The development of gangs over the many years of their existence has caused the growth of different gangs and gang members to all parts of the world. These developing gangs have created major attention and awareness to this culture of life that is becoming so common amongst our communities. There have been said to be around 30,000 or more gangs with at least 800,000 gang members in the United States, whom were fully active in 2007. In 2009, the statics showed 147,000 in the United States prison and detention (jail) facilities and 900,000 living within our communities around the United States. Gangs in America and around the world often bring our young kids into this violent life of guns, drugs, murder, burglary, and many more criminal activities and heinous crimes.…
First of all, gang violence is everywhere although we do not see it at times, it is there and we should be aware of this social issue that happen in someone life. Some folks may think that these people that are in gangs were born into it or they just like to break the laws. Some of us may never know the answer why they are in gangs but we can seek our answers in books. For example in the book “ Always Running” , by Luis rodriguez in pages 50-68 it summarizes that Luis rodriguez joins a gang with his friend name the Animal Tribe in which he says he wants respect and to show he can take care of himself. As a result this ruins Luis’s relationship with his mom which makes him leave the…
Certain behaviors demonstrated by the adolescent become unregulated and uncontrolled. These youths grow up and due to their unregulated behavior, consequently corrupt the future youths of the community they live in (Why Do Youth Join Gangs?). Their behaviors become cultural norms within the community resulting in the creation of barriers that prevent social and economic opportunities. The defiant character that may manifest from gang affiliation produces a “fatalistic view of the world” providing the youth with the interpretation that everything or anything that happens around them is fate and…
Gangs can become violent quickly. They can use violence as a technique of intimidation for not just one person but all people in the neighborhood or town. Do not attempt to be a hero and take a gang down single-handed. Organizing neighborhood watches and keeping in contact with police can deter a gang from causing trouble. If more and more gang members lose their numbers to the penitentiary and have fewer people to recruit, they are likely to dissolve.…
There are three distinct types of gangs that might form in neighborhoods: criminal gangs, conflict gangs, and retreatist gangs. Criminal gangs exist in organized communities in which younger offenders can gain the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful criminals from older offenders. These gangs are likely to commit crimes such as drug dealing, commercial theft burglary, and other crimes with an economic motive. Conflict gangs don’t have the access to these illegitimate opportunity structures to obtain their goals. These gangs are highly disorganized; there are no adult criminal role models to tutor these youths. Most of the crime these gangs do is individualistic and unorganized. These people may do crazy acts of violence out of anger and frustration. Retreatist gangs may exist in neighborhoods that either do or do not have illegitimate opportunity structures, or they may not have access to those structures. These gangs sell small amounts of drugs. Criminal and Retreatist gangs sell drugs. Conflict and Retreatist gangs do poorly…
This article discusses several different ways to prevent youth gang violence. It talks about how youth and gang violence is ruining the country. It enlightens you on how youths are being robbed, raped and killed by one another. It talks about strengthen law enforcement and about securing a safe haven for the next generation. I had no idea youth gang violence was this massive. Gang violence involving youth membership has gained attention worldwide and this article will be useful toward research…
The article I chose to read was titled “The Gang Culture Continues to Grow”. This article explained aspects of the gang culture in America, and how it has grown over the years to be bigger and more violent then ever. Gangs have been around for centuries. The earliest recording of a gang was a gang named rebellious children, which was mentioned in 2 Kings 2:23-25 of the Bible. Gangs have continued to grow over the years, and now are present in almost every bigger sized city in America, and around the world. In the 1980’s, gangs were usually found only on the east and west coasts of America. Now, they are spreading in land to more rural areas to set up shop. This means more violence, more criminal activity, and more problems for the police and the surrounding communities with its law biting citizens. Very rarely will anything good come from gangs, so controlling them and prosecuting its members for crimes committed is a very important aspect of police forces of bigger cities.…
When a gang becomes a genuine gang it is at this time when they become a great concern as a threat to society. The formation, expansion and the consequent actions of gangs greatly affect society. It has been consistently found that gangs are normally linked to serious crimes and violence (Decker, Melde & Pyrooz, 2013). As these gangs become constant and stable fixtures in their community they become a permanent option for marginalized…
