Crime and The Movies: Analysis of Boyz N The Hood

Boyz N the Hood is a 1991 drama/ crime film directed by John Singleton. This film portrays social issues in Los Angeles taken upon three friends, brothers Ricky and Doughboy, and their best friend Tre growing up in the hood. Boyz N the Hood displays many theories, many of which include rational choice theory, strain theory, and sociological positivism. Rational choice theory states that individuals make calculations to weigh the pros and cons of a crime that’ll result in their favor. Strain theory proposes that society puts pressure on individuals to achieve socially accepted goals. Sociological positivism describes how the factors in a community such as poverty and education influence one’s behavior. Each of these theories creates a form of identification on individuals.

Young black men have always been labeled as disobedient, thieves, criminals, etc. and because of so they have carried around that stigma which eventually would backfire. The time period of the film does not differ much from today. Growing up in the hood still consists of simply attempting to make it out by any means necessary. The violence causes gangs to form which eventually leads to black men killing other black men. Within the drug war in the United States of America, it has been proven that “There are more than 1.5 million drug arrests in the US in 2016. The vast majority-more than 80%- were for possession only. People of color experience discrimination at every stage of the judicial system and are more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, convicted, harshly sentenced and saddled with a lifelong criminal record. This is particularly the case for drug law violations.” This exemplifies the fact that whether or not someone is involved in drug use or distribution, because of the color of their skin, they are easily targeted and suffer the most. With the pressure of having to be tough and sticking up for himself, Doughboy was constantly in and out of prison. He didn't have a goal so all he did was sell drugs and drink alcohol. Doughboys criminal behavior was put to the test when the Crenshaw Mafia Bloods street gang killed his brother Ricky which forced him to act upon impulse pulling the trigger on Knucklehead #2 and the others. In comparison to W. E. B. DuBois’s inauguration of what became a tradition within strain theory” attempting to explain why crime is more prevalent among the poor and disenfranchised than among middle- and upper- class groups,” because the social acceptance of society is so important, they were conscious of the fact that the cycle of violence was an ongoing phenomenon. It has been proven that some individuals experience strain because they hold the same goals as other Americans within their society. “These individuals may, therefore, be more likely to turn to unsanctioned methods to achieve economic success, though plenty of so-called 'white-collar crime'.

The film is more sociological in its analysis. Once Tre is an adult and capable of making decisions for himself, one sees that he’s a conformist. He has a goal of getting out of the hood and going to college and he knows the exact process that is needed to achieve that goal. Tre can also be categorized as a rationalist. Even from the time that Tre was young, he was always rational with his decisions. At times they were unconscious but only because of the fact that he was taught value and morality by his father, it was instilled in him. After witnessing Ricky's death, Tre goes out with Doughboy in the pursuit of finding the ones in charge of his assassination. As they rode around with a heart full of rage looking for vengeance, Tre decides to refrain from the mission. At that given point Tre made a rational choice by thinking about what the positive and negative outcome of his actions would be. Philosopher Cesare Beccaria would classify Tre as an ideal citizen. Beccaria’s ideal citizen would be “someone who engages in a cost- benefit calculation before deciding to engage in or avoid criminal behavior, a person capable of reasoned judgement, deliberation, and a clear understanding of the law.” Rafter also emphasizes on the fact that an individual is seen as responsible for the simple fact that when they're making a rational choice, they weigh out the pain of the punishment against the profit. Some have argued that there are some problems with the theory of rational choice. “The first problem with the theory has to do with explaining collective action. That is if individuals simply base their actions on calculations of personal profit, why would they ever choose to do something that will benefit others more than themselves?” That makes total sense because no one would put themselves in a predicament where they'll be jeopardising their own freedom for someone else.

Growing up in Las Angeles with a single parent, Ricky was able to see the truth about living in the hood. His mother didn't always have it all and he didn't have a father figure to provide for the family and teach him the importance of education. Fathers provide a positive male role model that helps decrease the likelihood of sociological positivism. Ricky was bright, he knew that he was good at sports, so he used that as an advantage to get him out of poverty. He was a retreatist. Ricky was an upcoming star football player who through the circumstances of his neighborhood was presented with an opportunity and ran with it. He didn't allow the pressure put on one by society trigger his way of thinking.

It is safe to say that all three boys experienced labelling. “Labeling theories of crime are often referred to as social reaction theories because they focus primarily on the consequences of responses or reactions to crime.” Doughboy for instance was labeled by his own mother. Besides having to endure the pressure placed over his shoulders to achieve socially accepted goals also known as strain theory, in an abundance of time growing up she told him that he “aint shit” and “never gonna be shit.” This creates mental health issues in a child's mind. His brother Ricky on the other hand received a positive form of labeling. Lewis Crump from USC told Ricky that he can be whatever he puts his mind to. On the contrary, Tre experiences the harshest form of labeling. On his way home from a function he’s pulled over by officer Coffey whom holds a firearm to his neck and says “oh, youre scared now, i like that, thats why i took this job, i hate little motherfuckers like you, little niggers who aint shit, you think you tough huh? I could blow your head off with this and you can't do shit, how you feel now? what set you from? You look like one of those Crenshaw Mafia motherfuckers.” the main issue about labeling is that after a while the individual begins taking upon the characteristics their tagged with.

John Singleton did a phenomenal job portraying how black life is in Las Angeles not just within families, but also street life and the death of a young black man with a promising future. He uses social disorganization to describe each character placing under the theories of strain, rational, and sociological positivism. Singleton emphasizes how stereotypes end up shaping young boys into the men they are yet to become. One of the most outstanding themes in the film features the importance of a father figure. Each character in the film presents growing up with an absent father and proving the behavior that comes from it. The only young black man with a father figure in the motion picture turns out different from the others because he is taught how to not be persuaded by the pressure provided by the society. Singleton made Ricky the prime example of the ideal way to pursue the American Dream but because he is displaying the life of a young black man growing up in the hood, he had to show how he would never make it.