Presently, youths and adolescent teens have become progressively enticed to join gangs. An individual joining a gang or a non-criminal group consists of different pushes and pulls that work in tandem to represent an attraction or dominating force. In this case, for example, “gang membership can increase status among peers, especially girls (for boys)” while also allowing the opportunity to be with them (Why Do Youth Join Gangs?). Gangs also provide a sense of excitement through illicit drug selling and the ability to earn money. By committing these illicit acts, youths perceive themselves making a rational choice in their decision to join a gang. It is assumed candidates for gangs are already delinquent or have a high probability for delinquency…
In the article that we read entitled "Are the Risk and Protective Factors Similar for Gang-Involved, Pressured-to-Join, and Non-Gang-Involved Youth? A Social-Ecological Analysis” written by Gabriel J. Merrin, Jun Sung Hong, and Dorothy L. Espelage. I found that the article was a very great source of enlightenment of the world of the gang involvement. I am going to share with everyone the things in the article that got my attention. I found that it was strange that males are more than likely to become involved in gangs more so than females. Youth boys and girls are higher risks for joining or being involved with an organized group of criminals if the youth has depression, traumatic stress, anti-social behavior and suicidal ideation. In addition to…
social disorganization is most often used to describe the conditions for the growth of gangs. the concept of gangs is that gangs form out of unsupervised peer groups, which are unsupervised because the formal institutions of society such as schools, church and families break down. the new urban institutions are not yet strong enough to replace them, especially for the acculturating children. Chicago schools have gangs as temporary product of the second generation. Back then gangs followed a certain code and they were also filled with order. they gave out violations for not following the law that was laid down by the chief in command or a higher power.…
Sheley, Joseph, (1995). Gang Organization, Gang Criminal Activity, and Individual Gang Members ' Criminal Behavior. . Social Science Quarterly. 76 (1), pp.53-68…
Three different explanations for adolescent gang members delinquent behavior: 1) Selection hypothesis – adolescents who commit more crimes join gangs. 2) Facilitation hypotheses – gang membership increases delinquent behavior. 3) Enhancement hypothesis – both the selection and facilitation work together to increase delinquency. The data suggest that for “person offences” and “Property offences” the selection and enhancement hypothesis are supported. The transient gang members support the facilitation model and stable gang members support the enhancement model. For “drug sales” and “drug use” the results were inconclusive since the highest drug sales and use occurred while in the gang but upon leaving the gang drug sales and use volume did not…
Two words may have similar denotations, but over time events and trends change the meaning of these words. Words such as “gang” and “club” have evolved, and since evolving one has arose as a positive word and the other a negative. These changes in connotations develop when an event becomes significant enough to be a part of the media and become ingrained in history. Then from then on these words cannot ever go back to meaning anything different because of a popular following and spreading.…
The presence of gang violence has plagued the United States for many years. Although it is more active in some parts of the country than others, gang violence affects every American: either monetarily as a taxpayer or directly as a victim. Regardless, it is a concern of every individual; therefore, the criminal justice system has been addressing it for years in different ways. The approach of emphasizing harsh punishments has been implemented for quite some time now and it remains to be an accepted tactic. Despite its popularity, the implementation of harsh punishments has been shown to be counterproductive. It continues to spread ignorance, which is eluded by politicians and the media. Harsher punishments include (but are not limited to): sentencing enhancements and juvenile waiver policies, which both have been reported to be detrimental in the long run. Overall, the criminal justice system should consider seeking other approaches that may be proactive.…
Gang violence is a major problem in many places in many places, and if the Interrupters keep up and expand their work, it could be lessened. According to the US legal website, "Gang violence means criminal and non political acts of violence committed by a group of people who regularly engage in criminal activity against innocent people." (UsLegal.com) In the movie The Interrupters, by Steve James and Alex Kotlowitz, there is a group of violence interrupters that are working on interrupting and stopping violence in Chicago. The gang violence has gotten out of control, and there are many innocent people and young children being killed because of this gang violence. A solution to this problem would be for the violence interrupters to keep doing…
The proposed research question seeks to look at “What is the correlation between Bermuda’s youth propensity to join gangs and the proceeds derived from crime?” Correlation, youth, propensity, gang, proceeds and crime are key concepts defined to provide a better understanding of the research question. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (n.d.), “Correlation is the relationship between things that happen or change together”. Youth is the period between childhood and adult age, Oxford Dictionaries (n.d.). Propensity is an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way Oxford Dictionary (n.d.). “A gang is a group of young people who do illegal things together and who often fight against other gangs” Merriam-Webster (n.d.). Proceeds are money obtained from an event or activity, Oxford Dictionaries (n.d.). Crime is an illegal act,…
After investigating adolescents’ gang involvement, I come to recognize that adolescents’ gang involvement has become a major societal concern. Adolescent affiliation with gangs and delinquent behavior numbers has soared as of recently and may continue to due to numerous societal issues. In the article “The Origins of Black Crime,” author, William Cross, agrees when he states, “black delinquency rate steadily increased between 1920 till 1940, with greater crime involvement in the more run-down sections of the black community, where broken black families resided” (Cross, 2003, pg 7). Societal issues that range from poverty, lack of proper education and poor schools, unbalanced family structures, abuse, neglect,…
A proper understanding and perception of gangs requires an understanding of when a group turns into a gang. Additionally an understanding of the significance of the gangs’ characteristics is required. Understanding gangs is a crucial step in being able to reduce the violence and inequalities all around the world. This is because gangs are a global phenomenon and they are the voice of the millions of individuals that are marginalized.…
They have poisoned our streets with drugs, violence, and hateful crimes. I have researched many different kinds of gangs to motorcycle gangs like the “Hells Angels” to the prison gangs such as the “Latin Kings”. Why is there gang violence, how does it impact our daily lives, and how can it be prevented? Gang violence, is the most organized as a well sophisticated crime that comes into play here in America as well as other countries.…
Egley, A., Jr., and Howell, J.C. 2011. Highlights of the 2009 National Youth Gang Survey. Fact…
“Gang violence in America is not a sudden problem. It has been a part of urban life for years, offering an aggressive definition and identity to those seeking a place to belong in the chaos of large metropolitan.” Dave Reichert, United States Congressman.…
Gangs are nothing new to American society, what is new and disturbing is the recent spike in juvenile crimes with reported ties to certain gangs. Youth gangs have been prevalent in schools in large cities since the 1970 's. However, they have become even more prevalent in schools in the recent past. In the student survey component of the 1995 National Crime Victimization Survey, more than one third (37%) of the students reported gangs at their schools and the percentage of students reporting the presence of gangs at their schools nearly doubled between 1989 and 1995, and then decreased in 1999, according to a more conservative measure.…