Sociological Causes of Crime, discussion help

Discussion—Sociological Causes of Crime

Natalie will be one of the first in
her family to earn a college degree. She is determined to earn her
bachelor’s degree in psychology and then possibly go on to a master’s
degree, or even a doctorate. However, these dreams need to deal with
reality. She has two children to raise on her own, and has to stay
active with work as well as her children’s lives. She is proud of her
accomplishments and hopes that her children will go as far, if not
further with their education.

Natalie’s two brothers did not seem
to have the same chances. Her oldest brother seems to have the most
difficult time. He was always angry as a teenager and got suspended from
school on a number of occasions due to fights. Once, he got into an
altercation with a teacher and hit the teacher pretty hard; he was
expelled from school. He took his GED at a boys’ boot camp run by the
sheriff’s office. When he was released at the age of eighteen, he had a
difficult time landing a job and worked on and off as a day laborer. He
was later arrested for stealing tools from a construction site and sent
back to jail. This only seemed to increase his anger towards everyone.
Natalie stopped visiting him and now keeps in touch sporadically. The
last she heard, he was working odd jobs and relying on alcohol and
drugs.

Natalie wonders why her brother has turned out so
different. Of course, they all had the same childhood, and their father
was an abusive alcoholic. But all the more reason, she thought, her
brothers would choose a different path. She wondered if they had the
same choices as she did. Did being a male make life harder? She always
thought men had it easier in life. She wondered if her brothers were to
blame for their decisions and life choices, or if they ever had a real
choice at all. She felt frustrated that, with all her psychology
courses, she still could not tell why her brothers turned out so
differently.

Research
theories related to gender and crime using the textbook, the Argosy
University online library resources, and the Internet. Identify
scholarly, peer-reviewed sources for use in this assignment.

Based on the scenario, your readings and research, respond to the following:

Select at least two different, contemporary theories that would apply to the case.
Employ the theories to explain why Natalie and her brothers have chosen different paths in life.

Give reasons in support of your responses.

Write your initial response in 4–6 paragraphs. Apply APA standards to citation of sources