Criminology

Boyz N the Hood, the 1991 film directed by John Singleton that starred Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube, and Laurence Fishburne, and released by Columbia Pictures, dealt with the dangers prevailing in African American communities in South Central Los Angeles area during the years between the mid-1980s to the early 1990s.  In this movie, the themes centered not only on the immoralities and evils of the particular society, but more importantly on the reasons for the prevalence of such situations.  Perhaps most essentially, the movie dared to delve on several criminological issues and principles that it allows us the opportunity to practice several of these in practical and contemporary terms, as important tools for mastering the art and science of criminology. 
     
One of the more observable characteristics of the film is its clear description of murder.  Mostly, the examples given are not casual, but were a succession of cause and effect that attempted to explain the human reasons for involving in these despicable acts.  As such, several of the murders had been territorial in nature, as witnessed in the killing of Ricky Baker while some were of vengeance, such as Darrins revenge on his brothers death and yet others were simply the results of criminal and unexplained acts, such as the ones perpetrated on the abandoned corpses lying on the vacant houses of the suburb.

Criminological Thoughts and Theories
The Differential Association Theory postulates that an individual learns his criminal behavior from his interactions with his immediate and intimate group.  It involves such modalities, in relation to this interaction, as the frequency, priority, duration, and the intensity of his dealings with the group. This theory is most evident in the film, especially in the characterization of the brothers Darrin and Ricky Baker, that despite of their growing up in the same neighborhood and in the very same house, they were portrayed as having opposite dispositions that while Darrin was very much deviant of the societal norms surrounding his ethnicity, Ricky was goal-oriented, focused, and ambitious.  Perhaps this can be explained in the companies that they kept, as Darrin was frequently seen hanging out with his friends, while Ricky chose to spend most of his time with Tre. 

Furthermore, the four modalities can be incorporated into Darrins and Rickys relationship.  Because of the frequency of interactions between Darrin and his friends, he was highly exposed to the groups accepted norms and values and had in fact adapted these into his system, making his bond with his friends very much intense that they became his priority.  This eventually led him to integrate all these into a behavior that is highly susceptible to commit criminal acts.  The cumulative effects of the four modalities can also be evidenced in Rickys behavior, however, because of his deep friendship with Tre, this contributed for the frequency, duration, and intensity factors, that had a positive effect on his persona.  Mr. Styles observation on Ricky on how he seemed to distance himself from the other Black kids, aptly described his attitude, Rick, its the Nineties.  Cant afford to be afraid of our own people, man (Boyz n the Hood).  Also contributing for the positive influences in Ricky were his loving mother, his wife, and his best friend, Tre.

Folk Devils
The concept of the folk devils, as proposed by Stanley Cohen, was evident in the entirety of the film, Boyz N the Hood.  Apparently, the folk devils in the said film are the African American youths who were seen loitering on the streets, selling illegal drugs, and by-standing in liquor stores.  These were also the very people who committed murders. 

The emphasis of folk devils was evidenced in a scene where Furious Styles was lecturing Tre, Ricky, and a group of youngsters from their neighborhood.  A comment by one of the boys, that they are always blamed for everything untoward that happens in their neighborhood clearly illustrated the reality that they are perceived as the sources of these crimes, thus labeling them, perhaps unknowingly, as the folk devils.  This was likewise evident in the manner that Rickys mother perceived Doughboys friends, as always doing something to disrupt the neighborhood, and are always up to something awful (Boyz N the Hood). 

In relation to this concept, it is important to compare Cohens theory, that gang delinquency is not a rational act, but an emotional one, and that this stems as a reaction to their failure of living up to the middle class values.  Given this precept, the murder of Ricky can then be seen as an expression of the rival group to defendextend their territorial influence.  It is economic in nature, as the conflict arose from a public event where Darrens boasting of his stylish car seemed to preempt an unfortunate reaction from their rival group.  Likewise, the rivals act of roving around Darrens neighborhood signified their intent of displaying their power, which because of the lack of monetary resources, manifested instead in the form of firearms.  Thus, the economic measuring rod that is the middle class and the apparent failure of the respective warring factions to attain this, led these groups to result to sub-cultural deviances that eventually led to the murders. 

The Parent-Male subculture, which is characterized by a negative disposition towards other members of the community and an apparent absence of any career goals, was also very evident in the film.  Most obvious of which is Darren, who seemed to distrust everyone in the community except his immediate family and friends.  This is true despite of his seeming superior intelligence compared with the other members of his group, especially in being aware of the importance of college education.  Another is the Conflict-Oriented subculture, where there is an overwhelming tendency to resolve disputes only by conflict.  This was evidenced in the scene where the red car was roaming around his neighborhood, and in his reaction of throwing his hand up in the air, as if conveying the message that they are in his territory and is ready for hostilities. 

Lessons
The central theme of the movie, Boyz N the Hood, was fatherly affection and its beneficial consequences to the life of a son, particularly in molding him to be a responsible, productive, and proficient adult.  In the course of my studies, however, what was most beneficial was in learning the theoreticalpsychological complexities that were the bases for the murders committed in the aforementioned film. 

Firstly, I was able to delve deeper into the story by learning the personal and societal motives for the crimes that were committed.  It has augmented my knowledge on the possible effects that a persons immediate environs may cause to a persons outlook in life.  It also became clear that ones territorial perception, especially if he were manifesting of a failure to reach a particular middle-class measure, may play as determining factors in his inclination to commit a crime, thus making a direct correlation between a persons economic stature and the transgression.       

Also, I learned that crimes, specifically of the territorial genre discussed in the film, are not based on logical reasoning, but are in fact emotional in nature that it can be categorized according to a persons seeming lack of self motivation for success and his overwhelming distrust on the general populace.  Hence, the film under discussion benefited me in ways that exceeded the desired themes included in the film.  Through my academic course, I was able to relate the conflicts to the contemporary realities prevailing in the society.  It had made me a better person by giving me a deeper understanding of the inner workings surrounding the murders, both in film and in reality.