News.Com.Au (2015) reported that on Tuesday 8th September, a Gold Coast woman, Tara Brown, had her car run off the road to the extent it was flipped over on to it’s roof by her former boyfriend Lionel Patea. After he hit her car he continued to beat her with a cast iron water hydrant whilst she was stuck upside down in the car. Brown died in hospital not long after due to her injuries. Lionel Patea was the former sergeant at arms of the Bandido’s Outlaw Motorcycle Club on the Gold Coast. Tara Brown had allegedly sought help before this incident out of concern for her injuries and threats from Patea. After the incident occurred, Lionel Patea reportedly stabbed himself 5 times, once to the neck and four times to the chest, and then turned himself
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The main view of social structure theory is that poor social status and SES is a primary cause of crime. Siegel (2015) wrote that the social and economic forces that run in declined lower class areas are what tend to send many of the occupants into criminal behavioural patterns. The social structure perspective of crime causation covers three theories that overlap, but all of which are independent. These are the social disorganization theory, strain theory and lastly cultural deviance theory. Cultural deviance theory takes aspects from social disorganisation theory and strain theory to explain how people in isolated communities react to economic deprivation. The cultural deviance model also elaborates on gang culture and how kids living in these communities will be drawn to the culture of a gang. Zhang (2003) stated that when people join a gang it changes the direction of people’s lives, it signifies an extensive change in emotions attitudes and social controls conductive to criminality. ABC NEWS (2013) reported that the Gold Coast had an increasing crime, unemployment and poverty rating. The Gold Coast is the home of Lionel Patea, who had joined the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. The reason to why Patea first joined the Bandido’s is not common knowledge but there is a possibility he was falling into the statistics of poverty and unemployment and saw …show more content…
General deterrence is the idea that convincing potential criminals that the costs associated with criminal activity far outweigh the benefits will control crime. If this is the case a deterrent such as the death penalty in America should discourage individuals from committing crime. The effectiveness of the death penalty as a deterrent has been investigated by a number of criminologists. Logan & Sellin (1981) initially found no such deterrent effect. Most studies, even those done in recent times have used time series data that are missing the post moratorium evidence. For examples of these see Layson (1985) and Cover & Thistle (1988). If crime is a rational choice we should find evidence linking American states with the death penalty to lower murder-rates. Despite this, most studies have found states with the death penalty have higher rates of murder. This can be seen in figure 1. Offenders in these states have costs laid out in front of them, there is not many benefits outweighing the death penalty. Choice theory does not seem to apply to these offenders who still commit a crime, despite knowing they may face the death
The main view of social structure theory is that poor social status and SES is a primary cause of crime. Siegel (2015) wrote that the social and economic forces that run in declined lower class areas are what tend to send many of the occupants into criminal behavioural patterns. The social structure perspective of crime causation covers three theories that overlap, but all of which are independent. These are the social disorganization theory, strain theory and lastly cultural deviance theory. Cultural deviance theory takes aspects from social disorganisation theory and strain theory to explain how people in isolated communities react to economic deprivation. The cultural deviance model also elaborates on gang culture and how kids living in these communities will be drawn to the culture of a gang. Zhang (2003) stated that when people join a gang it changes the direction of people’s lives, it signifies an extensive change in emotions attitudes and social controls conductive to criminality. ABC NEWS (2013) reported that the Gold Coast had an increasing crime, unemployment and poverty rating. The Gold Coast is the home of Lionel Patea, who had joined the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. The reason to why Patea first joined the Bandido’s is not common knowledge but there is a possibility he was falling into the statistics of poverty and unemployment and saw …show more content…
General deterrence is the idea that convincing potential criminals that the costs associated with criminal activity far outweigh the benefits will control crime. If this is the case a deterrent such as the death penalty in America should discourage individuals from committing crime. The effectiveness of the death penalty as a deterrent has been investigated by a number of criminologists. Logan & Sellin (1981) initially found no such deterrent effect. Most studies, even those done in recent times have used time series data that are missing the post moratorium evidence. For examples of these see Layson (1985) and Cover & Thistle (1988). If crime is a rational choice we should find evidence linking American states with the death penalty to lower murder-rates. Despite this, most studies have found states with the death penalty have higher rates of murder. This can be seen in figure 1. Offenders in these states have costs laid out in front of them, there is not many benefits outweighing the death penalty. Choice theory does not seem to apply to these offenders who still commit a crime, despite knowing they may face the death