Thursday, December 26, 2019

Martin Luther And The Roman Catholic Church - 837 Words

In the 16th century, people were unsatisfied and criticized the way the Roman Catholic Church was dealing with doctrines, education and dealing with behavior. Hearing what people were saying about the Roman Catholic Church reformers such as Martin Luther, Henry VII, decided to take matters in their own hands and find a way to reform. Martin Luther was a German professor who then decided to become a priest in 1507. He was against indulgences in which people believed forgave all sins that were committed. As a result, Luther wrote â€Å"Ninety-five Theses on the Power of Indulgences† to argue against indulgences, it was argued, â€Å"indulgences undermined the seriousness of the sacrament of penance, competed with the preaching of the Gospel, and downplayed the importance of the charity in Christian life† (McKay p.381). The Ninety- five Theses were then published in pamphlets in Latin then translated into German. A new invention that was made to help spread Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses was the Gutenberg’s Printing Press. People agreed and believed in Luther, but others had a different approach and pushed for Luther to give up on his new belief. Luther gained followers who were referred to as Protestants. Luther’s belief persuaded more reformers to take action. The Reformation continued the next step for Martin Luther was he wanted to get support from German princes and gained their support. The German peasants were inspired by Martin Luther who put their faith and trust toShow MoreRelatedRoman Catholic Church Reformation: Martin Luther Essay702 Words   |  3 Pagesreformation when Martin Luther Posted up his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Roman Catholic Church and published in Wittenberg, Germany. The Reformation Became the Basis for the founding of Protestantism, one of the three major branches of Christianity. Luther had far-reaching political, economic and social effects. But the main question is why Martin Luther was able to successfully challenge the church of its religious and political authority? After evaluating the main reasons why Luther had successRead MoreThe 95 Theses By Martin Luther982 Words   |  4 PagesFor this essay, I chose the 95 Theses by Martin Luther as my primary source. This primary source is a histo rical document that cause major uproars throughout Europe. The 95 Theses were written by Martin Luther in October of 1517. The 95 Theses were ninety-five statements written by Martin Luther in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church. They challenged the common practices of the Catholic Church, including indulgences and the authority of the pope. The 95 Theses sparked a theological debate thatRead MoreMartin Luther : A Father Of The Protestant Reformation1462 Words   |  6 PagesMartin Luther: A Father of the Protestant Reformation During the 16th century, many people began to question the doctrine and practices of the Catholic Church. The church was selling indulgences (forgiveness) to release people from their debt of sin. The higher positions held in the church were being sold to those who would pay the most money. The clergy’s greed and thirst after money essentially divided the church between the peasants and clergy. One man disagreed with the actions of the CatholicRead MoreThe Reform of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe Essay930 Words   |  4 Pagesdealings of the Roman Catholic Church. This discontent eventually lead to the reform of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe, and religious beliefs and attitudes became divided between northern and southern Europe. This is a summary of the events that lead to this historic change in religious culture that would impact Christianity for the next 500 years and beyond. By the late medieval period, many Europeans perceived the large amount of riches and land acquired by the Roman Catholic Church as unjustRead MoreThe Appeal Of Indulgences By Johann Tetzel1407 Words   |  6 Pagesindulgences was a practice where the congregation recognised a gift or other beneficent work with a bit of paper, a liberality, that ensured that the supplier s spirit would enter paradise all the more rapidly by lessening their time in limbo. The Church taught that if a man had submitted no genuine sins that ensured a spot in damnation and they kicked the bucket before apologising and making up for the greater part of their wrongdoings, then their spirit went to limbo—a sort of waystation where aRead MoreMartin Luther, And His Concept Of Christianity1644 Words   |  7 Pagesessay about Martin Luther, and his concept of Christianity. As a student and a unbiased Christian, I enjoy studying all types of religions, and elements that encompass them. Luther began his religious career as an Augustinian Monk in the Roman Catholic Church. So, Luther was initially loyal to the papacy, and even after many theological conflicts, he attempted to bring about his understanding with the Church. But this was a contradiction not to suffer because in his later years, Luther waged a continualRead MoreThe Reformation