A study interviewed teenagers (aged 10-19) in Chicago and reported that “75% had witnessed a robbery, stabbing, shooting, and/or killing. 45% had witnessed more than one violent incident.” With this chronic violence in these communities coupled with the fear of gang members, it is no wonder why the youth join gangs. With gang membership, individuals are apart of a group that protects one another. Therefore, gangs are a natural adaptation to the environment they are surrounded by and garner power from the ability to recruit members. Their own terrifying image using physical items (clothing, accessories, and/or tattoos) create an image of power. Evidence has shown “recruitment tactics include… fear/intimidation, especially when children live in gang-infested neighborhoods.” Gangs target youth in these areas because they are vulnerable because of their current situation. They offer them safety, a family, and protection, something their own family and community cannot provide. The ability to successfully recruit members is proof of their dominance and validates their physical image. However, there are other ways used to recruit potential…
Although initially gangs were mainly in the inner cities they have now become prominent throughout all communities. When a family member is involved in a gang this can entice a young person to want to join the gang as well. “The finding that adolescent gang membership has significant consequences in adulthood beyond criminal behavior indicates the public health importance of the development of effective gang prevention programs” (Gillman, Hill, & Hawkins, 2014). Hopefully by getting programs in place to help the young people fully understand the consequences of joining a gang, as a society we can prevent and close gang activity in our…
Gangs have become an epic problem in the United States. It is very essential important in attempting to solve this problem by fully understanding how we can prevent individuals from joining a gang. A gang is group of three of more people that share a common bond and that are loyal to one another, whether it’s for economic reason or violence. The National Gang Center estimates that 32.4% of all cities in the United States experienced gang problems in 2008 (National Criminal Justice Reference Service, 2010). There are three main reasons why I fell that gangs have impacted the criminal justice system in three phenomenal ways. One, gangs have affected many communities; two, gangs influence our…
Most gang problems begin in small cities and rural counties. They may exist more in small cities and poor areas because of kids living condition. They’re more exposed to violent crime and see that lifestyle as something great. The factors can be physical abuse, having access to weapons and drugs, living poverty, having access to weapons and drugs, and lack of success in places such as school. Factors like these are the things that are increasing gangs jurisdictions. “The number of jurisdictions reporting youth gangs increased by 4.1 percent for the Nation as a whole, as shown by comparison of the estimated number of jurisdictions reporting gangs prior to 1996 with those reporting gangs in 1996.” (OJJDP) “Youth gang members were estimated to have been involved in 2,364 homicides in large cities and 561 homicides in suburban counties.” (OJJDP) gangs problem in this country is significant and affects communities of all sizes. According to NYGS surveys, gang problem will continue to grow over the following years to…
Gangs contribute one of the greatest threats to public safety. When joining a gang often there is an initiation this is usually a violent crime. 86% of the U.S Cities with the population of 100,000 people or more report gang activities.…
The article does a great job at analyzing the different factors that can conclude to gang joining. There is a mutual understanding that some environmental factors could apply to all gang race/ethnicity, but there is a difference in background, for each ethnicity/race, in why they were pushed into joining a gang. This article emphasizes in trying to stop gangs, but they want to understand if a program made for specific race/ethnicities could make a better outcome to prevent gang involvement. The next article focuses on the specifics of violence in percent black and percent…
The rise in number of youths with gang affiliations can be partially attributed to “the increased incarceration rates of older members and the aggressive recruitment of juveniles in schools” (“2011 National Gang Threat Assessment”). Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions and in several of these, youth gangs are responsible for the majority of the violence. Juveniles are targeted for membership because of vulnerability and susceptibility to recruitment tactics, likelihood of avoiding harsh criminal sentencing, and willingness to engage in violence (“2011 National Gang Threat Assessment”). It is often wondered what leads an adolescent into a life of crime and there are many theories on the subject. Communities from coast to coast are being ravaged by the effects of gang presence. This nation is not only losing an outrageous number of lives to gang-related homicides, but is also experiencing the loss of valuable minds that could have had bright futures, had they not gone down such a dangerous path. Juvenile gang involvement in the United States can be stopped by strengthening families and schools, improving community supervision, and training teachers and parents to manage disruptive…