Introduction
Crime is one of the major social challenges experienced in the contemporary society. Sociologists have associated criminal activities with various social factors such as parenting, social networks, the efficacy of the criminal justice system and an individual’s economic status among others. Myriad researches have also been performed in order to determine the relationship between criminal acts and one’s psycho-social well-being. In as much as legal authorities, psychological support centers and other key stakeholders have implemented procedures meant to reduce crime, crime has continued to be a major challenge in various countries, for instance: In the United States, about 95,000 people are arrested on a daily basis for crime-related behaviors (HBO LIFE OF CRIME PART 1 – 1989). A significant number of movie directors, film producers and artists have documented and produced movies as well as documentaries that act as mirrors or representation of criminal acts in the contemporary society. This paper focuses on an analysis of the documentary, ‘One Year in a Life of Crime’. It shall highlight and discuss various criminal concepts and theories that are depicted in the documentary and how they are related to the acts of the persons depicted in the documentary.
Analysis
The documentary, “One Year in a Life of Crime” by Jon Alpert, focuses on the lives of three criminals, Mike, Rob and Fred. These individuals are expert shoplifters, robbers and also engage in the abuse of drugs. They have been victims of convict for a long period of time since their teenage years, i.e. Mike, who has served almost half of his lifetime in prison since he was thirteen years. The documentary exposes audiences to the typical lives of these three criminals and how their acts are related to some of their social networks, i.e. parenting, friendship, neighborhood and marriage et cetera.
One of the key issues that emerge in the documentary is the relationship between parenting/upbringing and a child’s behavior. Research has shown that parenting/upbringing and a child’s behavior has a positive relationship that children tend to emulate their parents’ behavior and may show such behaviors even during adulthood (Bandura 262). In the documentary, poor parenting is one of the most evident issues that emerge; Rob’s father appears less concerned about his son’s behavior. Rob has also indicated that his father used to be a drunkard and a violent person. In one of the scenes, Mike has a lawsuit filed against him in court, however, he fails to show up for the hearing even after costing his mother $750 for the bondsman. However, he appears less concerned about his son’s act; Mike is also a violent person and has been constantly physically abusing his pregnant girlfriend (HBO LIFE OF CRIME PART 1 – 1989). Taking these scenes into consideration, it is apparent that parenting/upbringing has a significant impact on a child’s behavior. Poor parenting could be considered one of the reasons Mike, Rob and Fred have frequently engaged in criminal acts. When Mike is asked how he began using cocaine, he asserts that he learned from one of his uncles when he was still a teenager. This is an indication of how upbringing of a child has a significant impact on how the child behaves later in his/her adulthood (HBO LIFE OF CRIME PART 1 – 1989).
The other key issue that emerges in the documentary is the impacts of social relationships, such as friends/peers and other adults within a community on individual behavior. A significant number of theorists have argued that behaviors are learnt from various social interactions, for instance: Albert Bandura in his Social Learning Theory asserts that learning is a mental process that occurs within the social context. He goes further posits that learning occurs majorly through observation, direct reinforce or even rewards (Bandura 262). The explanation provided in this theory is one of the key elements evident in the documentary. Mike, Rob and Fred and close friends; it is not quite clear how they learned and mastered the art of shoplifting, but Mike has mentioned that he learnt using drugs from his uncle during his teenage days. This fulfills the explanation of learning in accordance with Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theories. It could also be possible that one of these individuals learnt the crime of shoplifting from their friends. Social Learning Theory is a concept that has been used to support studies dealing with occurrence of crime in various parts of the world.
The concept of self efficacy and its relationship with individual’s behavior is also another issue that is evident in the documentary. The concept of self-efficacy in psychological is described as an individual’s ideas/thoughts that have an impact in the manner in which they behave, for instance: An individual that has developed a mentality that they cannot change their acts or cannot access job opportunity may resort to criminal acts as a means of acquiring income (Benight and Albert 1130). In the documentary, Mike constantly blames the society for having denied him job opportunities. He even goes further and mocks his dad’s poor paying job. In his opinion, getting employed has been a major problem. In this regard, he has opted for shoplifting as one of the major ways in which he can feed his family and meet his personal desires.
Furthermore, the documentary exposes its audience to the relationship between drug abuse and criminal activities. Certain researchers have indicated that the relationship between drug abuse and crime is complex: However, there has been a general view that the relationship between drug abuse and criminal behavior may not be positive owing to the fact that these illegal acts may also be triggered by other social phenomena (Quinlivan, Julie and Evans 192). In the documentary, one may conclude that there is a positive relationship between criminal acts and substance abuse. Mike, Rob and Fred are shoplifters; they also engage in other criminal acts such as use of illegal drugs as well as substances such as cocaine and heroin. On the other hand, one may argue that the need to engage in criminal activities by the three actors is caused by their drug addiction problems that require a significant amount of financial resources.
Moreover, domestic challenges such as intimate partner violence, family break-ups and financial challenges and their relationship with criminal acts including drug abuse is another key takeaway in this documentary. Many researchers have linked to domestic violence and other challenges with drug and substance abuse, i.e. (Quinlivan, Julie and Evans 193). In the documentary, Mike, a shoplifter and a drug addict has constantly been physically assaulting his expectant girlfriend. On the other hand, Fred’s wife has decided to part ways with him after he began using cocaine in their house.
Conclusion
As aforementioned, the documentary is a representation of the relationship that exists between criminal activities and parenting as well as other social phenomena such as social networks, drug and substance abuse. Moreover, from the documentary, one learns that individual thoughts and ideas concerning certain aspects of life have a significant impact on the manner in which they behave. Mike argues that shoplifting in his perspective is the easiest way he can use in order to feed his family. Moreover, parenting or upbringing of children has a significant impact on the behavior of individuals from childhood age to adulthood age. Mike, Rob and Fred have parents who appear to be less concerned with their behaviors; Mike also mentions that he was a victim of parental abuse during his childhood, a scenario which might have contributed to his current behavior. This documentary is an imperative source of information; it exposes its audience to the psycho-social problems that criminals experience and other factors that trigger their criminal acts.
Works Cited
Bandura, Albert. "Social-learning theory of identificatory processes." Handbook of socialization theory and research 213 (1969): 262-265.
Benight, Charles C., and Albert Bandura. "Social cognitive theory of posttraumatic recovery: The role of perceived self-efficacy." Behaviour research and therapy 42.10 (2004): 1129-1148.
"HBO LIFE OF CRIME PART 1 - 1989." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLIz4Ga3SQM>.
Quinlivan, Julie A., and S. F. Evans. "Impact of domestic violence and drug abuse in pregnancy on maternal attachment and infant temperament in teenage mothers in the setting of best clinical practice." Archives of Women’s Mental Health 8.3 (2005): 191-199.
