Chapter 3Aiding and Abetting ViolenceAlvarezBachman,.docx

Chapter 3:
Aiding and Abetting Violence
Alvarez/Bachman, Violence: The Enduring Problem, 3rd Edition
© 2017 SAGE Publications, Inc.
Guns and ViolenceThe majority of all homicides in the United
States are committed with a firearm, especially handguns.
In fact, the jump in homicide rates witnessed in the late 1980s
through the mid-1990s was primarily attributable to an increase
in handgun homicides.
The rate of homicides committed with other types of weapons,
including other guns, remained relatively stable during this
time.
Homicides by Weapon Type, 1980-2008

Guns and ViolenceThe availability of a gun increases the
likelihood of death by three times.Semiautomatic weapons raise
alarm.Ammunition has become more lethal.The presence of a
firearm increases the likelihood that a violent interaction will
result in death.
Guns, Culture, and ViolenceFascination and fetishizing of guns
in development and expansion of the United StatesU.S. citizens
have more guns per capita than any other nation:47% own a
firearmAverage number of guns among private households that
own at least one is 4.4Rationale for gun ownership:Target
shooting or huntingSelf-protection argumentDefensive gun use
Gun Control LegislationSecond Amendment interpretation
debates continueFederal legislation aimed at controlling 3 main
aspects of gun use and sale:Supply and overall
availabilityRegulations designed to limit availability to high-
risk groupsfelonsRegulations calculated to affect how guns are
usedAntitheft measureslocks

Gun Control LegislationArmed Career Criminal Act of 1984
Imposed a mandatory minimum 15-year prison term on a
convicted felon who had three previous convictions for robbery
or burglary and who possessed or received a firearmBrady
Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Bill) of
1993Mandated criminal history background checks on persons
applying to purchase firearms from federally licensed firearm
dealers
Gun Control LegislationNational Instant Criminal Background
Check System (NICS) Required a background check by the FBI
or a state point of contact on all persons applying to receive
firearms from a registered firearms dealerTheoretically, before
anyone can obtain a gun through a dealer, they must wait 5 days
after purchase, so this check can be completed. This waiting
period and subsequent check are to make sure high-risk
applicants are prevented from obtaining a firearm
High Risk Groups
Such high-risk groups, as detailed by the law, include fugitives

from justice, those dishonorably discharged from the U.S.
Armed Forces, those convicted of a crime punishable by
imprisonment for more than one year, those convicted in any
court of domestic violence, those under restraining orders to
protect intimate partners or children, those who have renounced
U.S. citizenship, unlawful users of controlled substances or
those addicted to controlled substances, and those adjudicated
to be mentally defective or committed to a mental institution, to
name just a few.
Gun Control LegislationAssault Weapons Ban (AWB)Assault
weapons are difficult to define but are generally considered to
be semiautomatic rifles that look like military weapons, such as
AK-47s and Uzis. In September 2004, for example, the new
Congress let the 10-year federal ban on assault weapons expire,
making the banned weapons once again legal to buy
AlcoholA great deal of research finds a widespread link
between alcohol and violence.Marvin Wolfgang studied murder
in Philadelphia in 1955.He found that 55% of the offenders in
his sample had been drinking alcohol prior to their
murder.During the same time period, approximately the same
proportion of homicides were found to involve alcohol in
Chicago.

Illicit DrugsIt is important to point out that it is somewhat
difficult to talk about a general relationship between illicit
drugs and violence because there are so many different kinds of
illegal substances.Self-report information from offenders on
whether they were under the influence of drugs at the time of
their offense is available.
Self-Report Survey
Illicit Drugs and ViolenceThree primary means of
connection:Violence that results from the psychoactive effect of
drugsStudies linking drug use and subsequent violence are
correlational and not experimental, which means that no causal
relationship has been establishedMedia distortionViolence that
results from efforts to support a drug addictionRobberyViolence
resulting from illegal sale of drugsHigh stakesLawless terrain

Alcohol and Drug LegislationHarrison Act of 1914Criminalized
nonmedical use of morphine and cocaineNational
Prohibition/Volstead Act of 1919Gave federal agencies the
power to enforce the 18th amendmentEighteenth
AmendmentOutlawed the manufacture, sale, and distribution of
alcoholMarijuana Tax Act of 1937Taxed the sale of marijuana
Alcohol and Drug LegislationCommunity Mental Health Centers
Act of 1963Provides states with funding for treatment
programmingControlled Substance Act of 1970Consolidated all
previous drug laws into one Five schedules or classifications of
drugsAnti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988Called for mandatory
minimum sentences for possession and distribution of drugs by
type and weightWar on DrugsAmplified legal penalties for
trafficking and possession of illicit drugsFair Sentencing Act of
2010Reduced disparity in sentencing between crack and cocaine
offenses

