The Cycle Of Violence : The Continuum Of Gangs

Gangs have been a growing issue across the United States for many decades now. Youth gang violence may have started around the ‘50s, but did not become a serious issue until the ‘80s and from there went through a downward spiral in some cities like downtown Los Angeles, which was where the notorious Bloods and Crips gangs both started. First, let’s simply define a gang as a group of people, mostly men ranging for ages 14-30, who claim territory and use it to make money for themselves and their neighborhood through illegal activities such as trafficking drugs and weapons. There are many reasons and components that are factored in when conducting research to hypothesize “why do people join gangs?” That is why it is necessary to compare and contrast all the social, biological, psychological, developmental, and substance abuse aspects and relate it to joining a gang. It is also important to touch base on the differences between males and females that join gangs, such as power differentials, social learning differences and social stratification differences.

When individuals decided to get involve in those type of activities many of them do it for specific reasons. For example, people join gang for acceptance, protection, and some are forced into it, because of their family are gang affiliated. Gangs partake endlessly in finding different method for individuals to more effectively get the things they want, particularly power. Therefore, people that are easily influenced tends to gravitate toward gang activities for recognition in the community. According to Goldman, Giles, & Hogg (2014), “Gang members’ actions impact other gang members as well as the wider community; everyone is at risk of being a victim of gang violence” (p. 825). Gang violence goes further than racial issue, but it more intensely touches African American and Latino communities.

Gang involvement and its associated violent crime have become a rapidly growing problem for the United States. Generally, gangs consist of young people of the same ethnic, racial, and economic background. Usually of a low socio-economic status, these gangs engage in illegal money making activities and intimidate their neighborhoods and rival gangs with violent crimes and victimization. Gang members exemplify a high value for group loyalty and sacrifice.

Individuals who are affiliated with gangs commit crimes such as homicide consistently. Gangs target areas where people are not unified and would be less likely to contact authorities if violence broke out. Drive by shootings occur so often that Detective Dale Wallis says “they [gangs] do not care who’s going to get shot” (qtd. in Minty 1). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did a report to determine the top five United States cities to have high levels of gang homicide. Those five cities were Los Angeles, California; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Long Beach, California; Oakland, California, and Newark, New Jersey. The study

Chicago has the biggest gang problem in the country (Thomas & Bass, 2009). “There are more gang members per citizen in Chicago than anywhere else in the country” (Thomas, 2009, para 4). The average Chicago gang leader is 43, convicted of murder and lives in the suburbs. That leader on many occasions directs his gang from jail (Main, 2006) and 95 percent of inmates in the Cook County Jail are gang members (Thomas, 2009). Gangs are everywhere today just like they use to be. The high number of gangs causes violence and deaths to rise in Chicago.

Structural violence is the way in which social structures systematically and negatively affect individuals. Paul Farmer’s concept describes it as “social arrangements that put individuals and populations in harm’s way”. Literally analyzing the concept, he explains that it is structural because it involves political and economic organizations, which are social structures, and the violence comes from the injury caused to people who suffer it. Like Acephie Joseph and ChouChou, many people in Haiti are victims of the structural violence. Their social locations make them vulnerable, limiting their choices and causing them deeply terrible pain, and even dead. Also, structural violence can be linked to behavioral violence. As well as the Farmer wrote

Gang and gang violence has always been an ongoing problem within the country. Street gangs have evolved into some of the most notorious group associated with murders and killings that law enforcement agencies have encountered. Gang violence has become one of the most serious crime problem happening in the country that involves physical assaults, drive-by shootings, homicides, robberies, prostitutions, and home-invasion along with a long list of criminal activities. It had occurred and multiplied so fast in which it reach an all-time high epidemic of young gang people killed on the streets or entering into the juvenile and prison system throughout the country. Such death occurs on a daily basis especially in the inner cities that are

The sociological analysis of gang membership explores the different types of effects that arise due to criminal involvement. Because of the social conflicts that are associated with gang membership, this paper will explore the different theories of social learning and both personal and control issues that relate to the recent surge in crime across Chicago. As we open the doors of a crime ridden society, the truth begins to unfold. It isn’t just the thought of helping, it is the action that remains the barrier between living a life of crime or a life that carries hope.

