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Youth gangs today
The rise of teenage gangs
The rise of teenage gangs
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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. Webster’s dictionary has several definitions for the meaning of gang. The definition that best fits for juveniles is a group of young people who do illegal things together and who often fight against other gangs, or a group of people who are friends and who do things together. (Webster’s) One of the problems met by law enforcement and other professionals is the lack of a consistent definition of a gang. Generally a ga... ... middle of paper ... ... Contemporary Street Gang Memoirs. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi Merriam-Webster Dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gang Morch, S., & Andersen, H. (2012). Becoming a Gang Member: Youth Life and Gang Youth. Online Submission Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., DeLisi, M. (2011), The Essentials Delinquency in Society, Jones and Bartlett Publishers Sante, L. (1991). Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York. New York: Vintage Books. Schmidt, L. M., & O'Reilly, J. T. (2007). Gangs and Law Enforcement: A Guide for Dealing with Gang-Related Violence. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publisher, LTD. Sela-Shayovitz, R. (2012). Gangs and the Web: Gang Members’ Online Behavior. Journal Of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 28(4), 389-405. Doi: 10.1177/1043986212458191 Soordhas, J. T. (2009). Gangs: Violence, Crime and Anti-gang Initiatives. New York: Nova Science.
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 response to a growing gang problem in specific communities, the OJJDP has refined the Comprehensive Gang Model to better fit the issues related to today’s gangs. The GRP incorporates several new aspects into the pre-existing Comprehensive Gang Model. The revamped program was tested in four communities: East Los Angeles, CA; Milwaukee, W...
The emergence of gangs in the United States was first fueled by immigration and poverty stricken families who settled in urban areas. With few having the money-making skills to accomplish the goals set by society such as money or a better way of life or able to adjust to their new urban life, these lower class citizens began to band together forming what many viewed as "gangs" in certain areas. Although there was no definite meaning of the term "gang" back then, one recent definition that has been agreed upon by more than 100 American and European researches attempted to define it; "A street gang is any durable, street-oriented youth group whose involvement in illegal activity is part of its group identity (Klein & Maxson).
There are some 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs with about 1.4 million members are criminally active in the U.S. today (FBI). Within those 33,000 gangs there are many different types of gangs that all have different factors as to who are members of each gang. Many gangs are regionally specific. Often the regional nature of gangs not only increases the population of those gangs, but also increases the overall impact on the criminal justice system. With over a million criminally active gang members in the US today, gangs make a major impact on the criminal justice system. The stress placed on the criminal justice system has huge implications to American law enforcement. Some of the stresses can be seen by the evaluation of different types, styles and population of gangs and gang members, types and frequency of crimes committed and location of gangs as
Statistics Canada has done research on identifying the facts that are contributed to the definition of a youth gang member. Partnered with the Montreal Police Service, Statistics Canada was able to generate the definition of a gang member: "An organized group of adolescents and/or young adults who rely on group intimidation and violence, and commit criminal acts in order to gain power and recognition and/or control certain areas of unlawful activity [2] (Statistics Canada, 2008).
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.
The first chapter of Policing Gangs in America is entitled, “Studying the Police Response to Gangs.” The primary purpose of the chapter is to establish how police agencies; Inglewood, Las Vegas, Albuquerque and Phoenix in specific, respond to gang problems in their respective areas. This chapter served as an introduction, giving a brief history of gang-related policing, how the public and media see the gang problem, research studies done regarding gangs and the recent declaration to shift away from suppression-oriented strategies as a result of overly aggressive actions toward citizens. Examples of this misconduct are given in the forms of gang units from Las Vegas, Chicago and Houston.
A gang is “any durable, street-oriented youth group whose involvement in illegal activity is part of its group identity,” (Agnew & Brezina, 2014). A group who has existed for months, spends much of their time in any public place, and participates in illegal activity may be classified as a street gang.
Gangs exist because the members of a gang do not feel socially accepted by the world in which they live. A gang is a group of individuals who have decided to create their own levels of government, they have decided to educate themselves, and they are mostly intolerant of rules and laws of mainstream society. These individuals commit many crimes as a means to survival in the land. They have committed themselves to each other and are collectively called “a gang.” To join a gang you must first be initiated into the gang. There are different ways to be initiated. One way is for the initiate to be beaten by the group of individuals in the gang. Another way is to commit different types of crimes throughout the city. Others are being blessed in, meaning you have a family member already in the gang which gives the individual right to claim the gang. To be let into a gang, is no easy process. There are many different classifications of gangs. There are the Criminal gangs who look for gain in material
There are several factors that play into youths joining gangs. These factors are a big deal and can easily be fixed to lower the youth gang rate. For my research paper I will be writing about youth gangs and how factors in a childs life pertains to why they join gangs. I will research why youths get involved with gangs and how it affects the communities. I will explain what types of gangs are out there and what kids get involved in what gang. I will also explain what a gang is and how to know if someone is gang affiliated. I will also research in ways we can come together to put a stop to youth gangs. I will compare the lifestyles of these children who end up in gangs compared to the children who don’t end up being in gangs as youths. I will
There are many reasons why a person would join a gang some of the reasons are Gangs provide them with a sense of friendship,and a family that they don’t have at home or school, or another reason is that it is a way to gain money. Gangs can provide lucrative economic opportunities, status, and prestige, also some youths grow up in fact milies where parents and relatives are active gang members and joining a gang is part of family tradition.There are some solutions to prevent your kid from joining a gang and some just start at home.
Gang activity and gang violence is a growing concern in the United States today. It is estimated that there are approximately 760,000 gang members and over 24,000 active gangs in various jurisdictions within the United States (World Vision, 2011). It is also estimated that 155 children are arrested for his or her participation in violent crimes every year and that most of this violence is directly related to gangs and gang activity (World Vision, 2011). In order to address this growing epidemic, those working in the field of criminal justice have turned to existing sociological theories. One theory that may be instrumental in addressing the problems associated with gang violence and gang activity in today’s society is the Subculture of Violence Theory by Marvin Wolfgang. Not only could this theory provide individuals in criminal justice and the community with the rationale behind gang violence and gang activity, it will also assist them in creating strategies to address this growing epidemic.
Hallswort, S. And Young, T. (2004) Getting Real About Gang. Criminal Justice Matters [online]. 55. (1), pp 12-13 [Accessed 10 December 2013]
Otero, Juan. “Curbing street gang violence,” National League of Cities. 21 Dec 1998. General Reference Center Gold. Jan 2007
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.