SOICAL THEORY (Kumesha)

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1 MS-13, Social Structure, and Social Process Theory Kumesha Sanders Grand Canyon University: PSY 620 February 14, 2024

2 Many theories have been proposed to explain the high frequency of gang-related crimes. For example, MS-13 is a very powerful gang that is still active today. Understanding the gang's origins and development through time can shed light on their criminal activities and help us determine how social process and social structure theories apply. Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, has an interesting history. One of the biggest groups in the world, they are said to be. Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans all had to flee their homes because of the civil wars that broke out in 2013 (citation) . Estimates put the gang's membership anywhere among seven thousand and ten thousand people. According to Pérez (2013), the foundation of this gang was first prompted by threats from other gangs targeting young people and young adults. Teens that are easily swayed by peer pressure make up the bulk of the clique. Murder is a typical crime that a person must commit in order to get admission to the gang. A wide variety of illegal acts are perpetrated by the gang. Some examples of crimes include extortion, murder, drug trafficking, and automotive theft. Societal structure theory posits that criminal behavior is both a byproduct and a function of society (Schram & Tibbetts, 2018). A rise in criminal behavior could be caused by a number of circumstances, including inequality, racism, or poverty. I will focus on the aspect of poverty, although there are many possible ways this idea might be applied to MS-13. When MS-13 first came together, its members lived in primarily low-income areas of Los Angeles (citation) . According to this hypothesis, criminal behavior is motivated by elements of deprivation. Another, more exact option theoretical framework within the domain of social organization is known as strain theory. This suggests that those experiencing poverty are more likely to engage in deviant conduct (Agnew, 2012). This is because criminal activity is more likely to occur when people are under stress, which might

3 hinder their ambitions and chances. While both social process theory and social structure theory seek to explain criminal behavior, they approach it from different angles. Schram and Tibbetts (2018) (p. 250) say that social process theories look at how people connect with each other and with groups. These ideas explain both how people are shaped by the people around them and how habits are made. People often pick up bad habits by watching others and copying what they do. This has big effects on MS-13 when it comes to maturity. Teens and young adults from underprivileged areas are the main people MS-13 tries to attract. This meant that a lot of these people did n't not have any good role models in their lives. They feel like they belong when they meet someone who tells them about illegal actions and a group they belong to. Their group of friends would have a direct effect on how bad they would act. Getting involved with a gang makes it very hard for someone to change how they act later. Theorists have come up with a number of possible meanings for MS-13. Social process theorists, for example, say that being a part of different groups and organizations can make people more antisocial and violent (Duek, Brodjonegoro, & Rusli, 2010). Social process thinkers say that a person's tendency to commit crimes may be linked to their membership in a gang. If they kept in touch with groups that did n't not support crime, they might stay away from it. Anyone's chance of taking part in In terms of MS-13, social structure thinkers may have a very similar point of view. They think that people who live in poor places and come from lower-income families are the ones who are most affected by crime. Gang members know that these areas have higher crime rates, so they often try to hire people from those areas.

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