When adolescents break away from the constricting hold of their parents, they begin to establish their own identity through decisions. However, the development of self-identification is often hindered by social institutions such as the justice system, religion and the media. Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange shows how free will is suppressed when Alex, the main protagonist, undergoes Ludovico's technique, religious lessons and is forced to ascribe to social norms influenced by the media. Similar to the treatment of criminals in our society, these manipulative techniques are used to instill pain when Alex desires violence or music, as a means to find salvation; although fear, police officials, indelible advertisements, and the law are supposed to be used to mitigate crime, they ultimately suppress free will through coercive techniques. Therefore, American citizens do not have the privilege of the power of choice because the means to assert the self are also intertwined and repressed through social institutions. When citizens imagine prison, they imagine solitude, protection and security; but, beyond these protective walls, criminals and society are subject to illegal constraints implemented by the dictatorial justice system as a means of suppressing free will. The judicial system is influenced and mostly dominated by corrupt tycoons and politicians; the development of power between these two institutions is established through money and strong relationships. In exchange for money, government officials will cooperate and implement restrictions imposed on society and against heinous criminals, while they are held in captivity. Samuel McCracken, acclaimed writer and researcher, states: "free choice has diminished for everyone... middle of paper... specific things that were not apparent to us because the media has the ability to influence choice. the advent of choice that governs institutions – religion, justice system and media, the common notion of having free will is commonly admired, but as citizens of a country founded on constraints, we do not have the privilege of freedom of choice if institutions continue to limit the choice, there would be disastrous consequences for citizens' inherent rights to freedom of choice. Furthermore, the incorporation of government institutions, religion and the media into our daily lives has severely crippled our ability to decide due to the constant implementation of multiple. Influential factors such as the law, salvation, and the media hinder our decisions. Therefore, the conscious decisions we think we make are, in fact, manipulated by some perpetuated external variable.