Analyzing Al-Capone (Essay Sample)

Analysing Al Capone Due 25th November, 2019 Analysing Al Capone Criminologists hold the belief that there is no one cause of crime, and that one theory cannot explain all crime (Withrow, 2013, p.98). Crime is, therefore, treated as a highly complex phenomenon that is set to change across cultures, geographies and time. Activities that are legal in one geographical location may be considered to be illegal in another; people who are considered to be criminals in one context may be considered as law-abiding citizens, by their then-criminalized deeds, in the present. Therefore, there is need to study crime inherently, with the purpose of explaining why people behave in ways that are considered wayward, unsocial or criminal. To explain criminal behavior and acts, sociologists and psychologist have come up with several theories that are applied using different approaches. Better understood as philosophies of crime, they seek to explain the causes of crime and the criminal behavior of people. Each theory has its strengths and weaknesses, as well as gaps that make them applicable to a defined range of cases. This paper looks at Al Capone’s criminal life, and his biographical and crime in the context of criminological theory to identify the theory that would best explain his criminal behavior. Biography and background of criminal Al Capone, also known as “Scarface,” was born in 1899 in Brooklyn, New York (Bair, 2017). Born to immigrant parents, his childhood was faced with its fair share of challenges and hardships. He dropped out of sixth grade at the age of 14, after beating up his teacher. During this time, the economic times in the United States were hard, with the country facing an economic meltdown. He began working on a variety of odd jobs to make ends meet. While he did some legal jobs, he was an active member of a delinquents gang that vandalized and committed petty crimes across the city. As he aged, he continued being a member of other criminal gangs, including one that was led by his mentor, Jonny Torrio (Bair, 2017). He quickly morphed into a violent criminal, often involved in knife fights, upon which got his facial injury that earned him to title of “Scarface”. After the imprisonment of his mentor Torrio, he went into hiding, but still continued his criminal activities. Al Capone took advantage of the then criminalization of handling, trading and using alcohol, known as “The Prohibition” (Bair, 2017). During this time, the government criminalized alcohol in an effort to save the country of its finances, social values and human resources. Al Capone, noting the value that the ban gave alcohol, spent most of his time in illegal importations. As his business empire grew, so did his enemies. He had brutal and fatal confrontation with many of his enemies, with the most notorious being the St. Valentine Massacre in Chicago’s Northside (Bair, 2017). He was arrested in 1929, served some ten months and later released. He was again arrested in 1931 and indicted for 22 counts of tax-evasion and conspiracy to violate prohibition laws, which led to imprisonment for 11 years and a fine. He died in 1947 due to complications caused by syphilis, which he had acquired as a young man. Al Capone left behind a legacy of “America’s Pubic enemy number one”, which warrants a study on his criminal behavior. Crimes committed It is almost impossible to have a list of every crime that Al Capone committed. This is because not all of his crimes were investigated and recorded, and a significant number of his crimes were done under his command. However, for the purpose of this paper’s analysis, two main crimes are considered; breaking the law of prohibition and use of deadly violence. Perhaps the most important of the crimes that Al Capone commited was breaking the laws of prohibition. During the Great Depression, importation and selling of alcohol was banned (Mappen, 2013). Under the mentorship of Torrio, he began making illegal purchases of alcohol and distributing it in Chicago. The capture and imprisonment of Torrio made him the kingpin of bootlegging in the city. He was able to keep the supply steady for the large number of adults who took bootleg liquor. He was able to expand his bootlegging crime to other cities, for instance in New York, where he collaborated with Frankie Yale to purchase large amounts of Canadian Scotch Whisky (Bair, 2017). It was through the bootlegging business that he became more vicious and violent to protect his business empire. Al Capone’s life as a violent criminal began when he was a young man, with the earlier case being when he assaulted his teacher. During his bootlegging business period, he became more violent to protect the business. The violence against business rivals and lawmen reached the peak on 1924’s Valentine’s Day. On this day, he and his accomplices planned an assassination on a business rival that had attempted to kill him earlier. He rounded up a