Racialized groups have been demonized since the dawn of the United States. In a structure based on white supremacy, the notion of criminality is utilized to define and confine the movements of non-white populations. Thus, a disproportionate amount of blacks and Latinos are under the tutelage of the criminal justice system. The shift toward neoliberalism both exacerbates the demand for punishment and entrenches the methods of surveillance into everyday life. In Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys, Victor Rios (2011) highlights the effects of criminalization on individuals by capturing testimonies from its victims.
A Word on Method
In this well-written and timely book, Victor Rios explicates the impact of punitive paradigms on the lives of black and Latino boys. To understand this process, the author returns to the community where he was raised: Oakland, California. The field work draws upon Oakland’s reputation to criminalize young men in an extremely diverse area. The research questions guiding the study are: “How do surveillance, punishment, and criminal justice practices affect the lives of marginalized boys? How do punitive encounters with police, probation officers, teachers, and administrators, and other authority figures shape the meanings that young people create about themselves and about their obstacles, opportunities, and future aspirations?” (7). To answer these thought-provoking questions, Rios mentored, observed, and interviewed 40 boys in-depth between 2002-2005. An additional 78 informal interviews were also conducted.
The Youth-Control Complex
The young men in the study were trapped in continuums of criminalization. Whereas children were once championed as symbols of the future, they are now equated with deviancy. On this topic, Punished makes a strong argument by postulating the omnipresence of a youth-control complex. Specifically, discourses of criminality seep into various realms of society: schools, jobs, families, etc. Black and Latino boys become targets of fear and distrust throughout their entire community. Schools in Oakland became conveyor belts for incarceration insofar as authorities preferred policing to teaching. Minor infractions were hyper-criminalized; leading to legal citations and probation. Even when participants genuinely attempt to follow the rules, they are criminalized in accordance with their culture and style. While both black and Latino boys are victims of criminalization, Rios points out that black boys receive worse treatment.
Gang Violence: A Desire for Meaning and Belonging
The strongest claim made in Punished is that criminality is internalized by marginalized groups and reversed to gain a sense of agency. Failing to achieve dignity and recognition from their social world, the young men turn to seemingly irrational avenues of expression. Robbed of legal opportunities for recognition, crime becomes the only method available for oppressed populations. Dissent against systems of domination is expressed by criminalized groups even through small acts of defiance. A stand-out example is the story of a stolen bag of chips. The author met with a Latino boy named Flaco and three of his friends, who stopped at a liquor store. A sign on the door read: “Only two kids allowed in the store at a time” (105). The prohibition was penned in the spirit of youth criminalization. Disregarding the rule, the boys entered the store. When the clerk threatened to call the police, a friend of Flaco ran from the store with a stolen bag of chips even though he had money. When Rios inquired as to why he did this, the friend stated it was an attempt to get respect. Defiance was an informal type of political resistance. The social landscape in which the boys inhabited routinely undermined their personhood, and rebellious acts were ways of asserting humanity.
Gang violence has the youth-control complex as its backdrop. Contrary to popular wisdom, gangs do not develop in a vacuum; they are created by circumstances of social vulnerability. Since marginalized groups are not protected by the police, crimes against them are seldom acknowledged. Consequently, gangs are organized to protect members of oppressed groups from victimization. The fundamental law of gangs is a code of a street – the idea that demonstrations of strength are pivotal for avoiding victimization. Although this code is steeped in gendered violence and vulnerability, it creates a world of meaning and sense of belonging for gang-members who are starved of recognition by society. The problem is not simply the street gang, it is the larger conditions that call the gang into existence.
Gangs Mirror Systemic Violence
Street gangs have a similar format to the armed forces of the United States. Like the military, gangs wear quasi-uniforms and patrol designated territories – enforcing rules and instilling fear via violence. The main difference between the military and street gangs is at the level of legitimacy. The military has a ‘monopoly on violence’ that normalizes their actions; whereas the gang is criminalized as deviant. Gangs mirror and emulate the violence already embedded in the system; but since they are so vulnerable, they are an easy scapegoat.
Ending the War on Youth
Society needs to have faith and invest in its youth. The forms of social capital that lead to positive credentials should be prioritized by society. The main prescriptive claim made by Rios is the American public must move from a youth-control complex to a youth-support complex. In practice, the youth-support complex requires zero tolerance policies and constant policing to cease and desist. Further, an ethic of care needs to replace the present ethic of justice. We need to completely rearrange our way of life.