And The Reformation1421 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Catholic Church many people were dissatisfied about their faith during the Renaissance. This led to a period called the Reformation, which began in 1517. The Reformation was led by radical critics Martin Luther and John Calvin, who questioned the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, due to their selling of indulgences and stray from the Bible. The Reformation started in central Europe and spread to encompass most of the continent, during which time people left the Roman CatholicRead MoreThe Protestant Reformation Essay1014 Words   |  5 PagesThe intent of this paper is to evalua te the distinct character and quality of the expressions of the Protestant Reformation. This paper will discuss Lutheran Reformation, The Anabaptist, and The English Puritans as well as the Catholic Reformation also known as the Counter Reformation. It is the hope that after the reader has had the opportunity to view each of the characteristics and the expressions of each of the reformation the reader will have a better understanding of each and will be able toRead MoreWhy Did Martin Luther Start The Protestant Reformation?.968 Words   |  4 PagesWhy did Martin Luther start the Protestant Reformation? After five centuries, it is easy to reduce the Protestant Reformation to a dispute over corruption in the Roman Catholic Church. But was it dissension over corruption or was it more complex than that? While corruption existed in the Church during the Renaissance, the Reformation was as much about politics, theology, and individualism, as it was about rooting out corruption. When looking at the religious values that guide human choices,Read MoreWhat Were The Social Cause Of The Protestant Reformation?1289 Words   |  6 PagesChristianity and the bible led by the Roman Catholic Church. All these social causes were significant because it allowed a vast majority of people to read it, interpret it, and make there own opinions on Christianity. This allowed people to make there own opinions, based on the bible, about the Protestant Reformation. What were the religious causes for the reformation? One of the religious reasons for the reformation was scamming, led by the Roman Catholic Church. One of the forms of scamming was the

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

The Death Penalty Is Not Effective - 911 Words

The death penalty is wrong because capital punishment is not effective in reducing the amount of crime, it claims the lives of innocent people, it is unfair and biased, and most importantly, it is far more costly than a life in prison. The death penalty is not effective in reducing the amount of crime that occurs in our country. There is no evidence that the death penalty discourages or deters crime. The psychological mindset of a criminal is that they are not capable of thinking of the outcome or consequences of their actions when they are committing a crime. The criminals who commit these crimes obviously are not in a normal state of mind, and do not think of outcomes logically or like most people do. Criminals most likely do not sit around thinking, â€Å"I won’t commit this murder if I face the death penalty.† Therefore, the use of the death penalty does not help reduce crime, so why use it? People have been released from death rows throughout America due to the evi dence of wrongful conviction. Wrongful execution occurs when someone innocent is put to death by capital punishment. Many people are claimed to be innocent victims of the death penalty. Newly available DNA evidence has allowed to exoneration or release of more than seventeen death row prisoners since 1992. DNA evidence is only available in about a fraction of capital cases. The Death Penalty Information Center has released and published a list of prisoners that have been executed but possibly innocent. This isShow MoreRelatedThe Death Penalty Is Effective Or Not?851 Words   |  4 PagesDeath Penalty has been and still is one of the biggest controversies in the United States and internationally. People have been discussing and debating whether or not the death penalty is effective or not. As opposers would argue, the death penalty deters crime and the criminals deserve it; however, the death penalty is a very costly procedure and time consuming as well as ineffective. David Muhlhausen, a Senior Policy Analyst in the center for Data Analysis at the Heritage Foundation, ironicallyRead MoreIs The Death Penalty Effective?971 Words   |  4 PagesIs the Death Penalty Effective? This paper will discuss the history of the death penalty, the cost of the death penalty, and its arguments under the law. For many years the death penalty has been utilized to punish the individuals who have committed crimes to the fullest extent that the law will allow, with a slight disagreement surrounding the death penalty. Some of the concerns would be are the criminals rightfully being held to pay for their actions, rather than taking their lives for the crimeRead MoreIs the Death Penalty an Effective Deterrent?1677 Words   |  7 PagesIs the Death Penalty an Effective Deterrent? Annotated Bibliography PS 223 Forensic Psychology I Research Question: Is the Death Penalty an Effective Deterrent? Honeyman, J. C., Ogloff, J. P. (1996). Capital punishment: Arguments for life and death. Canadian Journal Of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 28(1), 27-35. The main purpose of this article was to investigate the effects of the death penalty and theRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is An Effective Deterrent1359 Words   |  6 PagesOn the other hand, the anti-death penalty arguments claim that the death penalty is oppressive toward lower class and people of color, wasting the limited resources, and it often hurt innocent people. