The Coupling of Criminal Justice and Community Institutions

55 Questions

What was the author discussing with urban sociologists at the University of California, Berkeley?

Inequality and social issues

What did the primarily White, male, and middle-class graduate students and faculty continue to dissect from the comfort of the university?

Ghetto culture and violence

What was the equally pressing topic in Spider's mind as the author intended to ask about violence and gangs?

Criminalization and police misconduct

What did the author discover from youth accounts and observations?

Other adults in the community making young people feel criminalized

What faded from the author's rearview mirror as they left Berkeley?

Majestic oak and redwood trees

What was the urgent reason for the author to hit the streets and catch up with Spider?

Spider had recently been stabbed

The young people interviewed perceived themselves to be criminalized by which of the following authority figures?

Parents

Which authority figure attempted to influence how Jose's mother parented?

Probation officer

What did Jose's mother feel when the probation officer visited her?

Fear

Why did some parents come to have similar perspectives as police and probation officers?

They felt compelled to obey the discourse provided by the youth control complex

What was Jose's first offense, according to the text?

Carrying marijuana

How did Jose feel after his first arrest?

Disheartened

What was the main consequence of Spider being falsely labeled as a gang member?

He faced harsher restrictions and policing from multiple authorities.

What type of school did Spider attend?

School for students labeled as deviant and delinquent

Who questioned Spider's mother about his gang involvement during his hospital stay?

Gang detective

What reputation did the school principal, Mr. Ellis, have?

Intimidating and strict

Why did Spider and other students pretend to use more drugs than they actually did during class?

To avoid being labeled as deviant

Who supported the labeling of Spider as a culprit despite him being the victim of a violent attack?

Police, school personnel, probation officers, and community workers

What was the substitute teacher's comment about leading students to prison?

Narcissism

What was the reason for the high turnover rate for teachers at the school?

Notoriety of the school

What did students express disdain for during the earth science lesson?

Concept of rocks

What did Julio possibly pretend to do in order to gain respect from his peers?

Use drugs

How did students attempt to resist criminalization in the school environment?

Acting out

What caused fear and humiliation among students, as described in the text?

Police brutality

How do some adults in the community view the boys?

As irreparable criminals deserving punishment

What role does punishment, as an institution, play in shaping the lives of the boys in the study?

It constructs shared categories and authoritative classifications

How did marginally situated young people's 'play' lead to their criminalization?

Through events like flash mobs

What was the response to large gatherings of Black youths in Philadelphia in 2010?

Heavy police presence and criminalization

How did the system of imposing punitive social control unintentionally contribute to the criminalization of the boys?

By influencing caring adults in the community

How do young people cope with patterns of punishment?

By developing systems of interaction and resistance

What role did probation officers play in the lives of the boys interviewed?

Branded the boys as criminals and marked their territory in the community

What did Deandre's probation officer, Ms. Moore, expect from him in the contract she wrote?

To find a job and pass all his classes

How did the probation experience vary for the boys interviewed?

The probation officers did not play any role in aiding the boys

What was the primary concern for the boys regarding probation meetings at community centers?

Feeling stigmatized and frustrated by the public nature of check-ins

What was the outcome for fourteen of the thirty boys who were released from probation during the study?

They were arrested soon after for minor infractions

What was the main drawback of probation according to the text?

Focused on minor infractions rather than desire to change

What impact did probation officers' presence have on the young men?

They became more resistant to external threats and developed resentment

What did Michel Foucault argue about the impact of constant surveillance on the young men?

It resulted in manipulation and resistance to the probation system

What was the result of probation officers' punitive approach, as stated in the text?

Young men felt incapacitated and unable to function as law-abiding citizens

What was the primary issue with the system of social control encountered by the boys?

It disciplined them through punitive force

According to the criminologists John Hagan and Bill McCarthy, what produces social solidarity?

Normal shame and shaming

Why did many of the youths feel that probation officers had minimal credibility with them?

Because their friends had already been to jail and shared their experiences

What did some of the boys resort to after being tested for marijuana use through urine tests by probation officers?

Using more harmful drugs like cocaine

What was the community's reaction to a youth being placed on probation, as observed by Ronny?

They ostracized and stigmatized the youth, making everyone aware of their arrest and probation

Why did some of the boys believe that probation officers exaggerated their threats?

