Youth Gangs Research Paper

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

There are an abundance of reasons why some youth may choose to join a gang. The lacking of sense of guidance positively and

Teenagers and young adults join youth gangs for many reasons. Reasons a teenager would join a gang include family

Many think they are going to become gang famous. Lots of youths join gangs to make fast money. Young people who are not financially stable yet because of reasons such as struggling to find a job or trying to help their parents would consider getting into a gang because it is fast and easy money that can help support themselves and their family. Financially disadvantaged young people would also rather look for a fast way to earn money. In the gang life they can participate in things like one drug deal and make enough money to get materialistic items such as clothes and sneakers than actually having a real job that would take a full months earnings. The appeal of obtaining money fast can be overwhelming for children and gangs are involved in drugs and other criminal activities that give children opportunities to get money

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

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.

     Youth gangs have been getting a tremendous amount of press and media attention as the problem grows worse and worse, and because of this attention and exposure the rate of adolescents joining these gangs is constantly increasing. As of right now, gang life is in a lime light all to its own. There has been documentaries, movies, books and so on that have demoralized it as well as glamorized it, and to trouble youths who think that they have no place else to turn, gang life seems as though it can be a very acceptable and possibly through their point of view, a positive change in their some what hitched lives. Social experts chalk up the sudden increase of youth gang activity to two distinct reasons; “ (1) the diffusion of gang culture through popular media, and (2) economic

When examining and analyzing gangs and their social meshwork, it is without a doubt that gangs are seen by the majority as social pests in the community. As a whole, these numerous gangs throughout the country are more than just a bunch of criminals covered in tattoos, they are people, with feelings, who just need positivity in their lives. Most gang members, living in impoverish conditions, grew up in households were they were abused, unloved, and neglected. They grow up with no positive social support and become accustom to violence and negativity. More often than not, these children grow up in family’s were gang life is the only life they know, because their family members are gang members as well. They witness domestic abuse, and disarray, and a large majority grow up in households were a father figure is nowhere to be found. Mostly raised by single mothers, these children become hyper-masculine, and feel the need to make up for not having a father, and also because gang life is masculinized by violence and gang-banging. They come to believe that violence is normal and all of this creates a domino effect of involvement into gang life. With no social support, and no clear direction, children take it amongst themselves to find a connection with anyone willing to show them some sort of family structure. Impressionable children find themselves turning to gang life as a means to have that sense of family they never had. In a gang they feel that they are protected and feel in

Juveniles often join gangs to be accepted into a society of their peers. These juveniles are looking for acceptance and a sense of belonging. They join these gangs for special status amongst their friends, protection from other gangs, financial help, peer pressure, excitement and for some juveniles, they are born into a gang society and it is a family tradition. Gangs can also act like a family. They will praise, chastise and show them a form of love and respect that they are looking for but cannot get at home.

Although some of the factors such as poverty and social isolation may make one to join gangs, it has been reported that even the youth from rich families also join gang. For that matter, it is not suffice to conclude that gang is only associated with the poor in the society. In light of this, the youth from rich families may join gang because of the need to secure protection from rival gangs. When there are other gangs from the neighborhood, the youth may feel the need to join so as to avoid threats and torments from other gangs. According to most reports, major reasons why a youth may join a gang are varied. Some young people always feel that they do not receive proper attention and care at home. They may not be receiving the family love or comfort (Weisel and Howell,

Children often join gangs for various reasons such as: obtaining a sense of belonging and protection from the gang as well as earning respect and quick cash. Furthermore, gang membership is often glamorized in media such as TV and Music. Children may also have a glamorized perception of gangs when a family member is involved in one which may also lead to a sense of obligation or required

There are many factors why juveniles join gangs, and some of them are because it increases self-esteem, they have access to drugs to either sell or use them, and it gives the males opportunities to meet up with other young females and have sex. A negative factor is peer pressure. Some factors why females join gangs are sexual abuse and victimization, family dysfunctions, emotional disorders, exposure to violence, and negligence. Some youths parents aren’t in the home, they have nobody forcing them to go to school, and then they start failing which leads to drop outs. Many juvenile gang prevention programs were created in the United States, to provide services to

Although I consider myself to be a knowledgeable parent I was unaware that youth gangs and gang activity are up by 36% in metropolitan areas.(Merrin, Hong, & Espelage, 2015). It scares me to think that young men and women with depression problems, traumatic stress, and anti-social behavior are all at risk for being involved in gang activities. Even young children that use marijuana are more likely to join gangs than those who do not use the illegal drug. Often times individuals who are from low-income neighborhoods and harsher crime areas are more susceptible to gang activity. (Merrin, Hong, & Espelage, 2015)The research methods used in this article are from middle and high school participants from Dayne County Wisconsin. The participants took

When we think of the word "gangs" we usually don’t see an image of youth in our heads, we automatically tend to see an image of male adults with tattoos, guns, drugs, etc. However, this is not always the case; some gang members are also juveniles. A data from Denver 's self-reported youth survey alone, found that 47 percent of gang members were ages 12 to 14, 31 percent were ages 15 to 16, and 22 percent were ages 17 to 18. (Robert, Herbert, & Scott, 2016) When looking at the number of active youth gangs nationally,

Other members join because they live in the gang area and are, therefore, subject to violence by rival gangs. Some young people join a gang solely to survive, as joining a gang guarantees protection and retaliation against attacks from outside gangs, which gives members a feeling of security. (Delaney 96) Some youth are peer pressured and threatened into joining gangs, which leaves them no choice but to join the gang. Some youth that get involved in gangs have no idea what they are getting themselves into, and once they are in, they can never get out. They join a gang in order to feel love and acceptance, but are too ignorant to realize that they are being used in order to carry out the gang’s dirty work. If they are ordered to rob a grocery store, kill a rival gang member, or rape an innocent bystander, and refuse, they will be punished, brutally beaten, and often times murdered. If you attempt to leave a gang you could be jumped, your house could be invaded, or you could even get caught up in a drive by at any time. Your family’s lives are also at risk because even if you move and change your identity, they will seek after and kill your family if they are unable to find you. By joining a gang you are giving up your free will, and are putting your life as well as the lives of others in danger. I feel S.E. Hinton does a great job of portraying the harm that comes out