Just as education and aspirations were 'normalized' for Gary G., criminal behaviors were normalized for Gary F. At a very young age (Burkhead 2006: 24). Also, there may be genetic factors which predispose certain individuals to aggressive behavior which makes them more susceptible to crime. This was combined with evidence of a genetic tendency towards addiction in the form of alcohol. His mother was very ambivalent about having a child and there may have been some developmental problems caused because of a lack of prenatal care. Gary G.'s home environment was extremely chaotic and he had no stable caregivers. He also sustained a trauma to the head at a young age, and concussions and early head injuries are linked to asocial behavior (Burkhead 2006: 24-25). There was little institutional support for Gary F. He did not go to preschool, and a possible learning disability was undiagnosed and untreated in his chaotic school system (Burkhead 2006: 24). He was exposed to alcohol very early in life and drinking was quickly 'normalized' for him as acceptable behavior. He began smoking and engaging in sex very early in life, due to his unsupervised existence. Although he tested as having above-average intelligence, he had no 'advocates' within the system in the form of teachers or coaches because he did poorly in school, he did not participate in extracurricular...
With no role models or viable career prospects, Gary F. quickly fell into a life of crime. He dropped out of school and began selling marijuana (Burkhead 2006: 24).Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
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