Why Do Gangs Do More Harm Than Good

The term gang can be associated with a number of different things but, for this paper, the term gangs will be in reference to youth gangs; “youth gangs are considered to consist of adolescents and young adults from the ages of 12 to 24” (Decker and Howell, 1999, p.1). Gangs have been a “normal” part of United States culture for centuries now, a sad but also, very true statement. What started out as a group of friends wearing their favorite color and protecting their neighborhood from crime has turned into a problem of epic proportion across the United States of America. In earlier years gangs were only a problem for poor communities within the big cities. But during this day and age,

States in 2004” this just supports the statement that it is a huge problem in the United States (Cooper, 2009, p. 1). Unfortunately, the Youth of America and these other countries have been a large demographic of these gangs for many years due to many contributing factors. One criminal factor that initiates gang violence are the overwhelming presence of adolescents and young adults involved with gangs, Celinda Franco states that not only youth participants but whole “youth gangs” have been on the radar for policy makers since the early 1900’s (Cooper, 2009, p. 2). Another factor is the nature of the remorseless and often violent nature of these gang related offenses many gang members act as if they have no conscience and no values, and the fact that a large percentage are “easy to influence” youth doesn’t help the case that most commit gang crimes on a whim. Finally, the fact that most of these gang related offenses that the youth carries out are in poverty stricken neighborhoods that have very poor socioeconomic status, this it is a bad situation that is difficult to escape from because young adults and adolescents do not have the means to move outside this zone and may never attain this goal (Cooper, 2009, p. 3).

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

Did you know that Chicago passed the 1,000 mark for shooting victims this year, a pace faster than those of previous years? Gangs are a huge problem in the world. I believe that the only way we can weaken them or stop them is to rely on social programs.

There are over 700,000 adolescents who are involved in youth gangs. (Thomas). America has a youth gang culture that is present in its society. This paper will focus on youth gang membership and it’s implication to adolescent development. First to be discussed will be the demographics of adolescents involved in gangs. Then the reasons why youth join gangs and how it is related to their natural development. Next, we will turn to contemplate the implication of gang culture and involvement in America’s public school system and the effect on teachers and their classrooms. Finally, we will look into how prevention programs on large and small scale can positively influence gang culture in our education systems.

In this academic website, Armstrong believed that youth who participate in a gang tend to have major consequences when they grow up. Youth who distance themselves from gangs will also face many consequences. The author observes several risk factors that were used by other researchers to find out why youth join a gang. Individuals who join a gang at an early age will commit crimes. Individuals who used to be part of a gang will have drugs problems and other health problems. In this research, Armstrong presents examples from various researchers from the University of Washington think that gang membership is a criminal problem. Moreover, gang membership can be described as a public health problem. Armstrong mentions how researchers are trying

Lastly, gang prospects adhere to a gang by either committing a crime or undergoing an initiation process where they are beaten by fellow members of the gang to test their courage and fighting ability in times of great stress. Once the initiation process is over and now the prospect is a full acting member of the gang, then the destruction of the environment and deterioration of the mind truly begins. It is not realistic to catalog all actions committed by criminal street gangs as it is simply too much to account for, in fact, many gang activities are shared by a large portion of American society. But, when a gang is combined with a party, a car wash, or even a family or neighborhood picnic, the danger of gang outbreak for violence and criminal

The word “gang” can be defined in many ways however; there is no “agreed-upon definition” that “has been developed to apply to gangs” (pg. 201). When I think of the word “gang” I think of a group of individuals who interact, communicate, simply “hang out” and/or participate in many activities together. There is not just one type of gang. “Gangs can be large or small, long term or short term, more or less territorial, more or less criminally involved” (pg. 201) and can be made up of different races/ethnicities. In this paper I will be explaining the different types of gangs in Texas, characteristics of juveniles who may be involved in gangs or gang activity, the reason/factors for their involvement, consequences that they may face, and a conclusion on how we as members of society can help deter today’s youth from gang involvement.

Gangs frequently socialize and even recruit youth that live in the gangs neighborhood and who attend the local public schools. Gangs target the youths that are eager to belong or easily talked into doing tasks for the gang. These gangs take advantage of the hardships these youths experience while growing up. Unfortunately this type of life is chosen at a critical time in the individuals life when they are at the point where their peers have a big influence on their personal decisions. In recent years gangs have began to recruit younger members mainly due to the fact that they are easily influenced and usually receive lesser punishments.

In todh society gang violence is prominent typically expressed in the more “ghetto” regions of the united states such as urban cities like detroit or la.To first begin we must define a gang ,merriam webster defines a gang as” group: such as (1) : a group of persons working together (2) : a group of persons working to unlawful or antisocial ends; especially : a band of antisocial adolescents” . These gangs are specifically notorious for killing drugs and general violence. Theses gangs are formed for the reasons of respect seeking community or and power ,but can be solved by providing these adolescents with systems that help them better themselves and higher there location on the socioeconomic ladder.

For a number of years the author worked with young people in what society now term as ‘gangs’, and the youth justice system and as a result was able to solicit individual perspective as to why young people get involved in anti-social youth behaviour, more commonly referred to as ‘gang’ crime. What became evident, was there is no answer that fits all, but are inclusive of the following:

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. The break down of neighborhood relation and social institutions

Foremost, social environments play a significant role within gang violence. Family, peer groups, school, individual characteristics, and community conditions all have an influence. In addition, Gang members associate themselves with other gang members and people they are familiar with.. Also, these social factors towards gang violence also persists to be risk factors. According to “The Corner and the Crew: The Influence of Geography and Social Networks on Gang Violence”, Papachristos states, The modern street gang serves as an example par excellence of how geography and social networks converge to influence behavior. Gangs are seen as both the

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.

When the word “gangs” comes to mind, one can immediately picture a big, tall male figure often covered with tattoos, piercings, and maybe even a bald-headed guy. One might think that gangs only occur in areas like Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and areas illustrated in movies. Gangs are also becoming more glorified in the media. For example, while listening to a rap song on the radio, some sort of gang reference will come up. Gangs can often target the young and the vulnerable due to many reasons, such as peer pressure and fear. Also, they may target someone who is in need and vulnerable for falling into gang violence and actions.