to access their needs and their position in the society. According to Vito, Maahs and Holmes, the American sub cultural theories stem out of anomie and social disorganisation perspective; focusing on the lower class in the society, and the formation and activities that explain the delinquent subcultures (2007, p. 160). The concept of psychological strain on the lower social group in their state of idleness and poverty, make the people to look for alternative means to sustain their lives.

Often, it is possible to see states and countries that have low economic and safety nets than others, which have high crime rates. The chances of economic and socially powerful families