Why Juveniles Join Gangs Essay

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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. It is very common for gangs to be made up of or include juveniles. Juveniles who join gangs have a variety of reasons to do so. The influence of a friend is a major reason as to why juveniles join any street gang. The juvenile may have a friend who already has taken part in the gang and may view the group as a sense of belonging, therefore influencing their decision to join. The strong desire for a positive status is yet another reason juveniles …show more content…

An abundant number of juveniles also join for any financial gain they believe the gang will be able to give them. They are influenced to join by the simple thought of being able to make money by various activities such as drug selling, robberies, and burglaries. Overall, juveniles join street gangs because they believe that it will benefit them in a certain way, depending on the situation of the juvenile. Young, strained individuals otherwise known as juveniles or young adults who join gangs are typically between the ages of twelve and thirty. However, the highest rates of participation of juveniles in gangs are with the fourteen and fifteen-year-olds. Most juveniles who join gangs are usually male, though there is a twenty to forty percent of female population in these groups. Gangs and gang members tend to be located in poor, lower income, urban communities, although some do exist in middle class areas. A group in an upper middle-class area of Philadelphia may be considered a gang. This group was involved in various illegal activity such as gang rape and was known for their delinquent behavior and troublesome reputation. The group were composed of young adults and had its own name and symbols. It was also incredibly

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