group of rival bootleggers, thinking that McGurn, his target, was among them (Bair, 2017). They opened fire on the men, killing them all on-site. The 1924 Valentine Day massacre is what put him on the radar of the FBI, who investigated his income tax evasion to pin him down. Al Capone led an extraordinarily lavish lifestyle in times when people and businesses were struggling. What brought his financial conduct to the attention of the authorities was that he had no records of tax returns. For this, the Bureau began investigating his business conduct, as well as linking his tax evasion to his other businesses (Rockefeller, 2016). In a ruling that income earned illegally was also subject to taxation, the Internal Revenue Service found a good way to investigate his businesses. After being jailed for tax evasion, he used his lawyer to file some tax returns, while at the same time negotiating with the authorities. He was again charged for tax evasion in 1931, a time he made the infamous claim that he had struck a deal with the judge (Rockefeller, 2013). Later investigations found more tax charges and income fraud associated with him, which contributed to the weight of the case against him. Relations/analysis Rational choice theory One of the theories of criminology that can be applied to explain Al Capone’s life of crime is the rational choice theory. The rational choice theory was developed by the classical school of criminology, which considered people as free agents that have the ability to make rational choices in just about every aspect of their lives. When considering the theory of organized crime, criminologists consider why some characters conduct themselves in a manner that potentially involves risk, arrest and execution (Erickson, 2011). Regardless of the motivation to commit the crime the decision to do so is a rational choice that is arrived upon after weighing the benefits and consequences of the action. The classical school of criminology, therefore, views organized crime members as people who possess free will and their involvement in crime is by choice. When applying the rational choice theory to the case of Al Capone, it is revealed that he weighed the benefits of the crime against the supposed consequences. During the period of his crimes, America was in economic depression (Rothbard, 2019). By banning alcohol sale, the government created an opportunity for smugglers (bootleggers) to make a killing out of it. Al Capone, therefore, saw this as an opportunity to make money. He considered the consequences of being arrested over making money, and made a rational choice to break the prohibition law. In regards to the violence he meted on his business rivals, he made a decision to kill them, since the benefits outweighed the consequences. It is alleged that he had corrupted many authorities, so he feared no jail-time (Bair, 2017). As well, on matters of tax-evasion, he was confident that the law would not punish him enough. This is the reason he was so confident to the level of telling the media that he had cut a deal with the judge; a clear show of a rational choice he made when committing the crime. Learning theory The learning theory is another possible explanation for the development of social deviance, delinquency and criminal behavior. Research on learning theories explain the onset of criminal activity by stressing on factors such as attitudes, ability and values to maintain a long-lasting criminal career. Miller (1958, as cited in Lyman & Potter, 2007) argued that participation in youth gangs provides young people with a training ground for taking part in future organized crime. During their time participating in youth crimes, the young people gain experiences and apprentices who they later use to develop their criminal behavior. Sutherland (1973, as cited in Lyman & Potter, 2007) also argued that criminal behavior is adopted as a result of associating with criminals, and depending on the gains of their associations. As well, Suttles (1968, as cited in Lyman & Potter, 2007) said that one of the important factor in the development of criminal behavior is participating in juvenile crime, which give one a strong sense of history in crime. Applying the learning theory to Al Capone’s bibliography and criminal activities explains the source of his criminal career. Al Capone was known to have been a member of several juvenile gangs during his formative years. Some of the most notorious ones were the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty Thieves Juniors (Bair, 2017). During this time, he got to learn basic criminal manners, which he applied to his later career in crime. As well, during this time, he got to be trained by seasoned criminals Johnny Torrio. These two continued playing a central role in his criminal activities even as he aged. His experience with juvenile delinquents provided him with learned specialties such as combating enemies, having a rough attitude and justifyin...