Disorderly youth are big problems in most communities whether they are associated with gangs or not. Problems consist of loitering, graffiti, property damage, vandalism, noise, cursing, fighting, assaults, panhandling, shoplifting, underage drinking, drug dealing, etc. Some problems are only highly annoying while other misconduct is full of hatred and violence. No matter the significance of the problem is should be handled because if not small problems can turn into much bigger issues in which will be harder to handle later on. Many problems with disorderly youth occur in shopping malls, businesses, public parks, school grounds, convenience stores, and other common areas.
Gangs are very appealing to youth where gangs thrive because they fulfill the need for attention and the need to belong. Identity can be gained in the gang culture along with friendships and the closeness that lacks in a child’s home. Gangs fulfill survival functions for youths by becoming family and earning living through illicit activity. (Hess, 2011) There are many theories and methods that can be used in the situation of disorderly youth.
The Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP) believes if joining gangs is prevented early on, then there will be no problems to deal with later on and therefore created three implications for efforts to prevent youths in joining gangs. Prevention efforts should begin early, target youths exposed to multiple risk factors, and address all facets of youths
Gang involvement is on the rise in most communities affecting socioeconomic status, racial relationships, and inhabitants (Esbensen et. al., 2012, p. 128). Despite a continuous increase with youth gang affiliations in underserved communities, there is still a scarcity of promising or effectual gang prevention and intervention programs offered by schools. Facing time and resource constraints school administrators need to consider the “cost and benefits” of each possible intervention plan (Esbensen et. al., 2012, p. 142). Consequential to low intervention programs, risk factors such as communal disorganization, poverty, low educational success, acquaintance
The streets of Philadelphia are rapidly becoming a home to violent acts and random homicides. Innocent lives are taken every day due to the strong presence of gangs, and the streets are run by unruly groups of fearless young adults. Gang violence in Philadelphia is a major issue, and the citizens will never be safe until gang prevention occurs. Gang prevention is not a simple task, but with the right resources available, it is possible. Gang violence is a problem that will contribute to the collapse of Philadelphia, and it has yet to be solved throughout many generations. With gang violence on the rise, the best solution to gang violence is to educate the youth and parents about gangs and use family support to prevent the creation of gang
In order to define the nature and scope of juvenile antisocial behavior we must determine that “gangs are variable, diverse and difficult to define in precise terms” (White, 2007) and that “adolescent antisocial behavior is an issue of major concern to parents, teachers, police and governments and is a significant cost to the
In 2003 as a response to communities with a large amount and growing number of youth gangs the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), a branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, initiated the Gang Reduction Program (GRP) (U.S. Department of Justice 2008). The formation of gangs is seen as a response to system failures and community dysfunction. As a result, one of OJJPD’s anti-gang initiatives is to make communities safer and have a pro-social environment (U.S. Department of Justice 2008). Furthermore, OJJDP plans to provide economic and social opportunities that gangs often promise to new recruits which are often obtained in an illegal and dangerous fashion (U.S. Department of Justice 2008). OJJDP believes that the
Most gangs are created to form a sense of power and control. All types of problems are presented to the youths of today growing up in major cities. Before being so eager to jump to conclusions, we must try to understand these problems, or we will never find a solution to them.
Juvenile street gangs are expanding, and evolving into crime that has not been linked to gangs in the past, according to the FBI. While they expand into white-collar type crimes like counterfeiting, identity theft and mortgage fraud, they also continue to be involved in illegal activities that they are more well known for, such as drug sales, recruiting new members, violent turf wars, and prostitution, the FBI reports. The number of active street gangs (including gangs in prisons) is around 33,000, and membership in those 33,000 is estimated to be about 1.4 million, the FBI reports. This paper delves into the scholarly literature available about gangs, and for the most part this paper focuses on juvenile gangs albeit some of the data may also include gangs that include older individuals. This paper focuses on gang members' relationships with adults, their interactions with counselors in schools, risk factors associated with gang membership, weapon-related issues and other matters connected to juvenile gangs.
This paper will go over the nature and scope of juvenile antisocial behavior as it relates to organized gangs. It will describe three of the most common forms of antisocial behaviors in organized gangs. It will also cover and describe three types of proactive solutions to the gang violence.