The Media and ViolenceMedia violence and images affect those
who view them.A recent review of the effects of playing violent
video games also confirms that exposure to video game violence
increases the risk of aggressive behavior both in the short and
long term, both for girls and boys, andboth for children growing
up in Eastern and Western cultures. Increasing the risk of
aggression does not mean “causes” aggression. Theoretical
rationales explaining connection between media exposure and
violent behaviorSocial learning theoryEmotional desensitization
Attitudes and ValuesScriptsguide our behavior, help us solve
social problems, and are typically linked with specific roles and
plans of action.Television and movies are powerful sources for
many of our attitudes and values.Watching violent media
images provides us with the vocabulary of motives and
situations that serves to increase the likelihood that we will also
engage in violence. Interpretation of and reaction to conflict
makes us more prone to violence.
Bushman Experimental Design

ConclusionsThree factors implicated as causes of violence in
the United States:Availability of firearmsAlcohol and drug
consumption and their prohibitionMedia violenceViolence
reduction strategiesParental discretion and
educationMultipartner general deterrence effortsBoston Gun
Project
Open-Access Student Resources
· SAGE journal articles
· Multimedia resources
and more at study.sagepub.com/alvarez3e
Chapter 2:
Explaining Violence

What prompted the Boston Bombers to Attack?National
Identity?Ideology?Religion ?Personality?Assimilation?
Types of theories that explain violent behavior:
Ethological/biological
Psychological
Sociological
Ethological and Biological ExplanationsAnimalistic Aggression
Intermale
Territorial
Status
DominanceAtavism
Violent criminals as evolutionary throwbacksEugenics
movement
Justified sterilization and discrimination
Ethological and Biological ExplanationsSerotonin
People with low levels of serotonin appear more likely to
engage in violence because their ability to control their
aggressive behavior is diminished.
Testosterone

Given that most violence is perpetrated by males, some have
suggested that male aggression is linked with levels of
testosterone.
Ethological and Biological ExplanationsBrain injury
Work has focused on brain function by looking at things such as
lesions on the brain caused by injuries, tumors, and other kinds
of head trauma.Antisocial personality disorder
Often characterized as being very narcissistic, reckless, and
emotionally shallow, they are also unable to empathize or feel
compassion for others.
Ethological and Biological ExplanationsFrustration-aggression
hypothesis
Violence is one possible response for individuals who feel
frustrated and thwarted in achieving something. Stress and
violence
Many minority populations live in more impoverished and more
difficult life situations, and these situations are largely
responsible for their higher levels of violent crime.

Sociological ExplanationsFocus is largely on certain kinds of
structural and cultural life situations that affect the behavior of
individuals and groups.Some focus is on large macro-units such
as society, while others focus on smaller units like the
family.But all address themselves to determining what
environmental conditions or situations help bring about violent
behavior.
Sociological ExplanationsEconomic deprivation
A great deal of research has found that income inequality is
strongly connected with violent crime, especially homicide and
assault.
Strain theories
One of the first theories in this perspective was developed by
Robert K. Merton who suggested that people living in poverty
are under strain because their options are very limited.
Focuses on the societal factors that contribute to frustration
Violent Victimization Rates

Chart1White NonHispanicWhite NonHispanicWhite
NonHispanicAfrican American NonHispanicAfrican American
NonHispanicAfrican American NonHispanicHispanic/ Any
RaceHispanic/ Any RaceHispanic/ Any
RaceOther*Other*Other*
2005
2013
2014
Violent Victimization Rate
27.7
22.2
20.3
32.7
25.1
22.5
25.9
24.8
16.2
34.3
25.2
23
Sheet1200520132014White NonHispanic27.722.220.3African
American NonHispanic32.725.122.5Hispanic/ Any
Race25.924.816.2Other*34.325.223
Anomie and AdaptationIndividuals may choose from a variety
of adaptations, some of which may more often result in an
increased risk of
violenceConformityInnovationRetreatismRebellionRitualism

Sociological ExplanationsCultural adaptations
Elijah Anderson suggests that some poor young African-
American men develop what he calls a “Code of the Street.”
This involves a strong sense of personal honor combined with a
corresponding emphasis on guarding against personal affronts
and insults.
These young men take respect very seriously and are apt to
respond violently to that which is perceived as
disrespectful.
Sociological ExplanationsSocial learning theory
Research has shown that individuals learn to respond
aggressively and violently whenthey are rewarded for it,they
observe it,they are victimized by it, orthey don’t develop strong
positive connections with others.
People learn throughconditioning,reinforcement, andimitation
and modeling.

