Introduction Baltimore seems to have gained a rather bad reputation among the residents of the USA over the past few years. The so-called “drunk business” (SUPERTIMENEWS 8:50), as well as other illegal types of money making, which some parts of Baltimore are nowadays notorious for, clearly needs to be investigated and dealt with once and for all. The reasons for the city suburbs to have become infested by the lowest of the low, including thieves and drug dealers, however, are yet to be discussed. Despite the fact that the citizens of Baltimore are also partially responsible for the moral decomposition of the city, the society and the prejudices that it produces also seem to have had a hand in turning Baltimore into one of the most crime-ridden places of the American North. The Trap of Poverty in the Urban Setting There is no secret that poverty usually causes people to choose the marginal style of life that they would probably, considered inappropriate otherwise (Becker 235). Even though the reasons for choosing the trail of crime are traditionally restricted to the basic need for money, there are still different perspectives on the given phenomenon, which are worth taking a closer look at. By comparing the perspectives provided by different theories, one can possibly define the source of the problems that Maryland in general and Baltimore in particular are facing at present. Rational actor theory at work The first theory to consider, the concept of rational actor, also known as the Theory of Rational Choice, presupposes that it is in people’s nature to make the choices that are favorable for them. Basic enough, the given theory allows for nailing down the reasons for the African American residents of Baltimore to choose crime instead of considering legal yet not so financially favorable options. Structured socialization theory Another peculiar perspective to consider the problem of the Baltimore African American community from, the Structured Socialization Theory presupposes that a particular situation and a particular environment predispose the actions of the people who are involved into the situation in question in any way. Either carried away by the moment, or being convinced in the necessity to pursue the values of a particular society, people take the actions that they would not have otherwise (Anderson 1). Indeed, when considering the Baltimore situation, one will have to agree that, without being ostracized by the rest of the population, the people inhabiting the Baltimore African American suburbia would have, probably, not succumbed to illegal activities. In some way, society molds criminals, creating the premises for criminal activity to occur, with such setting as “unpaved streets, open-air sewers, random garbage collection, polluted drinking water, and poor lighting” (Auyero 26). Perhaps, the saddest thing about watching the principles of the given theory coming into life is that the criminal environment of Baltimore sucks in not only the adults, but the younger population, including teenagers and kids. Thus, the vicious circle closes; once made sinister by the criminal outcasts, the city coins criminal outcasts nowadays. Movie Analysis: Through the Lens of Social Justice Like any other documentary, the given movie has its strengths and problems. While clearly le