Exploring Criminality: Willie Bosket
Criminological theories can be used to help understand potential causes of criminality like in the case of Willie Bosket, a young man that lead a troubled life and came from a troubled past. Fox Butterfield wrote a book entitled All God’s Children: The Bosket Family and The American Tradition of Violence in which he examines not only the life that lead to Willie Bosket being in solitary confinement for the rest of his life, but also the history that lead to Willie’s existence. One type of theory that can be used to identify reasons behind Willie’s behaviors are Strain Theory, a type of theory that suggests crime is rooted in discontent with one’s status- financial, social, or otherwise- a concept that, …show more content…
Merton, he developed his version of Strain Theory and in doing so influenced the subsequent development of General Strain Theory by Robert Agnew. When focusing on Merton’s Strain Theory, the main cause of crime is identified as ambition. Specifically, Merton claimed with Structurally Induced Strain that the “[p]oor people are not taught to be satisfied with their lot but rather are instructed to pursue the ‘American Dream’” (67). This is not to say that the so-called American Dream is bad thing but instead that some people will do whatever it takes to achieve this dream even if it means committing criminal acts. This relates to the point that “Bauskett was so anxious to raise money for a business venture that he risked 138 of his slaves by pledging them as collateral for a small loan that amounted to a mere fraction of their value” (Butterfield 24). As long as people have been in existence so has ambition to acquire more. In Bauskett’s case however, the risk did not go unnoticed. Following the pledging of his slaves he decided to sell his plantation to focus more on business ventures. Bauskett was well enough off that, according to Merton’s Strain Theory, he was not in the lower class that would be most negatively affected by their own ambition (Lilly 67). Bauskett’s ambition however was not fueled by the desire for economic gain – as he was already high on the economic scale with his plantation – …show more content…
The one thing that criminological theories cannot explain is why a person can commit a crime and feel no remorse, as is the case with Willie. Merton’s Strain Theory identifies that discontent with one’s status, both economic and social, leads to the willingness to commit crimes in order to obtain a different status, especially when the person is already in the lowest possible status. While Agnew’s General Strain Theory identifies the three different ways in which a person may begin to feel the effects of the strain. Although the Strain theories identify causes of crime they do not attempt to identify one of the most important factors of crime. Crime is a behavior that like any other has to be learned, this is the first and arguably most important of the nine key points of Differential Association. Each theory has contributed to the overall study of criminal behavior. This allows for people to not only arrest those that break the laws but also allows for the identification of what may cause a person to become a criminal. In the end Willie and his father were alike, both criminals, as Butch’s attempt to return to society and abide by laws had failed and Willie still resides in his solitary confinement cell. Willie was angry at the system for taking away his life at the early age of nine and
Criminological theories can be used to help understand potential causes of criminality like in the case of Willie Bosket, a young man that lead a troubled life and came from a troubled past. Fox Butterfield wrote a book entitled All God’s Children: The Bosket Family and The American Tradition of Violence in which he examines not only the life that lead to Willie Bosket being in solitary confinement for the rest of his life, but also the history that lead to Willie’s existence. One type of theory that can be used to identify reasons behind Willie’s behaviors are Strain Theory, a type of theory that suggests crime is rooted in discontent with one’s status- financial, social, or otherwise- a concept that, …show more content…
Merton, he developed his version of Strain Theory and in doing so influenced the subsequent development of General Strain Theory by Robert Agnew. When focusing on Merton’s Strain Theory, the main cause of crime is identified as ambition. Specifically, Merton claimed with Structurally Induced Strain that the “[p]oor people are not taught to be satisfied with their lot but rather are instructed to pursue the ‘American Dream’” (67). This is not to say that the so-called American Dream is bad thing but instead that some people will do whatever it takes to achieve this dream even if it means committing criminal acts. This relates to the point that “Bauskett was so anxious to raise money for a business venture that he risked 138 of his slaves by pledging them as collateral for a small loan that amounted to a mere fraction of their value” (Butterfield 24). As long as people have been in existence so has ambition to acquire more. In Bauskett’s case however, the risk did not go unnoticed. Following the pledging of his slaves he decided to sell his plantation to focus more on business ventures. Bauskett was well enough off that, according to Merton’s Strain Theory, he was not in the lower class that would be most negatively affected by their own ambition (Lilly 67). Bauskett’s ambition however was not fueled by the desire for economic gain – as he was already high on the economic scale with his plantation – …show more content…
The one thing that criminological theories cannot explain is why a person can commit a crime and feel no remorse, as is the case with Willie. Merton’s Strain Theory identifies that discontent with one’s status, both economic and social, leads to the willingness to commit crimes in order to obtain a different status, especially when the person is already in the lowest possible status. While Agnew’s General Strain Theory identifies the three different ways in which a person may begin to feel the effects of the strain. Although the Strain theories identify causes of crime they do not attempt to identify one of the most important factors of crime. Crime is a behavior that like any other has to be learned, this is the first and arguably most important of the nine key points of Differential Association. Each theory has contributed to the overall study of criminal behavior. This allows for people to not only arrest those that break the laws but also allows for the identification of what may cause a person to become a criminal. In the end Willie and his father were alike, both criminals, as Butch’s attempt to return to society and abide by laws had failed and Willie still resides in his solitary confinement cell. Willie was angry at the system for taking away his life at the early age of nine and