SOC 132 FINAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
true or false - Father Boyle has been subjected to investigations by local and federal law
enforcement agencies - Answer -True
true or false - There is still no standard definition across U.S. jurisdictions of what a
"gang" is - Answer -true
True or False - Sociologists usually describe a gang as a group that has merely been
labeled as a criminal organization by some powerful institution. There are many groups
who behave in similar ways yet avoid being categorized as a gang. - Answer -true
anti-gang policies - Answer -prevention, intervention, or suppression are the key types
of objectives in policies which target criminal behaviors
● suppression methods include policing and legislative tactics
● most strategies are suppressive - despite being ineffective on their own and often
entailing problematic aspects,
● tactics of suppression do not address prevention or underlying broader
structural/social issues
● anti-gang laws can be federal, state, and/or local
● increased penalties for specific aspects or motives within a crime are known as
"enhancements"
● enhancements can include operating in a gang-free or drug-free zone, using a
firearm, or being gang-related
● sometimes an enhancement charge may result in a longer sentence than the crime
itself - even for murder
● juveniles can sometimes be charged/tried as adults but as of 2005 can no longer be
sentenced to death
Generally, law enforcement definitions of a "gang" typically include all of the following
components, except:
(a) Group of 3 or more people
(b) Members remain in association with each other
(c) Symbol, name or identifier
(d) Claimed turf/territory - Answer -d - claimed turf/territory
Territory is pretty loose due to geographical circumstances
- don't benefit by being restricted to territory
According to Father Boyle's book, which of the following statements is false?
(a) Kinship can help to eliminate margins and barriers
(b) Everyone is deserving of love, compassion, and forgiveness
(c) The first program implemented by Dolores Mission was a job training program
,(d) Many citizens and law enforcement officials have been hostile towards Homeboy
Industries
(e) Shame is often the root of addiction - it refers to feeling bad who you are rather than
something you did (guilt) - Answer -(c) The first program implemented by Dolores
Mission was a job training program
this is false:
The first program was educational — saw all these kids who were truant and didn't have
school to go to bc they had been expelled/incarceration
Religion plays a central role in Homeboy Industries for all of the following reasons,
except?
(a) Information provided to Boyle is privileged/confidential
(b) Gang members are in need of salvation
(c) The majority of folks who attend Homeboy Industries identify as Catholic or Christian
(d) Religion and faith have historically been large components of recovery programs
(i.e. belief in a higher power)
(e) Many gang members feel that even God deems them unacceptable or that nobody
could love them except God
(f) There are financial incentives that come with being a religious organization in
addition to a non-profit - Answer -(b) Gang members are in need of salvation
FALSE
Be vary wary of any institution that says it's going to save you/you need salvation — not
what Homeboy is about
Which statement about desisting from gangs is false?
(a) Misconceptions include that gang membership is for life and there is no such thing
as a former gang member
(b) Desistence is a gradual process and is often known as "knifing off"
(c) The majority of gang members begin to desist after experiencing a very traumatic
event
(d) Both push (internal) and pull (external) factors influence one's desistence
processes/outcomes
(e) Age of joining a gang, level of embeddedness, available opportunities, and networks
influence desistence
(f) Very little research has been done on what - if any - consequences are experienced
by desisting members
(g) Gang membership typically mirrors patterns of onset, persistence, and desistence of
general offending. Most youths and young adults eventually "age out" of criminal
behaviors - including gang-related activities - primarily because their desire to do so has
faded over time. - Answer -(c) The majority of gang members begin to desist after
experiencing a very traumatic event
FALSE
While father G emphasizes that every gang member has a sense of shame, they also
have a lot of trauma before going in; unfortunately as a means of survival, it gets very
normalized and they get desensitized to trauma
, Therefore, its very rare that somebody will desist after a traumatic event bc they're often
used to it
Majority desist bc they "get sick and tired of being sick and tired" — are worn out from
dealing with this prolonged exhaustion
Why did Father Greg Boyle decide to write this book, and what is its purpose? - Answer
-wrote this book bc he was facing his own mortality
When ppl are going through some fear of no longer being around, they often want to
document their experience
Didn't want these stories to die out with him
Diagnosis of cancer was a major catalyst for writing this book
(10) What advantages were there to Boyle's prior involvement within mediating truces
between rival gangs, and why did he ultimately decide to no longer participate? -
Answer -When Boyle was starting out with Homeboy, he was involved w negotiating
truces, bc he felt he could be a cooler head in these situations and minimize violence in
the neighborhood
However, when you are engaging in any truce, you are still legitimating violence;
needed to take a firm stance against it due to moral issues
a lot of truces organized around stopping drive-by's bc it impacts a lot of ppl who weren't
directly involved and children
A lot of organizations have rules that its dishonorable to harm children/innocents
He stopped participating bc he said while it has a short term benefit, when I'm engaging
in that discourse and helping with truces, I am legitimating crime as an option
no violence is the only acceptable option
Any short term gains that would come from this are not going to be effective in the long
run and go against my core values - was strictly about the bigger moral picture; not
safety or law enforcement
What are various reasons why some people - including Boyle -avoid mentioning the
names of real gangs? - Answer -One reason is bc they are trying to avoid security
threats; for safety reasons
Don't wanna give notoriety to certain groups or influence their behavior
They can actually be sued for copyright infringement for using the gangs name/image
How did Homeboy Industries form? Which local activists and historical factors shaped
its origin? - Answer -Homeboy Industries formed bc of educational reasons at first
true or false - Father Boyle has been subjected to investigations by local and federal law
enforcement agencies - Answer -True
true or false - There is still no standard definition across U.S. jurisdictions of what a
"gang" is - Answer -true
True or False - Sociologists usually describe a gang as a group that has merely been
labeled as a criminal organization by some powerful institution. There are many groups
who behave in similar ways yet avoid being categorized as a gang. - Answer -true
anti-gang policies - Answer -prevention, intervention, or suppression are the key types
of objectives in policies which target criminal behaviors
● suppression methods include policing and legislative tactics
● most strategies are suppressive - despite being ineffective on their own and often
entailing problematic aspects,
● tactics of suppression do not address prevention or underlying broader
structural/social issues
● anti-gang laws can be federal, state, and/or local
● increased penalties for specific aspects or motives within a crime are known as
"enhancements"
● enhancements can include operating in a gang-free or drug-free zone, using a
firearm, or being gang-related
● sometimes an enhancement charge may result in a longer sentence than the crime
itself - even for murder
● juveniles can sometimes be charged/tried as adults but as of 2005 can no longer be
sentenced to death
Generally, law enforcement definitions of a "gang" typically include all of the following
components, except:
(a) Group of 3 or more people
(b) Members remain in association with each other
(c) Symbol, name or identifier
(d) Claimed turf/territory - Answer -d - claimed turf/territory
Territory is pretty loose due to geographical circumstances
- don't benefit by being restricted to territory
According to Father Boyle's book, which of the following statements is false?
