Terrence Thornberry's Three Reasons Why Youths Join Gangs

Terrence Thornberry and several of his colleagues theorized that there are three ways youths join gangs. This consist of the selection model which concludes children with high delinquency seek out street gangs while the facilitation model describes children performing delinquency in groups as opposed to when solo. The enhancement model is defined as a combination of the other two models. Based on Thornberry’s and his colleagues’ definitions of the different models I would have to agree with his assessment of why youths join street gangs. One of the major reasons why youth join gangs is peer pressure as well as a sense of family, which would fit under their definition of the facilitation model. Another main reason for youth joining street gangs
is their need for money or food to survive. Lower-income youths in this situation usually rely on delinquent activities such as theft to fulfill their need to survive and this would fit under their selection model. Based on the descriptions of the models provided by Thornberry and his colleagues I do agree with their theory.