Sociological ExplanationsDifferential association
Edwin Sutherland suggested that people learn not only the
techniques of criminality but also the motives and attitudes
supporting that behavior.
In other words, people also learn the attitudes, rationalizations,
justifications, and vocabulary of violence.
Gangs, for example, illustrate this theory in action as they are
very good at inculcating proviolent attitudes and ideas among
their membership.
Sociological ExplanationsSocial learning, media, and violence
Exposure to media violence and images affect those who view
them.Script theoryTelevision & moviesVideo games
Sociological ExplanationsThe cycle of violence
Intergenerational transmission of violence theoryParents are
children’s strongest role models.Violence is
normalized.Violence is learned.Future violence is correlated
with (rather than caused by) early exposure to it.

Sociological ExplanationsSelf-control and violence
Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi articulated their
General Theory of Crime that is based on the idea of individual
criminality being the result of low self-control.
Importantly, they argue that, even though this appears
psychological, they believe that low self-control is a product of
early socialization and is not an innate trait.
Sociological ExplanationsInformal social control
Robert Sampson and John Laub contend that criminality and
violence are the result of both structural factors such as poverty
and weak social controls, especially from the family.
As a result, people develop poor social bonds with peers and
have low attachments to conventional activities such as school.
Explaining Collective Violence
Groups possess legitimacy and authority
Example: Milgram experiment
Theory of moral disengagement
Selective disengagement with moral prohibitions against
negative or destructive behavior in order to avoid seeing

themselves as bad people
Example: martyrdom
Dehumanization
Perception that victims are less than us or even less than human
Increased social distance
DeindividuationLost of sense of self and individuality when in a
groupWhere “collective mind takes possession of the
individual” – Le BonBehavioral characteristics
Lessening of conscious individual personality
Convergence of thoughts and emotions in a common direction
Emotions and unconscious drive displace reason and rationality
Propensity to immediately carry out intentions as they develop
ConclusionsMotivations and structural conditions that prompt
and enable violent behavior are vast.
Individuals act within specific contexts that bring perpetrators
and victims together.
Context is connected to participants; historical, cultural,
structural, psychological, and biological backgrounds.

Chapter 1:
As American as apple pie
Origins of ViolenceViolence
Aggressive and/or harmful behaviorUnity of human aggression
All violence is connected by a web of actions and behaviors.
All violent acts share a number of essential characteristics.
By and large, perpetrators rely on similar justifications for their
violent acts.Aggression
Behavior that is physically and/or psychologically harmful

Justifications for Violence“Righteous slaughter”
Retaliation or defense of values or principlesSpillover theory
Values and justifications for violence in socially approved
settings “spill over” into other settings and result in illegitimate
forms of violence
Ex: DEATH PENALTYBrutalization hypothesis
Desensitized killings by the state devalue human life and lead to
increased collective tolerance of lethal behavior
Embracing Violence
Culture
Values, beliefs, and rules of behavior
Dictates what is expected and prohibited
Subcultures of violence
Members of particular groups are prone to violence because of
values and beliefs imbedded in their cultures
Example: gang violence, Ku Klux Klan activity

*
Embracing Violence
Ray Rice, who was indefinitely suspended by the NFL after a
video portrayed him punching and knocking out his then fiancé
(now wife),
Janay Rice, in an Atlantic City elevator.
*
Defining ViolenceComplexities of defining violence
Varied actions and contexts
Individual perceptions and understandings
Legitimacy of aggressionHighly situational, contingent, and
contextual
Victim
Offender
Nature of violence
Locational of violence
Rationale for violence

Social Distance
Defining Violence
Defining Aggression
Classifications of ViolenceExpressive vs. instrumental
Expressive: emotionally-motivated violent behavior
Instrumental: violence as a means to an endInterpersonal
Assaults, rapes, robberies, and murdersInstitutional
Violent behaviors perpetrated in an organizational
settingStructural
Discriminatory social arrangements that can be construed as
violent; social inequality

Measuring Violence
Reports to law enforcement
Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR)
Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR)
National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
Victimization surveys
National Victimization Survey (NCVS)
National Youth Survey (NYS)
Varied strengths and weaknesses of each data source
Violence in U.S. SocietyData indicate that the impact of
violence on society is immense
Individual level avoidance strategies steer everyday behavior
“Get Tough” legislation
Centuries of warfare
Media replete with depictions of violence
Entertainment and gaming consoles
Everyone knows a victim
At least in part, our identities are often shaped by violence

Violent Crime Rates, 1993-2014, NCVS
Murder Rates per 100,000 by Country, 2004
Organization of the BookChapter 2 – Explaining
ViolenceChapter 3 – Aiding and Abetting ViolenceChapter 4 –
Assault and HomicideChapter 5 – Violence in the HomeChapter
6 – Stranger DangerChapter 7 – Rape and Sexual
AssaultChapter 8 – Mob ViolenceChapter 9 – TerrorismChapter
10 – GenocideChapter 11 – Toward Violence Protection

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