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The Saints were regarded as "good boys" who played the occasional prank. The police, likewise, always let them off the hook because of their "penitent" attitudes. The community knew little of their escapades.
Meanwhile, the Roughnecks were regarded as "bad boys" who had little hope of reform. They received a great deal of police attention, sometimes because of a crime but sometimes for no reason other than they were "hanging around too long."
While their actions were similar, the community and law enforcement's view of the two gangs was night and day.
The Saints were well-dressed, had cars and money, and kissed up to the teachers. They came from middle- to upper-class families who would defend them if they got caught. They were perceived as good boys just sowing their wild oats.
The roughnecks were from poorer families than the Saints
The Roughnecks were...well, rough. They came from lower-class families, were not well-mannered; they could not afford cars (which would have enabled them to evade the law as the Saints often did), so they had to walk everywhere and were in the public eye more often. They had little money to spend. They were viewed very differently by the community than their wealthier but equally mischievous counterparts.
Sadly, most of the Roughnecks ended up precisely the way the community had predicted. Several ended up in jail on homicide or theft charges.
Conversely, all but one of the Saints went on to graduate high school, college, and secure stable jobs and build successful lives.
A self-fulfilled prophecy
The Saints were well-to-do boys who made good grades in school but rarely ever attended class. They caroused around, drinking and driving recklessly, endangering the lives of countless people, and playing "pranks" that often included stealing caution signs and watching other cars careen through barricades or into potholes.
(Sound like frat boys to you, or is that just me?)
Even though both groups were perhaps equally deviant, one was seen as less delinquent than the other and was treated with far more mercy.
Interestingly, both groups lived up to their expectations. How does this fit with the labeling theory?
The Labeling Theory states that "powerful individuals and the state create crime by labeling some behaviors as inappropriate" (Britannica), and that "As members in society begin to treat these individuals on the basis of their labels, the individual begins to accept this label him- or herself." In other words, when people are labeled and treated as criminals, they begin to believe that they really are and will start to commit criminal acts.
The Roughnecks were lower-class boys with punk attitudes who drank when they could afford it, picked fights with other "gangs" and stole small items like comic books and pens, or occasionally more expensive things like watches and gasoline.
by Evelyn Hull
The Roughnecks were certainly labeled as deviants by the community. Perhaps if they had been treated the same way as the Saints, they would have turned out differently. Or on the flip side, perhaps if the Saints had been more severely punished, would they have become more and more deviant as the years went on?
The Labeling Theory, which is controversial since it "fails to explain primary deviance" and "presents a passive view of criminals" (Barkan), seems like a logical explanation for the Saints and the Roughnecks. But does that mean we should go easy on all criminals? I don't think so at all.
I believe that the best way to address this would be to be fair and just - to equally punish all delinquents, no matter their class; but to also give them a second chance and encouragement to do better.
Barkan, Steven.
Criminology: A Sociological Understanding.
Of course, they probably looked nothing like this...but this is how I imagine the Saints.
Chambliss, William.
The Saints and the Roughnecks.
Skaggs, Sherry Lynn. "The Labeling Theory."
Britannica.com