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stated that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent because it is not applied consistently, as there is only a small fraction of first-degree murders who received death sentence, and even then they do not represent the worst cases of murders. Most of theRead MoreThe Death Penalty : An Effective Reliable Tool904 Words   |  4 Pagesthe death penalty has been a frequent topic of discussion, as our recent technological advancements have evidently led individuals to consider the â€Å"new found† legitimacy of our court systems, as statistics display that our previous racial bias and the apparent morality of the practice itself have a miniscule impact on our conviction rate. Both the advancements and ethics that the death penalty provides become apparent through the utilization of anecdotes and statistics, as the death penalty has prevailedRead MoreThe Death Penalty is NOT an Effective Deterrent Essay2050 Words   |  9 Pages The issue of the death penalty has been of great concern and debate for a number of years now. Prior to 1976, the death penalty was banned in the United States. In 1976, though, the ban was lifted, and many states adopted the death penalty in their constitutions. Currently, there are 38 states that use the death penalty, and only 12 states that do not. The states that have the death penalty use a number of ways to go about executing the defendant. Thirty-two states use lethal injection, 10 useRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Not An Effective Form Of Punishment Essay1909 Words   |  8 PagesThe death penalty has been used for 2000 years and had only been brought to light to be abolished after the Second World War and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was only until the 1980s where many countries had started to abolish the death penalty. This essay will cover why the death penalty is not an effective form of punishment by looking at deterrence/recidivism, rehabilitation and incarceration as well as human rights. The punishment theories of incapacitation, deterrence and ‘justRead More Death Penalty as an Effective Method of Punishment Essay1676 Words   |  7 PagesDeath Penalty as an Effective Method of Punishment An issue that has continually created tension in todays society is whether the death penalty serves as a justified and valid form of punishment. Whenever the word death penalty comes up, extremists from both sides start yelling out their arguments. One side says deterrence, the other side says theres a potential of executing an innocent man; one says justice, retribution, and punishment; the other side says execution is murder. CrimeRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Not The Most Effective Form Of Punishment1824 Words   |  8 PagesThe death penalty is not the most effective form of punishment for criminals. The death penalty is hypocritical; it condemns killing by killing people. Many supporters of capital punishment cite retribution as being a justification for the death penalty; however, no matter what the circumstance, murder is never justified. Ghandi once said â€Å"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.† Two wrongs can never make a right. Capital punishment shou ld be abolished because while even though many supportersRead MoreThe Death Penalty is An Effective Weapon Against Crime Essay1309 Words   |  6 Pagespunishment.  Ã‚   Many people believe that it no longer serves out its intended purpose of deterring crime.   Others believe that the death penalty is an inhumane act of violence and that it should be banished from the justice system all together.   The thought of playing God also is another aspect of the situation.   Despite these allegations however, the facts still remain.   The death penalty deters crime, stops repeat offenders, and gives Americans a real sense that justice has been served, and should therefore

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Not many people are happy, but all the libraries are filled with books on happiness, and this very fact should make us curious Essay Example For Students

