A Pilot Program on Youth Engagement

In the years prior to the creation for the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program, America’s inner cities was experiencing a substantial increase of gang membership along the youth living in impoverished communities. During the early 1990s, many viewed gang activity as a particular community’s problem, but as youth and gang violence was increasing drastically across the United States’ inner cities, the public’s perception about this social issue changed. Due to the rapid rise of gang violence and youth membership, delinquent behavior by youths began to receive a substantial amount of academic and media attention.

Results from Chicago’s Project Safe Neighborhoods showed a 37 percent decrease each month in homicide cases. Before Project Safe Neighborhoods was created the homicide rate was up to 60 percent. Not only did Chicago see a difference in homicide rates, but, those who attended the small community programs were 30 percent less likely to return to prison. Research done through a survey with a 150 offenders showed that the small programs made a positive impact on showing a good relationship between the police and offenders. The

In time, violent crimes were slowly being decreased in the United States, but it seems to be making some sort of a comeback when it comes to youth violence and violence affiliated with gangs. This topic has appeared to be a dominant target for educators,

In cities like Baltimore, Maryland, and Chicago, the worst cities for urban youth, teen crime is not extraordinary. The poverty-ridden towns further provide reason and excuse for crime. Now this can be caused by many things, but the key ones are for money to provide basic needs and a way to obtain material goods that could not be obtained lawfully. In “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore, two impoverished teens growing up in Baltimore experience very different lives, one will find himself on top of the world, and the other far below in a state prison.

The correlation between gangs and drugs has always been an issue for the United States government. Major cities often overlooked the problem of youth gang violence, thinking it was only a 1960’s trend. Sixty years later, gangs and drugs continue to be a problem, but in an increasing number within urban, suburban and rural areas in the United States. People may characterize this problem with words such as violence, increase drug activity, and delinquencies, but not many seem to see the bigger picture. Lack of interaction, collaboration, and strategies from law enforcement, youth centers, businesses, churches, and political icons are increasing gang violence and drug related offenses in major cities. In such cities as Chicago, minority groups are the most vulnerable to joining a gang, which then leads to an involvement with drugs; they are faced with barriers – lack of family support, poverty, segregation, unemployment, etc. An incident that happened in Chicago history is the closing of the Cabrini-Green Project, where people involved with gangs had to find a new home, scattering gang-members throughout the city, and eventually leading to their spread and growth.

A consistent trend shifting the Town of Anthony Texas, is that of youth joining gangs at a very early age, starting drugs at an early age and having babies at a very early age. The use of alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs, by youth in this community is growing exponentially, due mostly to the prevalence of the drug within this community. The gangs are predominately Mexican-American and Mexican national in origin and appeal to Hispanic youth. Gang activity always involves drugs. In addition, the gang violence seen in this community stems from “turf” disputes over which gang has the power to sell drugs in a particular neighborhood. The Community Relation Coalition cannot address substance abuse without addressing gang activity in the

Urban centers throughout the United States of America and the world have experienced violence within the inner city communities. Many of the inner city communities are low-income and are poverty stricken. The spread of gang membership within the communities has influenced many young adolescents. Activities such as drug dealing, theft, assaults, and murders drive law enforcement to prevent crime. The justice system is also being changed due to the increase in minor violence. One of the reasons is due to people being part of minority groups. The charges pushed by the judicial

Adolescents sentenced within the US juvenile justice system have especially high rates of recidivism (when compared with their adult counterparts), with male juveniles incarcerated at a rate five times higher than females (Sickmund et al., 2015). African-Americans are an especially vulnerable demographic within this group. In numbers similar to the adult incarcerated population, youths of color are found in disproportionate numbers in every step of the US juvenile justice system, with African-American youths confined at nearly five times the rate of their white peers (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2013). Additionally, number of prior offences is an important factor, as first-time offenders are much less likely to re-offend than those with previous offences (Harrison et al., 2001). Gang-related activity and offenses were avoided for the purpose of this study, as gang-affiliation has an effect on the juveniles’ responses to the “positive peer pressure” of Teen Court programs. It is important to note, however, that for juveniles, previous incarceration acts as an even greater risk factor for future incarceration than gang membership (Holman & Ziedenberg, 2006). It is important to note that only participants who completed the program were included in the analysis. Research shows that of those who participate in Teen Court programs, those who complete their sentence are significantly

