Why Youth May Join a Gang
According to Barkan and Snowden (2008), the conditions that lead or induce a person to join a gang are: changes in the political system of a country; the rigidity or flexibility of the society (rigidity makes life stressful for people); a need to protect loved ones; and/or difficult life conditions, such as job loss, that result in high levels of frustration and threat. Street gangs join together for various reasons, such as to protect themselves from feared neighborhood members, in response to a competing gang in their area, lack of institutional resources and the decaying urban environment, and/or neglectful parents. A number of risk factors are associated with gang membership, gang activity, and gang involvement, but there is no single factor or set of factors than can be used to successfully predict which youth will, or will not, become gang members. Hill et al. (2004) use The Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP)—a longitudinal study that tracked 808 persons since 1985, when the participants were 5th grade students at 18 Seattle, Washington public schools that serve high-crime neighborhoods—to outline childhood risk factors that predict joining a remaining in a gang. The risk factors associated with gang membership were found in the neighborhood—availability of drugs, youth in trouble, low neighborhood attachment; family—family structure, bond with parents, low household income, etc.; school—leaning disabled, low academic achievement,
Furthermore, the book, Youth Gangs in American Society by Randall Shelden, Sharon Tracy, and William Brown (2013) discusses several theories about why people join gangs. One theory that I think especially fits the explanation as to why people join gangs, with regards to this book, is the control/social bond theory. Shelden et al define control/social bong theory as “when a youth’s, bonds or ties, to society are weak or broken, especially with family, school and other institutions, when this occurs, a youth is apt to seek bonds with other groups, including gangs, in order to get his or her needs met”(p 193). I think so many groups in society let this boy down in My Bloody Life, including his family, the school system and even the police. Consequently with his ties to society so weak, he reached out to a gang that gave him a sense of comfort and belonging.
THE CRUCIBLE Act 2: Essay (Figurative Language) In “ The Crucible” Act 2, written by Arthur Miller, he uses many forms of figurative language through fear and suspicion. Miller uses these devices to add an element of depth to the play. In the play, the entire town is consumed by fear and paranoia. Many of them, especially the women in the play, are pointing fingers at each other.
Juveniles can join a gang for a variety of reasons. Some basic reasons are because of peer influences, neighborhood influences and family influences. The peer influences can be caused by a juvenile having peers that are involved in gangs, they will be more likely to become part of a gang. If a juvenile is hanging out with friends they are more likely to also join the gang, because of the peer pressures made by their friends to become a gang member. Juveniles want to be accepted and liked by their peers, so they will join a gang to fit in.
Today kids join gangs because they want a sense of being accepted. Being unpopular as an adolescent is tough because they feel unwanted, misunderstood, feel like they don’t belong. Kids will do anything to gain the attention from their peers and will continue to do it just to feel like they belong and feel accepted. I’ve witnessed a friend joined a gang just because their older brothers have done the same and want to be just like them. I’ve seen classmates who recently just migrated to the United States and instantly
Throughout the study of this unit, I have enhanced my understanding of discrimination and stereotyping in society. I am able to recognise how assumptions of people can affect how society functions, how individuals are affected by other’s perceptions and how these themes can be identified in today’s society.
The primary risk factors for gang involvement come from environmental influences. "Studies have examined the effects of gender, race, and age as predictors of gang entry. In addition, family factors such as structure, income, socioeconomic status, and parental attachment also influence gang membership" (Vito & Kunselman 372). Unfortunately
But what are the risk factors? Some argue that gang formation is a product of the postindustrial development. That gangs are a mixture of racism, urban underclass poverty, of minority and youth culture. And that youth gangs in particular are products of their environment and these factors are associated with why juveniles join gangs. The following are elements of risk factors associated with gang membership. That are split up into 5 domains individual and family demographics, personal attributes, peer-group, school, and the community.
According to the article, Why Young People Join Gangs and What You Can Do, today's gangs are portrayed by their variety in region, group, and their engagement in criminal or delinquent activities. In today's society, people are more conscious of the gangs forming all around the world. Many different ethnic and socioeconomic groups make up gangs and most gang members lean to be adolescents or young adults. Recent information shows that children are being engaged into gangs at a much younger age, to young that they are still in elementary school. But some gangs are formed by young middle school teenagers and grow from there to become a criminal and delinquent gang. Gang activity has been limited to cities but gangs are no longer just in large cities, but in smaller towns and rural areas. Reasons may vary in to which why they join gangs, many children tend to not receive much attention from their family members, causing them to join gangs because they are attended there and seek attention as they want. Others tend to join because they, gain power, money, or even safety.
Get the passwords to all your children’s Facebook, twitter, email and other social accounts. Make sure the family computer is in a common area and the screen can be seen by all. If your children have cell phones, switch over to a prepaid plan that you can control so they can not send pictures or text messages.
The scholarly article, “Risk and protective factors associated with gang affiliation among high-risk youth: a public health approach”, written by Doctor Dawn Delfin McDaniels, was first published in 2012 in the BMJ Journals. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors of high-risk youth and by doing so, also identify violence-prevention strategies (McDaniels, 2012). McDaniels analyzed data from the CDC’s 2004 cross-sectional survey ‘Youth Violence Survey: Linkages Among Different Forms of Violence’. The data collected from 4,131 youths in grades 7, 9, 11, and 12, in high-risk, urban schools, was used to find an
The concept of Juvenile gang’s is not unknown to the world. They can be found in any corner of the world and any ethnic/racial background. Gangs have been around since humans learned how to get into organized groups. This was about around the time of the middle ages. In fact, the first recorded history of such gangs was in the city of London (Sheldon., Tracy and Brown, 1996). For America, it was not until the early 1800s when juvenile gangs became a problem (Sheldon., Tracy and Brown, 1996). This being due to the social and economic problems in this period. Due to the wars, Immigration, and financial situation of the time, many juveniles see the gangs as a refuge from their situation. There are many reasons as to why a juvenile will seek
Over the past 20 years, the country has mourned the loss of many people at the hands of a juvenile. US citizens primarily blame video games, music, social media, gangs, religious affiliation, psychological abnormalities and bullying for murders carried out by juveniles. There are only two of these that I believe is a legitimate reason for juveniles to carry out a murder. I believe that gang affiliation is a legitimate reason. There are numerous situations in which children have little option in joining a gang. Refusal to join a gang can put their family members at risk. Also, being raised under strain can influence juveniles to join a gang. As far as psychological disorders, there is high unpredictability with this group. Medication can actually
Macbeth by William Shakespeare starts out in a civil war placed in 11th century Scotland. Macbeth is one of the many soldiers bravely fighting in the war, who is seen as a honourable man. This quickly changes when the witches announce the prophecy that he will become king. Lady Macbeth becomes aware of the prophecy and forces Macbeth to murder King Duncan to receive the title. Macbeth soon becomes insane and the murderous actions begins.
Although non-gang members may also participate in risky activities like binge drinking, marijuana use, and drug selling, gang affiliation greatly increases exposure and likelihood to partake in these activities. Studies show that “early alcohol use and early marijuana use are both identified risk factors for joining a gang among adolescents” (Swahn et. al 354). Youth gang members are also exposed to hard drugs because of gang involvement in the illegal drug market. Many youth gang members in these
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.