Not many people are happy, but all the libraries are filled with books on happiness, and this very fact should make us curious Essay The Ancients gave us dozens of recipes on how to conduct a happy life, each of them contradicting the other, or at least, with very dissimilar opinions. The Modernity has its own solutions up to the negation of the very possibility of having a happy life. And recently, mister Francis H. came up with his own idea of happiness. He argues that the problem of happiness can be reduced to wealth, knowledge and a personal belief of being in control of ones own life. Lets at first consider these factors. Wealth is important, according to mister Francis H. because it allows the satisfaction of ones basic needs. It seems to me that if it was true, the Ancients had no chance to be happy at all and we can not be happy as well, since in the time to come people will be even more wealthy than they are now see later on the part of my essay On Future and able to better satisfy their needs. Well, I guess the notion of wealth is just relative. Same as basic needs which can cause even more trouble. What are basic needs? Color TV and refrigerator or your own jet plane? Or maybe just a barrel in a harbor as Diogenes showed us? Knowledge. In my opinion the problem with knowledge may be similar to the wealth issue. Knowledge in general meant as scientific knowledge has increased dramatically over the last centuries, but arguing that this has contributed to general happiness is at least risky, not to mention superfluous. This problem has two main aspects, firstly, its relativity as in the case of wealth; we can fly to Venus and kill most of the microbes but there is still much more to be done. Secondly, its validity in the pure aspect, as giving us answers about the world and life in general. On the other hand, as far as personal knowledge, or education, or ones intelligence goes, I dont really see any direct correlation between what one knows and is capable of doing to his own happiness. History can supply us with arguments to both sides. If you dont like history, go to the nearest psychiatric hospital to see the lack of correlation. Here we come to the third aspect of happiness: The personal belief of being in control. This is not just a relative factor as the two previous ones. This is a subjective factor, and, to me, the only real one. It is founded on ones opinion or interpretation of external events, or ones own character, whatever you call it. Therefore it is crucial and subsumes all the rest. One is happy when he believes he is happy. Remark 1: Lets discuss for a moment the problem of inclination that one has towards the opinions of others. The level of this inclination is in most of our fellow citizens very high, assessing by mere observation or giving just a little thought to the way commercials are made. The basis of advertising is the assumption that the public is incapable of having its own judgment, and this assumption must be right, otherwise the commercials would look different. How can you be happy if you didnt yet go to disneyland or didnt have a big mac for dinner? Reversing the mode of commercials we could make a lot of people happy insisting that they are happy because they have so much. And this is what the politicians try to do when running for re-election. They know the power of playing on peoples lack of judgment. You people should be happy because each of you has a house with a backyard, and we lowered the taxes! , or something like that. .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 , .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 .postImageUrl , .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 , .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087:hover , .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087:visited , .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087:active { border:0!important; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087:active , .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087 .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua5db674872bef13a8b11c8dd1350c087:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Adrienne Rich's Rape EssayA similar thing happens in the relation between people where the incapability of judging on ones own results in following fashions or mimicking behavior, or in envying others achievements or way of life since other peoples lives so often look good when viewed from the outside. Therefore, because the follower can never be satisfied, the requirement of happiness is to have your own judgment. Remark 2: Schopenhauer rightly noticed that people always have serious problems, no matter what is happening. He asserted that the total level of ones disturbance by problems remains constant over time. If somebody breaks his leg, his problem is the broken leg and not, for example, being yelled at by a stranger on the street. In such a situation the encounter with this stranger doesnt matter at all. On the other hand, if he didnt break his leg, the great problem accounting for a sleepless night would be this stranger. Therefore, the solution or avoidance of one problem does not help at all in being content, a new one is just ready to take its place. I thing this is a great remark on human behavior and it should be kept in mind such as to make life easier.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Social Structure Theory Research Paper free essay sample