In his research Jay Macleod, compares two groups of teenage boys, the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers. Both groups of teenagers live in a low income neighborhood in Clarendon Heights, but they are complete opposites of each other. The Hallway Hangers, composed of eight teenagers spend most of their time in the late afternoon or early evening hanging out in doorway number 13 until very late at night. The Brothers are a group of seven teenagers that have no aspirations to just hang out and cause problems, the Brothers enjoy active pastimes such as playing basketball. The Hallway Hangers all smoke, drink, and use drugs. Stereotyped as “hoodlums,” “punks,” or “burnouts” by outsiders, the Hallway Hangers are actually a varied group, and much

Youth today are dealing with violence that’s happening across the globe. It is unknown to predict a state of action that the delinquent will do, but there are many preventions that we are able to take advantage of. Violence is one of the greatest fear that many of our youths may experience. Many recent activities that occurred with school shootings, those that are domestic or foreign abused, mass media of current brutality, even interpersonal conflicts may have conflicted with the state of mind that is threatening to our community. Instead, we can support with many preventable delinquency programs with the troubled youth that helps them get involved with the community such as afterschool programs, clubs, volunteer work, or even booth camps are one of many to interact

This article describes a project in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood that is designed to reduce gang problems, including violence and illegal drug activity. The Little Village Gang Violence Reduction Project was a comprehensive, community wide program designed to reduce serious violence in Chicago’s gang-ridden Little Village neighborhood. The main goal of this project was to reduce the extremely high level of serious gang violence, first at the individual youth gang member level, and then at both the gang and community level. The project appeared to reduce arrests for violent crimes, serious violent crimes, and drug crimes, but did not have an effect on arrests for property crimes or total arrests.

Juvenile gangs have become a serious and growing problem in many areas throughout the U.S. It is unlikely that gang control strategies can be successful as long as legitimate economic alternatives are lacking. I will be exploring the possible proactive solutions to this social problem.

Molidor research was to explore the etiology of female gang participation rather than to examine the women as sex objects or secondary roles as other research has done. The methodology that Molidor use was done using the social work cabin were they were interview and tape recorded; the question that the participants were structure to be view of female juvenile delinquency in macro level, micro level, and exo-level issues. The sample size that was used for this research was 15 female that identified as active gang members of several diverse gangs across Texas and New Mexico. The 15 female gang members were residences in a secure residential treatment facility in Texas. Out of the 15 participants 6 were white, 5 were Hispanic, 3 were African American, and 1 American Indian from ages that range 13 to 17. All the participants had records for criminal behaviors. Molidor findings were one can view this young women as victims. One can see them as victim because they became victims of violence and sexual abuse from parents, relatives, and within their own gangs. Although the young women are victims, but their role in gangs is evolving from sex objects to perpetrators of serious

Juvenile delinquency is a social issue in the United States today. Juvenile delinquency, is when “a violation of the law is committed by a juvenile and is not punishable by death or life imprisonment” (Juvenile Delinquency). The juvenile system is different from the adult system in many way and most juvenile delinquents are from the age of ten to the age of seventeen (Juvenile Delinquent). Once the delinquent or anyone is at the age of eighteen, they are considered to be an adult. Therefore, in the justice system they are tried as an adult. There are many different reasons why a child would commit crime, such as mental and physical factors, peer influence, home conditions, neighborhood environment and school conditions. Teens are greatly influenced by the interactions and surroundings they are around. Their behaviors can result from the parent and/or their peer influences. Parents play a great role in the child’s life and a teen’s peers also play a strong role in how the teen behaves when the parents are not insight. This research will examine links between the social environment of teens and how it influences the teens actions and behavior which leads them to commit an offense.

Previously, there was not enough knowledge or resources amongst communities to raise awareness or organise crime prevention programs for juveniles. Today, schools together with police and community-based workers are aiming to provide the expertise to help create crime prevention programs for juveniles. It is believed that that one of the most active crime prevention strategies is effective intervention programs. A substantial number of crimes amongst adolescence are detected from anti-social behaviours. Youth need to be more involved in their community activities such as church associated groups, sports clubs, recreation centres (Dodington et al 2012, p. 1026). Other school organisations such as ‘Links to Learning’ helps adolescences engage in activities that will teach worthy skills for future work and careers. All these extracurricular activities will give youth less time to consider committing crimes