(a) Kinship can help to eliminate margins and barriers
(b) Everyone is deserving of love, compassion, and forgiveness
(c) The first program implemented by Dolores Mission was a job training program
,(d) Many citizens and law enforcement officials have been hostile towards Homeboy
Industries
(e) Shame is often the root of addiction - it refers to feeling bad who you are rather than
something you did (guilt) - Answer -(c) The first program implemented by Dolores
Mission was a job training program
this is false:
The first program was educational — saw all these kids who were truant and didn't have
school to go to bc they had been expelled/incarceration
Religion plays a central role in Homeboy Industries for all of the following reasons,
except?
(a) Information provided to Boyle is privileged/confidential
(b) Gang members are in need of salvation
(c) The majority of folks who attend Homeboy Industries identify as Catholic or Christian
(d) Religion and faith have historically been large components of recovery programs
(i.e. belief in a higher power)
(e) Many gang members feel that even God deems them unacceptable or that nobody
could love them except God
(f) There are financial incentives that come with being a religious organization in
addition to a non-profit - Answer -(b) Gang members are in need of salvation
FALSE
Be vary wary of any institution that says it's going to save you/you need salvation — not
what Homeboy is about
Which statement about desisting from gangs is false?
(a) Misconceptions include that gang membership is for life and there is no such thing
as a former gang member
(b) Desistence is a gradual process and is often known as "knifing off"
(c) The majority of gang members begin to desist after experiencing a very traumatic
event
(d) Both push (internal) and pull (external) factors influence one's desistence
processes/outcomes
(e) Age of joining a gang, level of embeddedness, available opportunities, and networks
influence desistence
(f) Very little research has been done on what - if any - consequences are experienced
by desisting members
(g) Gang membership typically mirrors patterns of onset, persistence, and desistence of
general offending. Most youths and young adults eventually "age out" of criminal
behaviors - including gang-related activities - primarily because their desire to do so has
faded over time. - Answer -(c) The majority of gang members begin to desist after
experiencing a very traumatic event
FALSE
While father G emphasizes that every gang member has a sense of shame, they also
have a lot of trauma before going in; unfortunately as a means of survival, it gets very
normalized and they get desensitized to trauma
, Therefore, its very rare that somebody will desist after a traumatic event bc they're often
used to it
Majority desist bc they "get sick and tired of being sick and tired" — are worn out from
dealing with this prolonged exhaustion
Why did Father Greg Boyle decide to write this book, and what is its purpose? - Answer
-wrote this book bc he was facing his own mortality
When ppl are going through some fear of no longer being around, they often want to
document their experience
Didn't want these stories to die out with him
Diagnosis of cancer was a major catalyst for writing this book
(10) What advantages were there to Boyle's prior involvement within mediating truces
between rival gangs, and why did he ultimately decide to no longer participate? -
Answer -When Boyle was starting out with Homeboy, he was involved w negotiating
truces, bc he felt he could be a cooler head in these situations and minimize violence in
the neighborhood
However, when you are engaging in any truce, you are still legitimating violence;
needed to take a firm stance against it due to moral issues
a lot of truces organized around stopping drive-by's bc it impacts a lot of ppl who weren't
directly involved and children
A lot of organizations have rules that its dishonorable to harm children/innocents
He stopped participating bc he said while it has a short term benefit, when I'm engaging
in that discourse and helping with truces, I am legitimating crime as an option
no violence is the only acceptable option
Any short term gains that would come from this are not going to be effective in the long
run and go against my core values - was strictly about the bigger moral picture; not
safety or law enforcement
What are various reasons why some people - including Boyle -avoid mentioning the
names of real gangs? - Answer -One reason is bc they are trying to avoid security
threats; for safety reasons
Don't wanna give notoriety to certain groups or influence their behavior
They can actually be sued for copyright infringement for using the gangs name/image
How did Homeboy Industries form? Which local activists and historical factors shaped
its origin? - Answer -Homeboy Industries formed bc of educational reasons at first