Because most of their friends had not been caught for breaking probation

What was a common pattern observed in the enrollment of young people in community programs according to the text?

Criminal justice institutions sometimes held a stake in youth programs

How many boys were enrolled in community-center programs after being previously arrested?

Eight

What was the primary reason for the lack of community programs for young people in the neighborhoods?

Lack of funding from non-criminal-justice government agencies

What was the estimated number of young people living in the neighborhoods serviced by the community centers?

Over ten thousand

What type of funding became available during the study period for providing mentoring for gang youths in the community?

Funding from criminal justice entities

What was the primary consequence of the community center's funding dependency on the county probation department?

Limited acceptance of 'at-risk' youths into programs

What was the main concern regarding the Cease-Fire program as mentioned in the text?

Risk of entangling law enforcement with community workers

What impact did the heavy caseloads and high expectations have on charismatic individuals at the community center?

Led to loss of respect from the youths

How did young men respond to the perceived lack of second chances from institutions and the development of coping skills seen as deviant by the system?

Demonstrated mistrust and contempt towards the system

How did institutions like community centers, schools, and families contribute to the boys' perception of being criminalized?

Provided consistent flow of criminalization and brutal consequences

Study Notes

The author has observed a disconnect between how young men in the community view adults and how the author perceives the intentions of adults towards the boys.
Some adults in the community believe the boys are irreparable criminals and push for their punishment.
Other adults, despite their caring attitude towards the boys, are influenced by a system of imposing punitive social control, unintentionally contributing to the criminalization of the boys.
Criminologist David Garland's analysis of punishment as an institution is used to understand how criminalization plays a role in shaping the lives of the boys in the study.
Punishment, as an institution, interacts with its environment and forms part of the social world, constructing shared categories and authoritative classifications.
Young people, having agency, develop systems of interaction and resistance to cope with patterns of punishment.
Marginally situated young people's "play" has been criminalized, with events like flash mobs leading to their criminalization.
In Philadelphia in 2010, large gatherings of Black youths were met with heavy police presence and criminalization in response to a few incidents of violence and vandalism in downtown areas.
Spider, one of the boys in the study, was brutally attacked by gang members and nearly died.
Detectives visited him at the hospital after the incident.
Probation officers' presence in the lives of young men could potentially have a positive impact on their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Many young men followed probation orders only in the presence of officers, but resisted external threats and developed resentment.
Resistance sometimes led to deviance and criminality, resulting in arrests for violating probation contracts.
Probation placed young men in difficult situations, between following orders and being victimized by peers.
Probation created a magnifying-glass effect, leading to more involvement in criminal justice system for minor infractions.
Probation officer Mr. Johnson was a tall, gruff Black man who wore a cowboy hat and boots, and used fear tactics to keep young men in line.
Fear tactics did not work long-term, leading some young men to resist and even purposefully break rules.
Michel Foucault argues that constant surveillance ("panopticism") leads to self-discipline, but young men in Oakland were not being taught this.
Instead, young men in Oakland manipulated the system, agreeing to obey under coercion and resisting at the same time.
Probation officers' punitive approach led to young men feeling incapacitated and unable to function as law-abiding citizens.
Young men resisted probation and created a spectacle of the system, exposing its flaws and contradictions.
Direct threat and coercion from probation officers was only a temporary fix, leading to more criminal behavior once the intensive probation program ended.
The community center relied on funding from the county probation department after their own funds expired.
County wanted direct oversight of Joey, a trusted community worker at the center, leading to loss of respect from youths.
Few "at-risk" youths were accepted into programs, community centers prioritized those who would respond positively to their programming due to funding dependencies.
Charismatic individuals, who often have transformational skills, were given heavy caseloads and high expectations, leading to burnout.
Cease-Fire, a program aimed at preventing violence, may pose a risk of entangling law enforcement with community workers.
Institutions like community centers, schools, and families were perceived by boys as collaborating to criminalize them.
Young men felt they were not given a second chance, leading to resistance and the development of coping skills seen as deviant by the system.
Institutions intersected, providing a consistent flow of criminalization and brutal consequences.
Young men, in response to the system, demonstrated mistrust and contempt towards the wider scheme of things.

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