A Case of Anomie! A Sociological Explanation of the Sudanese Lost Boys’ Coping Experiences in the U.S.

Abstract

This paper investigates crimes committed by the
Sudanese Lost Boys after their resettlement in 2000 in the United
States. About 3300 Lost Boys were initially resettled in different
U.S. cities. Some of the crimes mentioned in this study are a
result of anomie (the lack of accepted moral codification or
mismatched codification) emanating from the emotional and
psychological factors that were associated with spreading and
separating the Lost Boys throughout the U.S. The agencies
responsible for the resettlement of the Lost Boys believed that by
spreading the Lost Boys around the United States, they would
integrate faster into the American society. Ironically, it turned
out that separating these Boys did not help them integrate faster;
rather separating them increased their stress level in America.
Some Lost Boys found it difficult adjusting to the urban
environments they were resettled in, since they had never lived in
big cities in Africa. Because of the challenges that are associated
with living in big cities, some Lost Boys eventually decided to
migrate to places where they would reunite with other groups of
Lost Boys. Peter Nyarol Dut, one of the Lost Boys, left Houston,
Texas for Kansas because he was frustrated with trying to make
ends meet financially and trying to get to school. More so he felt
discriminated against. Unfortunately, some Lost Boys ended up
in neighborhoods that were concentrated with criminals most of
whom were African Americans. In such neighborhoods, Lost
Boys are either attacked or harassed by those African Americans
who either don’t welcome them or see them as a threat to their
criminal activities since they were resettled by the federal
government. In this case Lost Boys claim they are forced to form
gang groups to fend for themselves. Some Lost Boys joined
African American gang groups as a way of survival, stealing
other people’s property since they cannot get jobs.