Research Log: Boyz n the Hood and Criminology Across the Lifespan Boyz n the Hood is a story of boys growing up on the streets of Los Angeles. It is a very authentic story, taken from the lives of those who experience these things every day, from the cycles that arise and continue uninterrupted until the community is always the same. Life-course criminology is the easiest way to analyze the lives and crimes riddled in this film. I believe that there are three fundamental turning points that change the path of the protagonist Tre from that of crime towards a better future: when he is still a child he sees his best friend of the same age taken out of the house in handcuffs, secondly when his father takes him in front of a billboard in Compton to prove a point about gentrification and force Tre to learn that there are tangible things and places beyond the neighborhood, and finally the turning point occurs when he sees his best friend shot and killed in the streets. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Tre, the main character, is a young man raised partly both on the streets and by his father Furious. Luckily he had someone to look up to, to guide him on the right path. As we see with many of his friends, the struggles they face ultimately consume them all too often. In the first half hour or so of the film we see him as a child, running around the streets and gaining his knowledge from those older delinquents he sees out there. Eventually, his mother sends him to live with his father, who is well educated and cares deeply for him. However, this does not allow an escape from the crime, already on the first night in the father's house there is a break-in and a subsequent shooting. Roads continue to be a factor, though Furious is able to steer him in the right direction more often than not; his friends, however, are not so lucky. Life-course criminology takes a unique, never-before-seen macro approach. John Laub and Robert Sampson are the authors of three books, Crime in the Making, Shared Beginnings and Divergent Lives, which have rewritten the rules of this theory and its complexities. This theory focuses on trajectories and turning points. A trajectory refers to a long-term pattern of behavior, and a turning point is a realization that leads to a change in that trajectory. This theory, while basic, is the perfect lens through which to analyze this emotional, crime-filled film. Each character is born in the same neighborhood, in the same streets. The crime that occurs in this area is too often a way used to solve problems. It's a lifestyle and the kids in this movie were born and raised into it. Life course criminology offers an understanding of this and provides them with a way out or a way to dive even deeper into the life of crime. For Three, he sees a way out and luckily grasps it until it becomes real, but he's the only character in his friend group to do so. The others have turning points that send them in the exact opposite direction, their trajectories were mediocre to begin with and only get worse as the film progresses through its emotional and criminal plot. The life course theory makes more sense in this situation because of the weight that the turning points have in this film, even in a thematic sense. Using these points as explanations for each of the boys' achievements and trajectories makes almost too much sense. Since the kids are young, and running around their neighborhood, they don't cause any direct problems. A few jokes, insults, nothing too wild. They encounter many things well beyond their age, alcohol anddrug dealing, crime and even murder. One of their friends takes them all to see a dead body, and it doesn't even shock any of them enough. Tre sees all this from the outside, is directly affected by it but never defines his trajectory as that of a criminal. It is not even this turning point that leads to a criminal trajectory, but simply realizes the possibility. His "dough boy" friend is kind-hearted underneath it all, but he definitely has a tough outer shell. Tre is in the car with his father returning from a day of fishing on the bay when he approaches his house and looks across the street to see his best friend get into a police car in handcuffs. It's never clear what the exact situation was, but it doesn't matter either. The important part is recognizing that crime is real and affects offenders too, and that's when Tre truly sees the effect it has on lives, families, and even himself. Tre's father is an intellectual like the neighborhood has never seen before. He works somewhere in the real estate or banking world, it's never explicit what he does. But even this is not important; the key part here is the fact that his father Furious makes an honest living. Not only that, but he continues to educate himself and pass on his ideals to his son. There's a scene where Ricky and Tre go to visit Furious at his workplace after taking the SAT test. He then takes them to a bad neighborhood in Compton to prove a point. He walks them to a billboard and starts talking about the conditions of the neighborhood and how it could improve. Quickly, they are surrounded by thugs residing in the surrounding houses and also by an older man. Furious talks about how "Jews, Mexicans, Italians, and Koreans" keep their neighborhoods completely staffed by people of their own kind, with their own money, and no "outsiders" can come in and ruin things. He makes an effort to help the residents of this neighborhood think about their future and understand that their actions have consequences. This is an essential scene in this film. It brings Tre knowledge of things outside of South Central Los Angeles, makes him realize that there are futures beyond this crime-plagued neighborhood, even if not explicitly stated. This turning point could be the one that changes Tre's trajectory for the better, allowing him to go to college and have a better life. Finally, there is the most powerful twist. It is difficult for the death of a friend not to arouse strong feelings and self-observation. But even before that, the very clash that leads to the clash between the two gangs. Right after they all flee the scene due to an automatic weapon shooting in the air (little do they know he's just shooting in the air to be tough and scare them, though) when Tre and Ricky are in the car Tre says how he's getting out of Los Angeles at the cost of putting everything he has. It takes this meeting to start Ricky thinking about specific ways to exit this life. Unfortunately, this entire situation is what ultimately leads to his friend's death. Even scarier, Ricky was a blossoming football star who was offered a scholarship to USC. It just adds weight to the evidence. I believe, however, that even without Ricky's death, Tré knew that he had had enough and that he would get out. The turning point was the meeting and the subsequent mindset it put him in. Combining this with the extraordinary support of his father, his trajectory was that of a lower-class black man from the hood, destined to succeed in a collegiate world. Keep in mind: This is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay South Central Los Angeles is a scary place to.