THIS IS ANOTHER TWO-PART ASSIGNMENT Week 3: Growth of Criminal Organizations Now that you have examined the scope and activity of gangs and organized crime groups, you can step back and ask the “why” questions. Why do criminal organizations not only exist but thrive in the United States today? Why do individuals join these organizations in the first place? Theories are helpful in beginning to answer these questions. Macro-level sociological theories point to factors of environment, geography, race, ethnicity, and social class to explain how criminal organizations succeed in certain locations. Micro-level psychological theories take a more focused approach, addressing human development and individual factors that make a person at greater risk of joining a gang or criminal organization. This week, you engage with both micro- and macro-level perspectives, comparing the theories and determining how well they account for criminal organizations in your community. Learning Objectives Students will: · Analyze motivations for joining criminal organizations · Compare theories of criminal organizations · Evaluate the degree to which theories of criminal organizations account for their growth patterns and trends Learning Resources Note: To access this week’s library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus. Required Readings Howell, J. C., & Griffiths, E. (2018). Gangs in America’s communities (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. · Chapter 4, “General Macro-Level Theories and Modern-Day Applications” (pp. 81–110) · Chapter 5, “Micro-Level Theories: Developmental Life-Course Pathways and Other Micro-Level Explanations for Gang Involvement” (pp. 111–158) · Chapter 7, “National Gang Problem Trends: 1996–2012” (pp. 183–218) Harbeck, K. M. (2017). Crime theory: Organized crime. In Salem Press encyclopedia. Ipswich, MA: Salem Press. Roelofse, C. (2015). Encroachment: A theoretical explanation of organized crime, business and governance. Internal Security, 7(1), 123–141. doi:10.5604/20805268.1192774 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2018e, May). Module 6: Causes and facilitating factors of organized crime.Retrieved from https://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/organized-crime/module-6/index.html Required Media National Gang Center. (n.d.-c). Why youth join gangs [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Video THIS IS DUE WEDNESDAY THIS TIME 1/27/21 BY 10 PM Assignment: Theories of Criminal Organizations Today there is increased interest—and a greater body of published research than ever before—regarding the existence and activities of organized crime groups and gangs. At the heart of this issue is the question: who joins these groups and why? There are two generally accepted theoretical perspectives that explain gang and organized crime membership—one that includes theories focusing on psychological factors and one that includes theories focusing on ...