Criminological Theory that Best Describes the Women in the movie “Reefer Madness”

Criminological Theory that Best Describes the Women in the movie “Reefer Madness”

A Criminological theory refers to a study of varied explanations of the cause of criminal behavior (Glossary). These theories are applied to the current criminal justice practice to explain the causes of criminal activity. In the movie “Refer Madness”, there are three major female characters Mary Lane, Mae Coleman and Blanche, that are involved and influenced by crime. The criminological theory that best describes them is Differential Association, which is defined as a “theory further states that deviant acts are not limited to, general needs and values as both can be satisfied through conventional or non-deviant means” (Clinard & Meier 2008: 101). Edwin Sutherland’s created this criminological theory that illustrates the interaction of an individual with criminal offenders, and makes them get to know the attitudes, values, motives, and techniques for criminal behavior. “Sutherland asserts that deviant behavior is learned, not innate, and is learned through associations with others” (Clinard & Meier 2008: 100).

Sutherland came up with nine basic claims that describe Differential Association as a criminological theory, which describes the incidences involved with the female characters in the movie. According to Sutherland’s first claim of Differential Association, criminal behavior is learned. Mae Coleman and Blanche are ladies of seemingly good upbringing since their actions in the video are gentle and uprightly mannered. At one point, Mae Coleman objects to introducing young individuals to marihuana, portraying that she was never involved in drugs in her youth. Contrary to Mae, her husband or boyfriend, Jack Perry, and Ralph Wiley do not care about whom they introduce the drugs because they mainly introduce it to youth and not adults. In the movie, he entices Jim Lane, Bill Harper and even at one time states that he unsuccessfully tried to bring Mary to the house to smoke some joint.

This shows how the women learned criminal behaviors from their male counterparts, and in this case from Jack Perry and Ralph Wiley. In addition, Sutherland states that in Differential Association, the learning of criminal behavior takes place inside intimate groups of individuals. In the movie, Jack plays a vital role in showing Mae, his partner how the marihuana business works. Ralph, a complete addict as showed in the movie seems intimate with Blanche and Blanche seems to learn more from Ralph. Most of the ladies that visit Jack’s house to smoke marijuana are mostly in the company of a man (most likely their partners), who lead the way to the house. Sutherland in another claim of Differential Association indicates that an individual becomes a lawbreaker as a result corroborating more definitions favoring violation of the law than supporting definitions not favoring violation of the law. In the movie, the female characters are to a large degree isolated from anti-criminal patterns. They are not exposed to an upright mannered individual who can rebuke their actions of drug marketing and drug usage, Mary Lane has no individual from whom she can take good habits.

In the beginning of the movie Mary Lane, is the angel of the movie by resisting entry into Jack’ s house. Finally, when she comes looking for Bill, she finds herself caught up in the same net of drug use as everyone around her. By Differential Association, Criminal behavior of interactions with individuals is usually adopted and accepted as a norm. Because, it suddenly does not seem to be a crime since everyone around you it’s doing it, until the individual is caught up with the authorities. For Mae and Blanche, the selling of marihuana to individuals regardless of whether the buyer is a teen or an adult, becomes a norm for them, for the simple reason that they forget that it is a felony, and that it does not correlate with the Narcotic Bureau in the movie. It’s not until the death of Jack at the hands of Ralph, who when insane, that they realize their mistake and the wrong company that they were associated with.

How Differential Association, A Criminological Theory, Forms Basis For Today’s Drug Policy

War on Drugs is a famous slogan of the current drug policies, which has proven highly ineffective in reducing drug consumption in the United States. Billions of dollars are being spent annually by the government of the United States to control drugs, and more than half a million drug dealers and users are behind bars on charges of drug trafficking or drug use. Differential Association is a criminological theory that forms a great basis for the current drug policy on narcotics, in almost all fifty states in America. If well understood and it’s hypothesizes applied, the war on drugs could achieve a greater efficiency in the current drug control efforts.

Despite stringent laws devised by the federal and state governments being created, the use of drugs has increased and “tough enforcement, the centerpiece of American drug policy in terms of rhetoric, budget, and substance, has little to show by way of success” (Boyum and Reuter 2005). The numbers of drug offenders under incarceration, according to Boyum and Reuter has multiplied tenfold since the 1980s and there is no evidence that can prove that the increased punishment put in place is reducing the use of drugs.

A great number of well-mannered American teens get enticed by the wrong individuals into using drugs, which leads to the beginning of usage. In addition, the media to some extent can be blamed for encouraging the use of drugs with celebrities, comedies and movie making macho displaying the use of drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. It is unfortunate that the drug policy that are put into place unfairly punishes the victims that are wrongly influenced, by blaming them for drug crimes while neglecting the role they should play in rehabilitating victims and apprehending the real culprits in the drug menace.

Drug suspects get lured into drug use, get apprehended, get denied good legal representation, and are unwillingly forced to plead guilty. When released from incarceration, stringent laws are put up segregating them from population by being denied employment, social amenities etc., And the process repeats itself again.

The current drug policy needs reform so as to make it effective in the War against drugs. According to Differential Association criminological theory, the population around the drug users should be approached at a different angle and some policies repealed and reforms made to make this war successful.

Recommendations For Changes In The Drug Policy Drug treatment services should be increased.

According to Boyum and Reuter effective drug control policies are underfunded. Drug treatment services, which are short in supply, should be increased since treatment expenditures in the long run pay up by reducing crime, than funding enforcement of regulations on drug and substance abuse.

Reducing drug related problems.Domestic enforcement should focus more on reducing problems that are brought about by drugs e.g. Violence happens around drug markets as an alternative to convicting a huge number of low-level drug dealers.

Legalization but otherwise control of specified drugs.This should depend upon the risks of the drugs, but otherwise ensuring that labels with dosage and warnings, advertising restrictions, limitations of age, restriction of quantity purchased once, form of supply, use of licenses etc. Are used for control.

Decriminalization.This refers to the reduction of the control and penalties of drug offenders before conviction and after serving sentence. Laws barring ex-convicts from certain privileges should be reduced to prevent ex-convicts going back to drug dealing, as a desperate measure to their problems such as denial of employment, denial of schooling etc.

References

1. Sutherland, E. H. (N.d.).Differential Association Theory. Retrieved from http://criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/sutherland.html

2. Reefer Madness (1937) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azf320JDdqU

3. Glossary of Courses Offered in Most Criminal Justice Degree Programs. Retrieved from http://www.successdegrees.com/glossaryofcriminaljusticecoursedescriptions.html

4. Boyum, D., & Reuter, P. (26 March 2005). Are We Loosing the War on Drugs?.An Analytic Assessment of U.S. Drug Policy, 1-2. http://scholar.google.com/scholar_url?hl=en&q=http://67.208.89.102/files/2009/01/31/20050325_book812release.pdf&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm1moHCdfAhW7XbJvRIaWHm5KlXEvw&oi=scholarr

5. Clinard, M. B., & Meier, R. F. (2008). Sociology of Deviant Behavior (13 ed.). Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth.

6. Sloman, L. (1979). Reefer Madness : A History of Marijuana. New York, New York: St. Martin's Press.