Charles Manson Law Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Charles Manson Law Case Study - Essay Example From the time he was released from prison in 1967, Mason engages in a series of criminal activities from murder, torture and rape to the leading of a criminal sect referred to as â€Å"The Family†. Charles Manson was arrested in 1969 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1972. Many sociologists and psychologists have argued that the reasons for Manson’s criminal activity are linked to his juvenile delinquency and his upbringing (Koopmans 1-3). Discussion a) There are several theories postulated by researchers on the reasons for juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency can be attributed to Albert Bandura’s social learning theory which postulates that human learning is a function of cognitive, behavioral and environmental factors. Merton proposed that society usually makes people aspire to better their lives. When there is a blockage of avenues to attain the upward mobility, people resort to crime. Agnew’s general strain theory is the best in explaining ju venile delinquency. According to Agnew, juveniles resort to delinquency as a result of the experience of horrible events or circumstances such as violence especially in the home. Agnew postulates that juveniles turn into delinquents as a result of negative emotional reactions arising from aversive situations from which they find it difficult to escape. The inability of escape leads to frustration and may be exhibited through anger based delinquency. The action of Charles Manson who was born in an environment in which he faced rejection from his mother was therefore a fertile ground for the development of aversive behavior (Koopmans 34-40). The general strain theory, the hostility, emotional atmosphere both in the home and at school, and the inadequacies in the parent child relationships result to more harm to the child than physical injury. In order to prevent delinquency, there needs to be increased efforts at enhancing the quality and concord within the family unit. Programs of pr evention that base on the general strain theory are usually designed to make family relations stronger through the improvement of communal conditions which play an essential role in enhancing healthy family living (Koopmans 88-93). Charles Manson’s world was such that he had no father and hence his family system was incomplete. Charles Manson was rejected by his mother who neglected him and thus this aversive behavior at home forced him to react in anger through criminal acts. b) While the placement of children in an institution is not desirable in some instances this has to happen. Children are placed in juvenile reform homes when their behavior is considered to have overreached the norms of society. Children are also placed in juvenile reform homes when they lack a family unit that is deemed capable of reforming them so that they can fit in society. For a child to be placed in a juvenile delinquent home there has to be proof of non reformation after punishment is meted out. A good scenario is the case of Charles Manson whose mother is an alcoholic and he has no father. Charles Manson starts to engage in crime art a very early age and it is clear that his mother has no control over him or she does not care. Manson gets punished for criminal activity several times which results into his commitment to a juvenile reform home. He is committed to a juvenile ref