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What economic factors make young people join a gang
Youth involvement in gangs
Three sociological theories relating to gangs
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There are a few theories of why gangs are formed most of the theories have to do with the lower class poorer neighborhood and date back to the 1950. One of the newer theories of why gangs form is the underclass theory by Jeffery Fagan he feels that gangs are formed because juveniles feel they are being excluded from the mainstream labor market jobs and have to look for other economic alternatives such as part time low paying jobs, temporary jobs, muggings, prostitution, welfare or to get involved in the sale of drugs to make a living. Selling drug for street gangs for big money is one of the first jobs that a new recruit can expect to do in a gang. In the larger city ghettos there is so much poverty and deprivation which leave juveniles no
Gangs have been in existence since the beginning of the Roman Empire. There were speeches made by Roman orator, Marcus Tullius Cicero, which references groups of men who constantly fought and disrupted Roman politics (Curry, 2013). The history of street gangs in the United States begins with their emergence on the East Coast around 1783, as the American Revolution ended. Though many believe the best available evidence suggests that the more serious street gangs likely did not emerge until the early part of the nineteenth century (Sante, 1991). Although our country has had their share of feared gangs like in the 1980’s with the turf war between the Bloods and Crips, back in the 17th and 18th century the Mohocks of Georgian, England were one of the most feared gangs. What draws juveniles to the gang lifestyle? Many people will say that most gang members are children from impoverished communities, single family homes where there was no father present, or maybe there is a more psychological/sociological answer? By appearance and presence most gangs cause fear, crime, and disillusionment in the communities they occupy. Throughout history joining a gang has been perceived as a life without any reward, yet by joining this lifestyle many juveniles are able to gain the needed stability and security in their lives.
Gangs are a group of boys and believe it or not girls too, that frequently get together to make all types of vandalism and actions that are not admitted by the law. Gangs have been part of the world for a very long time; they have also evolved through time. For example gangs in the 1960’s are not the same as the gangs we see today in our days. Many gangs were made before and after the 1960’s but the major gangs in this time were: The Crips, The Latin Kings, KKK, The Bloods which were enemies of The Crips, and the 18th Street Gang.
In 1987, a Billy the Kid museum began in Hico, Texas. This museum was founded on the belief that a man named Brushy Bill Roberts was the real Billy the Kid, and had escaped the bullets of Pat Garrett. Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang founders firmly believed this to be untrue.
This paper will cover issues that young minorities encounter in the movies; Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008), Gran Torino (2008), A Better Life (2011). Movies will be summarize, and compare and contrast youths experienced. Criminological theories shall be utilized to further elaborate issues. Finally steps and theories will be utilized towards solving issues, also possible methods to correct the issues will be addressed in the end.
The kids became gang members for many reasons. Some needed to find what their place was in the world, and they needed to know who they were as human beings. Joining the gang gave them a feeling of being involved in something and made them feel better about themselves. They felt that as a gang member they received the attention, emotional support, and understanding that they couldn’t get from their actual family members at home.
Thesis: Children may join gang(s) due to poor parenting – self centered parents and their failure to implement love, importance affection, and how to be compassionate.
Social Class Most of the gang members that have been reported come from the lower social economical class. When these kids are out in the streets they have nothing better to do so they begin to commit delinquent behavior. Since these economically challenged kids have no money to go anywhere, they tend to hang around their neighborhood. These kinds of groups encourage each other to commit criminal activity. They feel that if one does it, all of them can do it too.
is a part of the gang but they have not made a commitment to a life in
Attitudes, meaning how we as people respond to a subject, values, what we perceive is right and wrong, and beliefs play a major role in what brings youngsters into gangs. How does one develop a "gang attitude" to begin with? To answer this we must look at the culture. The values we Americans tend to have, make the alternative life style very appealing, this in conjunction with the glorified gang life style portrayed through the lyrics of the "Gangsta" rap artists all influence the young impressionable mind. This may make the child feel a sense of power, identity, or family, reflecting on the child's attitude. Also one must look at the neighborhood. A child can turn a corner and buy cocaine, see a gang war being played out, etc. It is obvious that the child cannot help but be influenced by this.
Female youths join street gangs on the basis of gender conflict, lack of family support and
A gang is a group of people who interact among themselves. Teen violence is contributed to these gangs. Most gangs claim neighborhoods as their territory and try to control everything inside that territory. This kind of antisocial behavior is a major problem in American Society.
Several factors contribute when making the decision to join a gang. Young boys and teenagers are often lured into joining gangs because of the easy access to making money. They are offered money for what seems to be simple activities. As soon as young teenage boys become members of a gang, they start participating in illegal activities. Gangs generate revenue from trafficking humans, drugs and weapons.
Numerous explanations have been produced as to why young people join street gangs. In my opinion the best explanation would be that many of these kids come from broken homes. Poverty and drug abuse in the home can cause young people to want to earn an income to support themselves and possibly their siblings because there is no food or other necessary items to survive on provided by the parents. These adolescents believe they cannot earn an income any other way so they decide to join a gang to make easy money to support themselves. Similarly, youths who have difficulties conforming to society often do not do well in school and a lot of the time end up on the streets during the day consequently, introduced to older gang members that take
A massive amount of gang members come from poor families, in a poor hood, and with no resources. A gang might offer youth beneficial material, like money, clothes, food, and more. Once someone can offer this youth things their family, and other people can’t give them then they are willing to do anything for it. Joining a gang can make a youth feel like they bettering themselves, their life, and their future. Gangs make kids think that gangs can make their dreams true, but in reality all they are doing is putting their life in danger. Low in her article she says that, “Failure to succeed in school may discourage kids from feeling like they’ll never be good enough to work a real job, so gang membership may seem like a desirable alternative. Also if schools and teachers just discourage kids from succeeding in school then more reason is for a kid to join a gang. Poor teenagers don’t have the economic recourse to finish school or even start school which causes youth to joining a gang.
There are various reasons behind young people joining street gangs. One of the reasons young people join street gangs is because of neighborhood disadvantages. A theory that can contribute to why young people might join street gangs is Social Disorganization Theory. Social Disorganization theory assumes that “delinquency emerges in neighborhoods where neighborhood relation and social institutions have broken down and can no longer maintain effective social controls (Bell, 2007).” Social Disorganization contributes to residential instability and poverty, which affects interpersonal relationships within the community and opens opportunities for crimes to be committed.