October 28, 2016 at 12:35 pm
Hits me and Dave close to home. Me being from the city and Dave being from east Oakland. It’s all about money. Slave or free labor builds nations. These kids can be great things but great things is not glorified anywhere. Imagine if you expose these kids to a trade like carpentry at a young age, or exposing them to engineering or coding. No one glorifies these jobs and they seem to always get cut in schools and within the communities. Imagine if Beyonce did a song about coding? Or Jay-Z did a song about becoming a dental hygienists at the age of 7? (Not that i give 2 shits about said artists i just mentioned) The kids unfortunately are conditioned to follow what’s cool. Poetry isn’t cool. Being on time isn’t cool. Learning a trade isn’t cool. So I get that
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October 28, 2016 at 3:00 pm
You are right. It is about money. A counter culture has been developed in the cities for the sake of funneling our youth into prisons, throwing them off of welfare, and keeping them out of the workforce as a permanent underclass.
Your comment reminds me of this poem by Black Ice titled “Imagine”.
These kids could be doctors or lawyers if only we had a little faith.
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October 28, 2016 at 4:01 pm
Even if they’re not doctors or lawyers they should feel great knowing that they are skilled in other fields. We as a society do a horrible job in accepting service jobs or just hardwork in general
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October 28, 2016 at 1:16 pm
This was a very deep and most interesting piece. Although there seems to be an influx of troubled youth, gangs, and the like, there’s a reason for everything. Something has to happen in the first place, in order to be followed up by a significant reaction… or for something to materialize. I go back and forth with it actually, because of my experiences. But I would love to work with the youth and help shape great men
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October 28, 2016 at 3:06 pm
Thanks bro.
Good point – we have to shape the untapped potential in our youth. We have given up on them … written them off as hoodlums. Once upon a time, there were “children are the future” bumper stickers. But now, children are the symbols of failure. Any time a society gives up on its children, it has expressed it’s unwillingness to live for tomorrow.
I feel bad for these kids: parents have to work more hours, so they don’t have time for them, schools are underfunded, and jobs are increasingly hard to find (good ones). The youth have been dealt a terrible hand. They need us on their side.
I know in the inner city, there are mentoring programs for the young. I did this a few times and they definitely help. Maybe that is something you can do – you seem to have your head on straight
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October 31, 2016 at 4:55 pm
I wonder if gangs provide a kind of ‘rite of passage’ that is no longer provided by society at large?
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October 31, 2016 at 4:55 pm
Hmm, interesting. Can you expand on that a bit?
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October 31, 2016 at 5:39 pm
In hunter/gatherer cultures, young men and women had to follow formal pathways to adulthood. They had to learn how to hunt, for example. And until they did, they were not given the privileges of adulthood, including the respect. But this formalised way of life also had advantages. The goals were clear and necessary, the rewards were clear and visible [in the adults around them] and the portal from childhood to adulthood was marked by a test and a ceremony. This, I believe, gave young men in particular, a real outlet for their energy as well as a sense of purpose.
Back when I was young, reaching your ‘maturity’ [i.e. 21] was a big deal. Officially becoming an adult brought genuine rewards – being able to drink, vote, access an inheritance etc etc. These days? Turning 21 is just an excuse to have a party.
I’m not suggesting that we should turn back the clock to the old ways of recognizing adulthood, but I believe we need to give our young people some kind of recognizable goals to aim for and real rewards for getting there. However we do it though, one thing a modern rite of passage must convey is that respect the article mentioned.
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October 31, 2016 at 6:07 pm
Excellent points! I agree with you.
Karl Marx makes a somewhat similar point when he talks about the transition from feudalism to capitalism. Under feudalism, familial ties were strong, and people produced for each other. But under capitalism, the family became more of a tool for production, and people became more alienated. So Marx says “all that was solid melted into air”.
To your point: I think gangs do provide a rite of passage, even if society labels these steps as negative. Gangs often have “initiation” processes: whereby new members have to prove to existing members that they are worthy of being in group. Often times the new member has to accept a beating (or sex if they are a girl/woman) from existing members to demonstrate loyalty. New members may have to kill an enemy or a stranger or commit another “crime” as a way of “putting in work” for the gang. All of this, as you said, provides meaning and purpose and a sense of respect for the gang members.
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October 31, 2016 at 7:05 pm
Ugh. I didn’t realise the rite of passage in gangs was so awful. How empty would your life have to be to find validation in being beaten or forced to have sex? We are doing something very wrong to our young. Or perhaps we’re just ignoring them. 😦
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October 31, 2016 at 7:10 pm
It is interesting that gangs choose these as their rites of passages, as they could have chosen something non-violent such as climbing a tree, or swimming in a circle, etc.
Where do these ideas come from? I think they come from the dominant society more generally: killing people, and objectifying women are all-American pastimes. So I think gangs are doing these are just illegitimate shortcuts into the mainstream.
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October 31, 2016 at 7:14 pm
I wish I could disagree. 😦 For all the progress we’ve made in some areas, the underlying power structures still remain. They’re visible in our movies, books, MMOs, video games, even in our popular music. We have a long, long way to go before we can truly call ourselves civilised.
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October 31, 2016 at 7:16 pm
I agree. I am glad you understand
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November 1, 2016 at 4:42 am
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