The easiest way that I can explain social structure theory is by using examples from my own life. I grew up in the projects with my single drug addict mother and my little sister. From birth I was raised surrounded by drugs, violence, prostitution and many other crimes. My mom has never worked and we grew up on nothing but government aid. All these things were the perfect environments to create criminals. I was a direct product of my environment growing up. Since from when I can remember, I grew up getting into fights, robbing house, breaking into cars, and using and selling drugs. This was all a normal life to me. It is what I grew up knowing. Only knowing this life and was able to justify it full heartedly. I was kicked out of high school for fighting and was just headed down the worse path possible. I was following everyone that I grew up around. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Structure Theory Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Finally I took some advice from someone elder that told me back in middle school that thankfully stuck with me. â€Å"If you want to be like someone and have the things they have, surround yourself with those people and do what they do†. From then on I have been able to take control of my life and become a functioning and successful member of society. I went and got my diploma. Then went to college in Kansas for criminal justice. After that I joined the military. Now I am out and seeking to further my education. I drive the car I dreamt of driving as a kid and about to have my first kid with my beautiful and also successive girlfriend. All of this made possible simply by changing my surrounding environment. Social structure theory is defined Siegel (2011), â€Å"The view that disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause of crime† (pg. 470). I believe this to be true. Growing up in the projects a lot of things were not viewed as crimes in our subculture. Something as simple as fighting was a daily thing to be in or to watch in a struggle for power and respect, but in societies outside of our realm that is unbelievable. Growing up in the projects you have to become tough fast. According to Anderson (1999), â€Å"These children of the street, growing up with little supervision, are said to â€Å"come up hard. † They often learn to fight at an early age, using short-tempered adults around them as role models† (pg. 49). We grew up doing what we saw and were taught. Growing up I had no clue that these things were even slightly that wrong because it was of our social norms. Norms are defined as Henslin (2012), â€Å"expectations of â€Å"right† behavior† (pg. 45). If someone disrespected my family, my neighborhood, or me I was expected to fight and that is how we resolved things. By doing this I received positive sanctions from my family and the block. Positive sanctions are defined as Henslin (2012), â€Å"a reward or positive reaction for following norms, ranging from a smile to a material reward† (pg. 45). Other social norms that I grew up learning and doing was selling drugs. Growing up this wasn’t frowned upon by any adult on the block and was encouraged by my mother so I could bring some money into the house. Part of the study of the social structure theory and the study of the information gathered is positivism. In the book The Structure of Social Theory it describes positivism as Johnson (1984) â€Å"Positivism is most frequently used to refer to the extension of empiricist models of natural science to the field of human action, by arguing for either a methodological or substantive unity of the two. The claim for methodological unity leads to behaviorism, while the latter implies reductionist explanations, i. e. the explanation of human action in terms of either ‘heredity’ or ‘environment’. † (pg. 32). According to Henslin (2012) â€Å"It was first proposed by Auguste Comte (1798-1857)† (pg. 10). Since we can study people’s actions and be able to understand them as a science, we can understand crime and what causes it. Criminology: The Core says that there are three branches of the social structure theory. When these theories come together in an environment it will be the ideal circumstances for crime to develop in a community. One of the first theories is the social disorganization theory. Social disorganization theory is defined as Siegel (2011) â€Å"Branch of social structure theory that focuses on the breakdown in inner-city neighborhoods of institutions such as the family, school, and employment. † (pg. 142). These theory focuses on the condition in the environment such as: deteriorated neighborhoods, inadequate social control, law-violation gangs and groups, and conflicting social values. This covers a lot of things growing up that there was no real order or even any motivation for order in the aspects of our life. Being surrounded in this type of environment even if a parent wants to set their child on a good path, it is made almost impossible because of the elements of gangs and strain that everyone around them is going through. Which brings me to the next theory. Strain theory is defined as Siegel (2011) â€Å"Branch of social structure theory that sees crime as a function of the conflict between people’s goals and