Connections between Gridiron Gang text and film adaptations

¶ … criminal justice through the comparison of the movie Gridiron Gang to the textbook from class. The writer examines points that were learned about in class between the movie and the book and completes the discussion with points about how well the movie related to the reality of the criminal justice system. There were two sources used to complete this paper.

The juvenile crime rate in America seems to be on the rise. In addition to more crimes being committed, there is an increase in the violent offenses that are being done against victims of society as well. While the American juvenile justice system scrambles to determine what to do about juvenile offenders different methods are being tried to try to reach and rehabilitate those who have been convicted already. The movie Gridiron Gang, is a true story of a group of juvenile felony offenders and one man who believed in their ability to turn their lives around. The movie closely relates the lessons learned in criminal justice classes to its plot as the system works to simultaneously rehabilitate and give these offenders back their lives, while at the same time doing everything in its power to keep them down and feeling worthless.

The textbook discusses the crimes and their consequences in the United States (Haley). Currently in the U.S. If one commits a crime and is caught and charged with it that person has to go to court to prove innocence or guilt. There are many different types of punishments available to the court system to those it finds guilty. When it comes to juveniles the programs are also there, though at times they may appear to be more limiting. Juveniles can be put into foster care, group homes, rehabilitation institutes or juvenile jails, such as the one in the movie. Juvenile jails, otherwise referred to has juvenile halls are designed with the purpose of keeping adult offenders away from juvenile offenders by housing them in separate facilities (Haley). However, as the movie portrays there can be just as much violence and corruption in a juvenile detention center as in an adult facility and it can escalate more quickly because of the system giving more leeway or freedoms to its juvenile facilities at times.

One of the things that was learned in the class and verified by the movie was the fact that juveniles can be every bit as violent and angry as adult offenders can.

In addition the class text and the movie address the gang problem in this country. Gangs are an ever increasing problem in the United States. Today there are hundreds of named gangs on the books with hundreds of thousands of classified gang members belonging to them.

In chapter 11 the inmates discussed typically join a gang to protect themselves once they get into the system or they are already members before they are incarcerated (Haley). As in the movie, the class lessons underscored the importance of gang issues in the United States criminal justice system. Gangs have serious and life long rivalries against each other which can and does become an issue in the attempt to rehabilitate especially within the juvenile justice system.

The gang problems not only create enhanced punishments for those who are convicted of committing crimes in the name of the gangs they belong to, but as seen in the movie, the gang issue creates problems within the juvenile and adult justice system. When different gangs are housed in the same area of a prison or center the potential for gang rival fighting and other crime is present. This was seven in the movie even on the playing field when the two members of the same team but rival gangs get into a fight simply due to the fact that they are in rival gangs.

In chapter 13 of the textbook there are many points of juvenile justice that can be related to the movie. In the opening scenes of the movie the teenagers who are being processed through the system are treated with an attitude of indifference (Haley). They are believed to be throw away children from which society has no more use. The system puts them in a dark environment in which they are believed to be useless. The minimum attention possible is provided to their needs though the outside appearance given to the world is that the system wants to rehabilitate them. Even the head person in the entire facility does not believe the probation officer can do it in the few weeks he claims that he can. However, he allows the guy to try. He tells him it will fail and when it does it will be on that man's head.

This is not atypical of the attitude of people working in the juvenile justice system.

The class text also discusses juvenile detention camps. These are camps in which the most violent or serious juvenile offenders are housed. There is usually a social worker, a probation officer and a mental health professional involved in the overall supervision and care of these offenders. The scene in the movie in which the player says he wants to do well, he wants to play football and he is tired of being on the wrong side of life would be considered a breakthrough in the system of real life juvenile justice, however in the movie the teens are provided a lot more understanding and caring than often happens in a real life facility.

The movie does a good job of addressing one of the biggest issues in dealing with rehabilitation of criminal individuals. The fear of society when it comes to crime and criminals is real. Society has the right to be concerned about walking, working and playing among those who have chosen to commit crime, but then again, if they are never allowed to move past their criminal past how can they ever hope to start anew? It is the age old question and is addressed in the movie when none of the nearby high schools want to play on the football field with felons.

These teens have worked hard to get their team together, they have overcome personal obstacles that were drilled into them for years about working as a team, and when they are ready to put their rehabilitative results to work no one will afford them the chance to do so. This is typical of real life for many offenders as well. They have a hard time getting jobs, finding houses, being accepted into society and it doesn't take long for them to feel they will never be accepted as a productive citizen and they return to the life they knew before attempting to do it right.

The movie also addresses the real life problem with juvenile and adult offenders of self-esteem issues. People who become criminals often lack self-respect and self-esteem. The class lessons indicate that the drug rate among this population is also disproportionately high when compared to non-criminal society. In the movie there are several scenes on the field of the teens' lack of self-esteem or self-respect. Initially they don't believe they can play ball because nobody has ever encouraged them ort attempted to work with them in a sport before. They initially pretend they don't want to play because that is easier than admitting they don't know how and don't believe they can. In the criminal justice system this is an understood problem in rehabilitation however, recent attempts to create programs to deal with it are underway.

Another area of truth in the movie is the importance of mentorship. The movie characters turn to the probation officer "The Rock" for guidance. For the first time someone who doesn't have to believe in them does and for him they begin to try and succeed.

In real life criminal situation the same principles often apply especially when it comes to juvenile offenders. Programs like Big Brother and Big Sister are specifically designed for the purpose of thwarting would be young criminals (Haley). The strength and power of mentorship programs in the criminal justice system has been proven for years however it is sometimes difficult to locate enough adult mentors for the at risk and in trouble youth.