The Social Work Dictionary defines a social problem as “a condition among people leading to behaviors that violate some people’s values and norms and cause emotional or economic suffering”. The above definition accurately describes the social problem that gangs are, and their impact on a community. People who live in gang infested neighborhoods live daily with fears of losing their lives and the lives of loved ones. That fear, along with the fear that their family members will join the gang, or that they will be physically harmed in some way by the gang. They may exhibit many emotional, psychological and physical problems that people who don’t live in gang infested neighborhoods do not. Since before the 1940’s law enforcement and others have attempted to put a stop to gangs. These solutions usually hampered gang activity but didn’t eradicate it. Gangs evolve their practices over time to adjust to law enforcement tactics. Today gangs are involved in sex trafficking rather than drug dealing. Sex trafficking is easier to hide, more profitable and has less legal ramifications.

Abstract: This review studies in depth research done on street gangs. Social issues have social scientists turning away from including this in their research around this time. Sociological views have been changed dramatically in the past 40 years due to gender and racial studies. Also, women have started to join gangs since America has been changed with woman equality laws passing.

Bourdieu talks about symbolic violence and the power dynamics between genders as a part explanation of gender violence. Connell takes similar approach, but develops his argument that the colonization, decolonization and globalization affect the power dynamics of gender in most given colonized region. Hird also adapts some of the Bourdieu’s argument with heterosexual interpersonal violence, but mostly spends space criticizing the theories regarding interpersonal violence, and includes female to male violence (which are thought to be the “exceptions”). Collins also tries to explain interpersonal violence in domestic violence, bullying and mugging cases; he looks at the mechanisms of violence of the perpetuator (and how it is learned), and the coping/managing mechanism of the victims and the micro-theoretical power imbalance between

Gangs have direct effects on a society, such as increased levels of crime, violence and murder. Gangs also have long-term or late suggestions in that gang members are more likely to drop out of high school, struggle with unemployment, abuse drugs and alcohol or in end up in jail. These factors not only contribute to the gang members, but they also force taxpayers to pay for welfare and community-assistance programs. Common reasons for the younger generation to join gangs, include trying to find a place where they belong and sharing in mutual desires for safety from family problems or life challenges. Together, the feelings and attitudes among gang members haze them to act violently, often self-contradictory with rival gangs. This violence leads to injury and death of not only members but also of bystanders in the community. High gang activity also causes fear among community members, discourages business activity and obstructs home-value appreciation. Communities, also must pay for higher levels of law enforcement when gangs are prominent.

Not only is it a crime but is also a violation of women’s human rights (Fried 2003, 96). For example, rape is a violation to a woman’s bodily integrity and her rights to dignity, security, and freedom from discrimination (Fried 2003, 96). Most violence directed against women takes place within families and the perpetrators are mostly men who have been in a close relationship or known to the women (Krantz 2002, 242). Violence against women affects all aspects of a woman’s life. It can result in long term mental, physical and sexual health problems (Craft 1997, 1155). Her autonomy, productivity, and capacity to care for herself and her children, and overall health and quality of life are also affected (Krantz 2002, 242). Women who have experienced violence or abuse are more likely to misuse drugs and alcohol and to attempt suicide (Krantz 2002, 242). Violence against women also has an impact on development (Krantz 2002, 242). “It perpetuates poverty by reducing women's capacity to work outside the home, their mobility, and children's school attendance” (Krantz 2002, 242). Throughout the years, women’s access to support services has significantly expanded to include legal-aid centers, shelters, therapy, and hotlines for victims of abuse (Fried 2003, 102). Activist organizations have also taken it upon themselves to provide services for women who are victims of

Gender-based violence reflects disproportions between men and women and compromises health, dignity, security and independence of its victims. It constitutes a breach of the essential right to life, liberty, security, dignity, equality between women and men. Gender-based violence and violence against women are interchangeable, as most gender-based violence is caused by men on women and girls. It is estimated that 20 to 25% of women in Europe have suffered physical violence. The number of women who have suffered from other forms of gender-based violence is much higher. The Council of Europe defines violence against women as ‘all acts of gender-based violence that result in, or are likely to result in, physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or lack of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. It incorporates a wide range of human rights violations, including sexual abuse of children, rape, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, trafficking of women and girls and several harmful traditional practices. Any one of these can leave psychological scars, damage the health of women and girls in general, including their reproductive and sexual health, and in some cases, results in

Gendered violence revolves around the inequality and imbalance of power between men and women. It usually occurs in a patriarchal environment where masculinity is given unfair entitlements that expresses power in form of violence against women. Every 20 seconds a woman is battered, it is estimated two to four million women are battered each year. (Lee & Shaw, 2012) These situations involving power inequality have been around for many decades such attitudes towards the acceptance of the inequality legitimizes and justifies the traditional power differences between men and women. (Boon,