the means available to obtain them. † (pg. 142). Strain theory focuses on conflict between goals and the means such as: unequal distribution of wealth and power, frustration, and alternative methods of achievement. What the strain theory focuses on was a huge part of my anger and justification of why I would commit crimes. I viewed a lot of things as just not fair and how someone could just have an easy road and even if they were a screw up, their parents had money and they were going to be someone in life no matter what they did. What is even more infuriating about that was the fact that they took it for granted and didn’t care. Even if I did stray away from the gangs and the crime as much as possible, I still had to make it out of my environment on my own. I was just a poor kid out of the projects with no skills, no professional references, and no cosigners for college. Just no real help for any direction and I am expected to be a functioning member of society but frowned upon if I didn’t do good in their eyes. In Code of the Street the chapter about the decent daddy goes over really well about how hard it is to distinguish yourself from the community you are associated with even if you are doing all the right things. It was insanely frustrating that even if you did do right, you were viewed the same. Also it was frustrating that you felt that you were stuck in that place no matter how hard you tried so you start to accept that label that you weren’t ever going to be anything and eventually stopped trying. Whenever you combine the social disorganization theory and the strain theory, you get the cultural deviance theory. Cultural deviance theory is defined as Siegel (2011) â€Å"Branch of social structure theory that sees strain and social disorganization together resulting in a unique lower-class culture that conflicts with conventional social norms. † (pg. 142). Cultural deviance theory focuses on what occurs from the combination of the two other theories. It looks at the development of subcultures as a result of disorganization and stress and the subcultural values in opposition to conventional values. Growing up in this environment we did learn to create our own subculture and accept that we were different from them. By doing this, it made me have no remorse for the people that I was committing crimes against. I was labeled as a criminal that wasn’t ever going to be anything and I accepted that role. Labeling theory is Henslin (2012) â€Å"the view that the labels people are given affect their own and others’ perceptions of them, thus channeling their behavior into either deviance or conformity. † (pg. 197). I did accept the label that they gave me and if I was going to be called something or thought of a certain way no matter what, I might as well do it since I am already considered it. So burglarizing people’s houses or cars didn’t seem like a crime to me because I saw it as they have the money anyways and doesn’t affect or hurt them. I am going to take from them since they have it. I wasn’t viewing these as crimes or showing any remorse for it because I saw them as different than me. Same as robbing people we caught slippin the neighborhood. It was like what ever, his mommy and daddy would just give him more money. I would do these things on a day-to-day basis and didn’t even see them as crimes. This is a huge part of why I believe that crime happens and is the root of crime. These types of environments brew criminals and like on my behalf that the criminals just see it as a normal way of life and don’t really consider most the crimes that they commit to be actually crimes. Crime becomes a way of life and ways of survival to people that grow up in these types of environments. If we want to prevent crimes we need to address the branches of the social structure theory. The reason that I am considered a good functioning member of society now is because I followed the lucky advice that I stumbled upon which was â€Å"If you want to be like someone and have the things they have, surround yourself with those people and do what they do†. Even though I received that advice, that doesn’t mean that it was easy to obtain. I got really lucky with some of the people that stayed in my life. Also, the programs that were established on the block helped out a lot as well. Just the simple fact of seeing a better life and being surrounded by positive reinforcement for people is enough to give you something small to strive for. If we want to help prevent crime we need to get it at the source. By taking care of the lower-class neighborhoods and implementing programs to keep kids busy with good role models or help with resume writing and training for job interviews. You are able to instill positive hope of moving forward and transitioning out of the place that they feel that they are stuck in. From my experience the cards that I was dealt and the environment that I grew up in, I was set to be a carrier criminal. But with the programs they placed on my block and positive people I surrounded with, it alleviated the strain and frustration that I was feeling and made me change my ways knowing that I was actually able to be better.