Michael Dwayne Vick and Criminological Theories - Research Paper Example

?Mike Vick Michael Dwayne Vick, popularly known as Mike Vick, is an American football quarterback who has been participating in the national footballleague (NFL) as a player for Philadelphia Eagles. In 2005, investigators were tipped for the first time about possible dogfighting at Mike’s home in Virginia. After a good investigation, it was found out that Mike was actually guilt of founding and operating an illegal dogfighting ring by the name Bad Newz and was arrested in 2007 for this alongside other charges. In July 2007 Mike and three other men were arraigned in court to answer to felony charges of founding and operating Bad Newz, an unlawful dog fighting venture. At the same time, Mike was accused of financing the operation. According to the investigations done by the US Agricultural Department (USAD), Mike and his cohorts directly participated in the killing of at least seven dogs. The investigations also revealed that Mike bet dog fights and was accused of handling out thousands of dollars in person in related gambling activities. Mike was also found guilt of paying somebody $100 to dig graves for burying dogs killed during the dog fighting (Judd 11). Apart from involvement in dogfighting, Mike failed a drug test which was done in September, 2007. During a random drug test, Mike tested positive for marijuana and was confined to his home in Virginia between 10 pm to 6 am under electronic monitoring until December, the time for his court hearing. Despite accepting responsibility, Mike had failed to cooperate with the federal officials and on top of that, he had failed a polygraph test done shortly after his home was raided. Coupling these with the failed drug test, the federal officials assigned Mike to Leavenworth’s US penitentiary, a federal prison facility to serve his term (Mihoces 35). Background information Mike was born on 26th June, 1980 in Newport News, Virginia to Michael Boddie and Brenda Vick. His family lived in Ridley Circles Homes, located at the East End of the port city. Mike’s skill in football was nurtured by his father from when he was only three years old and was nicknamed bullet due to his blinding speed when playing. Mike spent time with his cousin Brook at their home Boys and Girls club were he got a special watch from his coaches and parents. In high school and in college, Mike often led his team to win in their matches. Mike’s employment has always been based in sports. In 2001, Mike was selected by the Atlanta Falcons where he played for six seasons in the NFL before his imprisonment. After his release from prison in 2009, Mike signed a one-year contract with Philadelphia eagles after being mentored by Tony Dungy, a former Colts coach. The contract was renewed again in 2010 following Mike’s good progress and performance in the team and since then, he has remained as the team’s quarterback. Previous criminal history Though Mike was arrested in 2005 for dog fighting, his father, Michael Boddie, revealed that Mike started the habit as early as 2001. According to him, Mike began staging dogfights in their family’s home garage as well as in the family backyard around 2001. The dogs he used included those that Mr. Boodie had nursed after being injured from to the dogfighting staged by Mike. However, his mother, Brenda Vick, denied the occurrence of dog fighting in their home or the presence of any cages (Judd 11). Early 2004, Mike was linked to illegal drug trafficking. This came after two men who were using a truck registered to Mike were arrested for distributing marijuana. In 2005, a civil law suit was filed by Sonya Elliot accusing Mike of infecting her with genital herpes in the autumn of 2002. Sonya claims that Mike knew of his condition yet he failed to inform her and as a proof to this, Sonya said that Mike sought treatment from clinics for the disease. On 26th November 2006, Mike was accused of making obscene gestures at fans as a reaction to booing by fans for loosing a match to New Orleans. Mike held up two of his middle fingers and was fined $10, 000 by the NFL for this. Criminological theories Theories that explain Mike’s participation in dog fighting Routine Activities Theory states that three elements, namely, a motivated offender, available target and a lack of guardians must be present for crime to be committed (Marcus 134). In the case of Mike, the presence of dogs in their home is evidence that the target was available. It is also notable that Mike as an individual was internally motivated to commit the dog fighting offense as early as 2001 because he did it for fun at their home garage and backyard. At this time he never needed a team of people or peer pressure to do it. Dog fighting earns a lot of money and this is a source of external motivation that caused Mike to fund the foundation and operation of Bad Newz, the unlawful dog fighting venture. Mike’s father was well aware that Mike had started dog fighting in 2001 as evidenced by the presence of injured dogs in their home and in fact, it is Mr. Boddie who nursed the injured dogs. From this view, the fact that the crime continued to manifest is an indication that there was lack of guardians, in this case, proper parental or security surveillance/monitoring. If the garage and the home backyard had been kept under a tight guard, Mike would definitely not have gotten the chance to initialize and perpetuate this bad habit. At the same time, Bad Newz was not such a pubic thing denoting the lack awareness by the legal system about it. Psychoanalytic Theory is a psychological criminal theory which states that the root/causes of criminal behavior in an individual can be found in the individual’s mind (Marcus 145). This theory explains Mike’s involvement in dog fighting and other crime because only he knew best what caused him to commit such kinds of crimes. There was no evidence of childhood peer pressure, genetic/evolutionary inheritance, genetic disorders or coercion as source of motivation or force to engage in criminal behavior hence the cause was within Mike himself. The theory that does not explain Mike’s participation in dog fighting Biosocial Arousal Theory is a biological theory that states that the level of arousal in an individual works in conjunction with the individual’s social environment. The theory explains that individuals with low arousal levels are less likely to learn the right ways of dealing with violence and aggression hence they are more prone to committing crimes (Marcus 142). This theory fails to explain Mike’s dog fighting crime because Mike was active in sports from early childhood with no records of being withdrawn. This means that his levels of arousal are very substantial for the attainment of the ability to deal with aggression and violence. Conclusion Nothing could have been done to prevent the crime from emerging since it is difficult to note someone who wants to start dog fighting. However, much could have been done to prevent a repeat of the same. For example, Mr. Boodie should have taken stern parental measure against Mike the first time he noticed injured dogs in their home and a legal measure when the crime persisted. Contrary to this, he just did a repeat of nursing wounded dogs and giving mere verbal warnings and advices to Mike on keeping away from such kinds of crimes. Mike’s mother was defensive of this crime because she denied the occurrence of dog fighting in their home or the presence of any cages. The family should also have kept the garage and backyard under strict surveillance. Works cited Judd Alan (22nd July, 2007). "In game of life, Vick blitzed by trouble". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Online . http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2007/07/21/0722vickbio.html. Retrieved 14th April, 2011. Marcus Joe. Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application (4th ed). Los Angeles, California. Roxbury Publishing Company. 2004. Mihoces Gary (20th November, 2007). USA Today: "Michael Vick surrenders to federal authorities". Online: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/falcons/2007-11-19-vick-surrender_N.htm. Retrieved 14th April, 2011. Read More