In this paper, I will examine Brenda Medina’s story known as Hell and How I Got Here through a criminological angle. I shall summarize Medina’s story, present a simplistic format of the theories I believe were in play in her story, and then connect those theories with her story. Additionally, I want to note that I will only disclose the theories that I consider to have been the most prominent in Medina’s story, since, there is a large number of theories that can rationalize what happened; but perhaps not as apparent. Brenda Medina’s story prior to the arrest started when she was around six years old living with her parents and many siblings in a hostile family setting, she would deal with her brother’s pranks and her mom’s vile actions to
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83-84). This theory therefore follows the idea that a person who is constantly at the end of their rope with parental hostility, relationship problems or perhaps school failures will build negative emotions and in attempt to flush such sentiments away they might commit an act that can be illegal; and so the criminal is …show more content…
Throughout the story we learned how Medina had several troubling events and although one can argue that she didn’t have one significantly traumatizing experience, she did have a number of them, that if aggregated could be a great strain on any individual. I believe that Medina’s strains were how her family had to deal with her mom supposedly being possessed, her siblings being troublesome, her family in a poor economic condition, her controlling boyfriend and mother, as well as being an outcast in school (Medina, 2003, pg. 145-165). I think that many people face some of these strains on an everyday basis and it definitely adds up. I assert that it certainly paves the way to needing a relieving mechanism and some choose to relieve themselves of the stress through criminal ways. In retrospect, general strain theory rationalizes that an individual with a great level of strain is likely to need an output that might be illegal and taking what we know about Medina’s life, we can match her story with the theory, and see how it fits; and it’s without a doubt that general strain theory could be why Medina committed a criminal
83-84). This theory therefore follows the idea that a person who is constantly at the end of their rope with parental hostility, relationship problems or perhaps school failures will build negative emotions and in attempt to flush such sentiments away they might commit an act that can be illegal; and so the criminal is …show more content…
Throughout the story we learned how Medina had several troubling events and although one can argue that she didn’t have one significantly traumatizing experience, she did have a number of them, that if aggregated could be a great strain on any individual. I believe that Medina’s strains were how her family had to deal with her mom supposedly being possessed, her siblings being troublesome, her family in a poor economic condition, her controlling boyfriend and mother, as well as being an outcast in school (Medina, 2003, pg. 145-165). I think that many people face some of these strains on an everyday basis and it definitely adds up. I assert that it certainly paves the way to needing a relieving mechanism and some choose to relieve themselves of the stress through criminal ways. In retrospect, general strain theory rationalizes that an individual with a great level of strain is likely to need an output that might be illegal and taking what we know about Medina’s life, we can match her story with the theory, and see how it fits; and it’s without a doubt that general strain theory could be why Medina committed a criminal