Structural Strain Theory Summary

The city of Chicago, in the current times, has a reputation painted with crime and murder. Acts of violence within a fraction of the local population paints the rest of the city a color of negativity. To decrease the crime rate, Chicago leaders began to initiate cognitive behavioral therapy. In summary, the program held meetings ever so often to teach a select group of boys how to deal with situations that could easily escalate out of control. The results were astounding in the sense that the “Becoming a Man” program saw a 44 percent drop in arrest rates when comparing the students of the program to that of a non-participants. However, as the students graduate and no longer are a part of the program, the effects of said program dwindle with each passing year. One may say that the participants were returning to their usual behavior.
By applying the theories of crime and deviance, one may see why such a pattern of positivity may decrease. The theories of deviance and crime are
The structural strain theory believes that social structures can promote crime and deviance among individuals within society. The conflict theory looks at the exploitations of the poor from the rich. The program didn’t exactly help the participants attend or seek secondary education. This would mean that it was up to the individuals to strive for a better life. Since social reproduction is in effect, the chances of the participants moving into a higher social class were slim. To attempt to achieve this, the participants might have turned to crime or illegitimate means. Stated by the conflict theory for the topic of exploitation, the pressure of succeeding was that much greater in a crime dominant local