Write An Essay On The Causes Of Gang Violence

Gangs are centered on a certain territory or turf that is claimed by that gang. When rival gangs enter that

but you may also see strange writing below it. They say to other gangs that

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.

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 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.

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

What ever happened to kids wanting saying they wanted to be a police officer, fireman, doctor or teacher when they grow up? Does anyone ever say, when I grow up I want to be in a gang? According to the National Gang Threat Assessment there are over one million gang members in California and over forty percent are under the age of eighteen. Just in Fresno alone there are over twelve thousand gang members and over 500 gangs (Overend). Gang violence is a growing problem and if we don’t try to control it now it will be a bigger problem in the future.

Each year, thousands of Central American immigrants embark on a dangerous journey from Mexico to the United States. Many of these migrants include young children searching for their mothers who abandoned them. In Enrique’s Journey, former Los Angeles Times reporter, Sonia Nazario, recounts the compelling story of Enrique, a young Honduran boy desperate to reunite with his mother. Thanks to her thorough reporting, Nazario gives readers a vivid and detailed account of the hardships faced by these migrant children.

On August 13, 1998, a group of seven individuals were found huddled together about twenty-five miles away from the U.S.-Mexico border. However, these people were no longer suffering. They were found dead, after failing to cross into California illegally. Among them was Julio César Gallegos, a husband and father, whose story, like many others, has largely attributed to U.S. law enforcement policies along the border. Many policies have been made about the U.S.-Mexico border due to the death of migrants, like Gallegos. These laws have affected many individuals and are still in use today.

“Gangs have morphed from social organizations into full-fledged criminal enterprises” (Thomas, 2009, para 5). Gangs are highly sophisticated and more dangerous then ever. The number one reason to join a gang is money; and 95 percent of gangs profit comes from drug dealing

Throughout history there is one commonality for the emergence of gangs. Most gangs emerge and develop as each gang tries to establish their identity as well as their desire for money, prosperity and opportunity. They commonly believe they can acquire

Data is difficult to gather when researching gun-related violence within gangs. However, it is obvious that gang members have guns and they retrieve their guns from the illegal gun market. According to the National Institute of Justice (2013), “Gun-related homicide is most prevalent among gangs and during the commission of felony crimes.” Dating back to 1980, 70 percent of all homicides within gangs involved a gun. In 1993, the percentage rose to 95 percent (National Institute of Justice 2013).

Gangs often get involved in drug deals that lead to violence and territory fights. These fights lead to shootings, murder, and further violence.

I What precisely is a Gang? Gangs are a gathering of individuals male or female that cooperate to claim region in urban areas and utilize that to profit through criminal acts, for example, offering drugs. “Gangs can be organized based upon race, ethnicity, territory, or money-making activities, and are generally made up of members ages 8 to 22” (DOsomething). At the point when in a gang, the individuals assert where they are from wearing certain colored handkerchiefs caps or tattoos. Gangs have turned out to be one of the main explanations behind the ascent of violent wrongdoings on and off school's properties.

Though gangs are different from each other all over the world, they all operate under the same premise. Territory, money, drugs, power and respect are almost always the foundation of any criminal organization (LINK 7); the same principles as mafias or mobs, just more savage and less organized about their actions.