Deviance, which in The House I Live In is the illegal sale and use of drugs can be explained through absent parents, low-wage jobs, as well as an individual’s race. Considering these external factors, humans easily become “prisoners of socialization,” thus leaving little to no free will when it comes to these acts of deviance. The documentary, The House I Live In, illustrates the world around the United States’s policies regarding illegal drugs from the perspectives of both deviant individuals and individuals who are not deviant. Throughout the documentary, several incarcerated individuals were introduced who participated in the deviant actions of selling or using illegal drugs. A common external factor between most of these individuals is
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In fact, outside of the documentary, there is evidence that claims 56% of inmates in 2002 grew up in either a single-parent household or with a guardian, such as grandparents, another relative, or a non-relative. According to Doris J. James, a statistician with the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 39% of jail inmates lived with only a mother, 12% of jail inmates had lived in a foster home, and 46% of jail inmates had a family member, such as a mother or father, in jail prior to their incarceration. In addition, according to a study conducted by Central Connecticut State University, “children of the incarcerated are about three times as likely as other children” to be incarcerated. While these facts relate solely to incarcerations for a variety of offenses, it can be inferred that many of the inmates have been deviant in the context of the documentary because half of all jail inmates are being held because of either a violent or drug offense. As a result of not having both parents to influence their decisions or a stable and structured family, young individuals are likely to become deviant. Plus, having deviant parents can lead young individuals to become deviant themselves since
In fact, outside of the documentary, there is evidence that claims 56% of inmates in 2002 grew up in either a single-parent household or with a guardian, such as grandparents, another relative, or a non-relative. According to Doris J. James, a statistician with the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 39% of jail inmates lived with only a mother, 12% of jail inmates had lived in a foster home, and 46% of jail inmates had a family member, such as a mother or father, in jail prior to their incarceration. In addition, according to a study conducted by Central Connecticut State University, “children of the incarcerated are about three times as likely as other children” to be incarcerated. While these facts relate solely to incarcerations for a variety of offenses, it can be inferred that many of the inmates have been deviant in the context of the documentary because half of all jail inmates are being held because of either a violent or drug offense. As a result of not having both parents to influence their decisions or a stable and structured family, young individuals are likely to become deviant. Plus, having deviant parents can lead young individuals to become deviant themselves since