Juvenile criminal gangs have long been a significant issue with the criminal justice establishment. Youths coming together to commit criminal acts normally attributed to adult and more vicious criminal organizations are now being routinely committed by juveniles. The reasons for these youths in committing the activities have somewhat baffled author tries as well as scholars and researchers. It must be noted however, that juvenile delinquency is not new; laws in the past have sought to control the criminal and deviant tendencies of children, and prescribing changes from rehabilitative to retribution against criminal acts committed by juveniles. Many of the common assumptions-from being accepted and venting violent behavior- have long been
Gang involvement is on the rise in most communities affecting socioeconomic status, racial relationships, and inhabitants (Esbensen et. al., 2012, p. 128). Despite a continuous increase with youth gang affiliations in underserved communities, there is still a scarcity of promising or effectual gang prevention and intervention programs offered by schools. Facing time and resource constraints school administrators need to consider the “cost and benefits” of each possible intervention plan (Esbensen et. al., 2012, p. 142). Consequential to low intervention program, risk factors such as communal disorganization, poverty, low educational success, acquaintance with aberrant peers, and little to no parental attachment will continue to make a path toward gang affiliation and criminal actions. Observations have confirmed that gang involvement correlates with increased law violating behaviors alongside victimization, vastly decreasing the possibility of graduating. Without having met the average educational expectations may result in severe consequences throughout an individual’s life. It is for this reason that workshops, rather than programs, that are relatively low to maintain and very beneficial need to be formulated and implemented in schools.
Gangs originated naturally during the adolescent years of a child. They started from small play groups that eventually found themselves in conflict with other small groups of youth. Due to the conflict between the two small groups of youth it became a part of a child’s mind set to come together as a gang and protect their rights and satisfy the needs that their environment and families couldn’t provide. There are about 24,500 gangs in the U.S and out of those gangs 40% of them are juveniles (Hess, Orthmann, Wright, 2013). There are numerous reason why a child would join a gang, and the
Gangs are becoming prevalent in today’s society and within our schools. More and more young people are turning to gangs in an attempt to escape their everyday lives and the future, which they perceive as dismal and bleak. They are initially attracted to the prestige and cash flow, which is glamorized by the street gang. Many gangs are actively involved in criminal misconduct, such as drug and gun trafficking, burglaries and homicides. However, street gangs are not just a criminal justice issue, but a social problem, which is triggered by poverty, peer pressure, boredom, despair and lacking a sense of belonging.
Unfortunately, gang members mostly start out at a young age. Almost all adult gang members had received their start in the gangs in their youth (Hoover, 2013.) In the city, I feel that a lot of the youth are led to the gangs by the area they live in. Most of these children have family members who are in gangs and most of the friends or school kids they know are in gangs. Most of the kids are never shown that they have better options and have no positive role model in their life. To assist in preventing the youth from joining a gang, I think the cities could deploy after school and youth programs. Keeping them active with sports and other activities rather than just hanging out on the streets.
In society today, there is a major problem We live in a society where gangs are taking over our neighborhoods in numbers. It is the responsibility of the individuals to part take in getting their neighborhoods back under control. Gangs are becoming a growing problem in American society. More young people are turning to gangs to solve problems in their lives or for acceptance. When youths join gangs, they drop all their social activities with school, family, and friends. However, individuals ruin their lives, and the chances of them having a decent education, and a successful life by getting involved in gang activity.
Gang violence is a serious problem in USA, and no one is immune from the impact that gangs and youth violence can have on a community. Today, the gangs and the aspects of the violence they attract, draw young people from all walks of life, socio-economic backgrounds, races and ethnic groups. Youth violence is a problem not only for law enforcement but also for the community. Drive-by shootings, carjacking, home invasions and the loss of innocent life have become too frequent, destroying lives and ripping apart the fabric of communities.
In recent years, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) noticed the increase in the number of teens between the ages of nine to seventeen being involved with gangs in the United States. While most people would agree that gang membership is an individual choice, scholars believe that it is more important to shift the focus of these programs from an individual level to a community level. This literature review examines a few of the prevention programs the OJJDP have implemented in the school’s curriculum and after-school