Why Youth Become Involved in Gangs
Why Youth Become Involved in Gangs
Arjun Kapadiya
820-519-759
Prof. Jasdeep Singh
CRIM 204 – 01
Youth in Crime
“I have reviewed the turn-it-in report regarding this paper and am satisfied that I have not made any citations errors that would be considered a form of academic misconduct”
Why Youth Become Involved in Gangs
Introduction
For the past many years, the world has been going through a lot of changes; some changes were for the good, and some for the bad. Youth gangs – what category do they come under – good or bad? Mary Thatcher, a Yahoo! Voices contributer, says that, “Kids who come from broken homes and have no other place to go for safety may look to a street gang for protection and acceptance” (Thatcher, 2009, Para 3) yet, Rizzo (2003) says, “they interact with other youth in similar circumstances in an effort to upgrade their status in the community and experience the power of intimidation through gang activities” (Rizzo, 2003, Pg. 67). These conflicting arguments would lead any individual astray and abandon them on the fence.
To give the final, and critical push, the media comes into play. Esbensen and Tusinski both focus on this specific topic - youth gangs in the media – and through all their research, they came to the conclusion that,
“there was a strong tendency to provide stereotypical depiction of gangs and gang members that promote misperceptions about youth gangs, their members, and their group characteristics. Youth gangs are problematic enough in reality without the media contributing to exaggerations of their attributes that are associated with violence and organizational capacity” (Esbensen & Tuninski, 2007, Pg. 21).
This literature will take a look at the various reasons as to why youth join gangs by targeting several key factors like; what is a gang, how do they join, numerous theories, family involvement, and gang
Arjun Kapadiya
820-519-759
Prof. Jasdeep Singh
CRIM 204 – 01
Youth in Crime
“I have reviewed the turn-it-in report regarding this paper and am satisfied that I have not made any citations errors that would be considered a form of academic misconduct”
Why Youth Become Involved in Gangs
Introduction
For the past many years, the world has been going through a lot of changes; some changes were for the good, and some for the bad. Youth gangs – what category do they come under – good or bad? Mary Thatcher, a Yahoo! Voices contributer, says that, “Kids who come from broken homes and have no other place to go for safety may look to a street gang for protection and acceptance” (Thatcher, 2009, Para 3) yet, Rizzo (2003) says, “they interact with other youth in similar circumstances in an effort to upgrade their status in the community and experience the power of intimidation through gang activities” (Rizzo, 2003, Pg. 67). These conflicting arguments would lead any individual astray and abandon them on the fence.
To give the final, and critical push, the media comes into play. Esbensen and Tusinski both focus on this specific topic - youth gangs in the media – and through all their research, they came to the conclusion that,
“there was a strong tendency to provide stereotypical depiction of gangs and gang members that promote misperceptions about youth gangs, their members, and their group characteristics. Youth gangs are problematic enough in reality without the media contributing to exaggerations of their attributes that are associated with violence and organizational capacity” (Esbensen & Tuninski, 2007, Pg. 21).
This literature will take a look at the various reasons as to why youth join gangs by targeting several key factors like; what is a gang, how do they join, numerous theories, family involvement, and gang
References: |in California. American Journal of Public Health, 87(8), 1311-1316. doi:10.2105/AJPH.87.8.1311 . | |Esbensen, F., Deschenes, E |Retrieved October 29, 2012, from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/182210.pdf | |Government of Canada (2007) |Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/cp/bldngevd/2007-yg-2-eng.aspx#s1 | |Howell, J |Justice. Retrieved October 30, 2012, from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/231116.pdf | |Moore, J., & Hagedorn, J |Retrieved October 29, 2012, from | |http://helpinggangyouth1.homestead.com/female_gangs-joan_moore_lit_review.pdf | |Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (2000, August). Youth Gang Programs and Strategies. | |U.S |Sampson, R. J., & Groves, W. B. (1989). Community Structure and Crime: Testing Social-Disorganization | |Theory |Schroeder, R. D., Osgood, A. K., & Oghia, M. J. (2010). Family Transitions and Juvenile Delinquency. | |Sociological Inquiry, 80(4), 579-604 |Spohn, R. E., & Kurtz, D. L. (2011). Family Structure as a Social Context for Family Conflict: Unjust | |Strain and Serious Delinquency |Thatcher, M. (2009, February 11). Gangs: Why Do Some Young People Get Involved? Yahoo! Voices. | |Retrieved October 31, 2012, from | |Delinquency Prevention. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/237542.pdf | |Vigil, J