The Book Dorm Room Dealings written by A. Rafik Mohamed and Erik Fritsvold delivering a unique perspective into the world of college dorm drug dealing. Their research consists of extensive fieldwork and analysis within the thriving Southern California drug-distribution network. Dorm Room Dealings challenges the dominant narrative that the drug epidemic in the United States is conducted within lower income neighborhoods. Rather, the book reveals that these dealings are conducted by predominantly white, wealthy college students who face minimal consequences in their dealings. The consequences these dorm dealers are subject to do not mirror the severity of punishment their lower income counterparts would typically experience. The book highlights
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It is widely accepted that dealing drugs is an illegal act. However, the amount of college dealers who face sanctions is disproportionate to their “street dealing” counterparts. Many of these college dealers come from privileged, white families that attend private universities.
This is a far cry from Agnew’s strain theory. Strain theory provides an explanation of why people decide to commit crime. Agnew believes that when people experience a form of stress or strain, they are more likely to commit a crime to cope with that negative stressors. For example, a person who is going through a financial hardship may be inclined to steal to compensate for the burden. This does not apply to the dealers mentioned in the book.
These college dealers are free to do as these please and benefit extensively because of their privilege. They are exempt from the “war on drugs.” A profound example in the book is the dealer, Lacoste. Lacoste is a wealthy son of a high-profiled accountant who has been investigated by the University for stealing. However, because the University feared dealing with the power of his father, and the idea of losing financial contributions nothing was ever done to Lacoste. The poor will never have these opportunities to leverage the system the college dealers …show more content…
Social learning theory, in the criminology sense refers to learning to engage with crime through association with others. People to learn to engage the crime, the same way they learn how to conform. Criminal behavior is learned through engaging and associating with other people who do that same behavior. It is unlikely a dealer like Lacoste would learn to deal drugs from people he associated with or was exposed to these behaviors in his environment growing up. The rationale behind drug dealing for college students varies. Many deal for the sake of making money, but some are already rich to begin with. Other dealers, deal to keep up with their own drug habits. One of the dealers Raoul D. was abstained from drugs because he was a successful athlete, but a career ending injury and prescription of vicodin created an $800 dollar a month drug
It is widely accepted that dealing drugs is an illegal act. However, the amount of college dealers who face sanctions is disproportionate to their “street dealing” counterparts. Many of these college dealers come from privileged, white families that attend private universities.
This is a far cry from Agnew’s strain theory. Strain theory provides an explanation of why people decide to commit crime. Agnew believes that when people experience a form of stress or strain, they are more likely to commit a crime to cope with that negative stressors. For example, a person who is going through a financial hardship may be inclined to steal to compensate for the burden. This does not apply to the dealers mentioned in the book.
These college dealers are free to do as these please and benefit extensively because of their privilege. They are exempt from the “war on drugs.” A profound example in the book is the dealer, Lacoste. Lacoste is a wealthy son of a high-profiled accountant who has been investigated by the University for stealing. However, because the University feared dealing with the power of his father, and the idea of losing financial contributions nothing was ever done to Lacoste. The poor will never have these opportunities to leverage the system the college dealers …show more content…
Social learning theory, in the criminology sense refers to learning to engage with crime through association with others. People to learn to engage the crime, the same way they learn how to conform. Criminal behavior is learned through engaging and associating with other people who do that same behavior. It is unlikely a dealer like Lacoste would learn to deal drugs from people he associated with or was exposed to these behaviors in his environment growing up. The rationale behind drug dealing for college students varies. Many deal for the sake of making money, but some are already rich to begin with. Other dealers, deal to keep up with their own drug habits. One of the dealers Raoul D. was abstained from drugs because he was a successful athlete, but a career ending injury and prescription of vicodin created an $800 dollar a month drug