Social Control & Labeling Theories In 'All God’s Children'
Summary
The book, All God’s Children, focuses on the most violent criminal in New York City, Willie Bosket. The author looks at the Bosket family history starting with the violent history of Edgefield County, South Carolina. We learn about Willie’s great-great-grandparents as well as his father in the first couple of chapters. Then later learn about Willie’s childhood and how he has been living in and out of family court. As well as what leads up to his series of murders on the subway. He was bright but always got in trouble. We learn about Butch’s life in prison and how he is trying to succeed, get an education, and then parole, but it seems as if the system is always out to get him. He later decides to major in psychology with a minor is computer science and graduates with is bachelor's from the University of Kansas while in prison. Willie is sent to prison and has contact with his father through letters and one phone call but doesn’t last long because they learn they have their differences. Willie is released one month before his 21st birthday. He decides he wants to change and put the cycle of crime behind him and get married and have kids. This doesn’t last long because soon he is arrested for “attempted robbery.” He realized everyone was out to get him due to his past history. He is then sent to prison for assault on the court officers and he then learns of his father’s death. Willie takes this news to a whole new level and becomes destructive ending up with the rest of his life in prison.
How it relates to class
This course relates to race and ethnicity as victims and offenders in the American Justice System. As well as the different theorists that help explain the disproportionate representation of minorities through their theories. Willies family tree begins with slavery and every generation leading up to Willie has been filled with neglect, crime, discrimination, and cruelty. Willie Bosket's case relates to many different theories that we have talked about in class, some more than others. Some include Classical theory, Biological (genetics), Psychological, social disorganization, and so much more. I decided to focus on the Social control theory and Labeling theory.
Social Control Theory
According to Gottfredson and Hirschi social control is assumed when “people who lack-self control will tend to be impulsive, insensitive, physical, risk-taking, short-sighted, and nonverbal, and they will tend therefore engage in criminal and analogous acts”. I believe this describes Willie well. Throughout the whole book you see how criminal Willie is and his mindset behind the things he does for example, “She was old and going to die anyway” is something Willie stated after mugging the old lady.
The book, Criminological Perspectives on Race and Crime mentions that people commit crimes because their parents also have low self-control and have been involved in some type of criminal activity. Both Willies parents have been involved with criminal activity. Laura changed after Butch was charged with the murders in Milwaukee. Laura’s friends and neighbors even saw how depressed she was getting and were afraid of her harming herself, but then Willie was born. For Butch he lived of the code of the streets. “without a father and a mother, the code was lethal. Young people are more likely to break the law when they do not feel close to their parents or guardians or do not care what their parents or guardians think of them.
Another reason for people to commit crimes is the lack of involvement in activities and a broken relationship with the school. Teachers, like parents, “are able to recognize deviant and disruptive behavior”. Willie had a variety of teachers, some who thought he was becoming a better man and others who thought he was failed to doom. “He has been bounced around in various facilities, probably reinforcing his feeling of rejection and worthlessness” this made Willie feel powerful as well because no one wanted to deal with his trouble ness. The one facility Willie enjoyed didn’t last long for him. It was at Brookwood’s vocational program. Willie worked in the woodshop with Jake Onufrychuk and found his happiness, Willie wrote, “I owe all my thanks to the guys in maintenance for teaching me my trades and having patience with me and trying to help me make it in life without being a criminal...they taught me by being very nice to me without criticizing me when I made a mistake. They told me to work and I will be able to get whatever I want without any trouble from the police. That is why I’m going legit. Thank God”. Willie knew he couldn’t mess up or he would be disciplined by losing his privileges. Some of the staff said that Willie hasn’t changed because he still caused havoc, but Jake always thought it was minor compared to his past history and Jake always saw the good in Willie.
Labeling Theory
I believe another great theory that relates to Willie is the labeling theory. The labeling theory, “is a process of tagging, defining, identifying, segregating,” and, “once a child had been tagged, he or she would never be the same and was now a ‘delinquent’ or ‘criminal’ now”. Willies mother and grandparents always compare Willie and his father, “’boy, you had, just like your father. You sure got the devil in you. You’re going to grow up to be no good’”. Willie soon began to have this mindset that he is going to be like his father Willie said, “I’m going to end up in jail, just like my father”. Willie identifies himself as his father and he has noticed that he has his father’s aggression as well as his normal hobbies of playing hooky from school. Hearing about how his father was a criminal made him want to be one even more.
Also, with the labeling theory is people who have contact with the system tend to not be able to get out. Willie has always been in and out of family court his whole childhood because his mother neglected him. She stated, “he was in Wiltwyck’s hands now. He wasn’t her responsibility anymore.” He was sent back to multiple facilities over and over and each time Willie had this anger within him that grew over time. After Willie was released he thought he was going to be free finally, but because of his past, he ended up in prison once again. He felt as if his life was going to be in prison and that soon became his reality. Highlands doctor has noticed how smart Willie is, “but something has interfered with the constructive use of his intellectual capacity” and then he stated, “this child will eventually take the life of another person”. The other person will be his father. This is because of his history of his father being a murderer, his mother telling her son that she will become his father. As well as his, “poor impulse control…history of fire setting, enuresis, and beating of other children” .
The perspective of the Book
This book was a good read, in my opinion. It showed that the culture of the Boskets was filled with crime, poverty, and so much more in each generation. The author did a very well job with sharing Willie’s family storyline. Following Willies backstory to his present life in prison, you could tell the criminal justice system and him where always in battle. There were many times where I personally thought Willie was going to succeed and break his cycle within the criminal justice system, but every time he was close to the end, he got pulled right back in. If only he had both his parents there with him when growing up and had proper discipline, he could have grown up to be a great man. I would highly recommend this book to read because it shows Willies troubles he had with poverty, race, and crime following him throughout his whole life.
References
- Butterfield, F. (1995). All God's children: The Bosket family and the American tradition of violence. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
- Gabbidon, S.L. (2015). Criminological Perspectives on Race and Crime (3rd edition). New York: Routledge.
