Through analysis of past criminal law cases, one can apply the different theories of Criminology to explain why a crime has occurred. Often, there are several factors that play important roles in determining why crime occurs and in which way it happens. These different theories of criminal justice can often help one have a better understanding of the immense cause and effect relationship of crime. State v. Gordon, a case out of the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine1 is one that these theories can be applied to in order to offer a better understanding.
The facts of State v. Gordon are as follows; On June 27, 1972 Richard John Gordon (defendant) and his accomplice Edwin Strode had escaped from custody on misdemeanor charges.1 These were both young men in the 18-24 year old range. During their escape they, with intent to kill, assaulted a police officer. After their encounter with the police officer they engaged in armed robbery of a persons vehicle which they used to escape over state lines to New Hampshire. Both of these young males lived in a lower class neighborhood in Cumberland County, Maine.1
There are several theories from Criminology that can be applied to this case in order to better understand why this crime was committed. Two of these theories that fit best are Merton’s Strain theory, as well as Wolfgang’s Subcultures of Violence theory. Merton’s Strain theory suggests that crime arises due to the gap in cultural goals and cultural means. This explains that lower class persons are expected to achieve the same “American Dream” as upper class, but have much less means to do so and can often become discouraged which causes crime. When experiencing this gap there are several ways that one can react including ritualism, retreatism, innovation, conformity and rebellion. The one most closely linked to crime is innovation, which is when the individual finds illegitimate means of achieving these cultural goals. This is the reaction that these two young men took when they resorted to a life of crime. They were held on charges of possession of drugs when they escaped from custody and assaulted the police officer.1 They were trying to desperately find a way to meet cultural goals without the proper means so they found illegal ways to make money. This strain is one of the leading causes of crime according to Merton’s strain theory and it is easily shown in the court case of State v. Gordon.
The second theory that explains the cause of crime in this case is Wolfgang’s Subculture of Violence Theory. This theory shows that lower class subcultures live by a different set of morals and beliefs than middle class individuals do and that this effects the way that they live. In these subcultures, violence and crime is more widely accepted and is a part of daily life, it is not thought of as anti-social behavior but rather, this can lead to growing up with crime and accepting violence as a legitimate way of acting and carrying out ones life. During their escape, the defendant and his accomplice encountered resistance from a police officer, which they quickly escalated into a physical confrontation and severely injured the officer.1 This is due to the subculture that views force and violence necessary ways of acting in order to survive. Later in their escape when they were being actively pursued by officers, the two young men held the owner of a vehicle at gunpoint and forced him to turn his car over to them to aid in their escape.1 This act also shows the subculture of violence that they were used to in which using force to get what you want is a perfectly acceptable way of acting in society. In fact, during trial they explained that they intended on returning the vehicle to the owner, had no intention of “stealing” it and could not see what the big deal was.1 This state of mind is the perfect example of why this case can be explained with Wolfgang’s theory. These young men had a complete different set of morals compared to other subcultures.
One can learn a great deal about the cause of crime when analyzing it using different theories of criminology. Using these two theories one learns that the main cause of crime can be related to strain and subcultures. Often, crimes are committed by people of the lower class because they have a different set of morals that make them more prone to violence and crime, as well as them having a large gap between the provided means and the cultural goals.
1 Schubert, Frank A. Introduction to Law and the Legal System Ninth Edition, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company 2008. Print. (All citations in this paper refer to this text.)
