re various reasons behind young people joining street gangs. One of the reasons young people

Initially gang activity could only be found in large metropolitan cities, but now gangs have invaded neighborhoods of all sizes across the country. Gangs introduce violence and fear to the communities they occupy, raise the level of drug activities, and destroy businesses and property which brings down the overall value of the whole area. Instead of going to school, many young people find themselves drawn in to the gang life which in most cases either leads to being locked up or death. There are various reasons why people would want to join a gang, but no matter what that reason might be one can only expect a life of violence and troubles.

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.

This is called innovation “when individuals accept the goals of society, but are unable or unwilling to attain them through legitimate means… Innovation is most closely associated with criminal behavior” (Siegel, 2015: 151). As mentioned in The Made in America: Crips and Bloods documentary many people felt alienated, and joined gangs for protection, love, unity, identity, status and acceptance. Gangs are a community within themselves and there is an established hierarchy in which some members hold higher status over others. Being a gang member gives individuals a place to feel like they are important, whereas they might not feel that way in their regular community. In addition, gangs provide “employment” for those who cannot obtain jobs legally.

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 are now starting to join gangs and it is ruining their lives, most gang members range from the ages of 12-40. The reason why people will join a gang is because they want something to

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.

Youth can be drawn to gang membership when they feel the community is no longer safe through primary deviance which most people take part in and do not get caught (Super 2017) However, labelling theory ineffectively explains the differences in crime rates amongst neighbourhoods with a high gang presence and those without (Tutorial 2017). Thus, labelling theory is ineffective in attempting to explain how youth in neighbourhoods with a high gang presence is an influence for youth to join gangs (Super 2017; Tutorial 2017). Furthermore, it is unable to provide a bigger macro-level reasoning as to why youth in neighbourhoods with a high gang presence might influence youth to join gangs and participate in criminal behaviour (Tutorial 2017).

Lack of social controls allows subcultures to form within transitional neighbourhoods, which is what allows for criminal traditions to be passed down (Lilly et al. 2015). Social disorganization theory, however, is not a comprehensive approach that can explain all the reasons why people engage in criminal activity, or more specifically, why youth join gangs. For example, this theory does not account for any learning mechanisms that cause youth to join gangs. As well, it is not able to account for organized or corporate crime. Instead, the theory is limited due to its overemphasis on neighbourhood disorganization and disadvantage, unable to explain any other crimes except those that occur at the neighbourhood-level.

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.

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.

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.

The term youth gangs refers to a group of three or more members, who are between the age of 12 and 24; they share an identity through the use of names or symbols; they see themselves as gang and are recognized by others as a gang; there is some amount of permanence and degree of organization; and the group is involved in an elevated amount of criminal activity (National Gang Center Staff, n.d.). Risk factors for gang involvement are based on factors such as individual, family, school, community. School risk factors include poor school performance, poor connectedness to schools, low degree of commitment to and involvement in school, and weak attachment to teachers (Howell, 2010). Community risk factors includes such things as greater level of criminal activity, neighborhood youth are involved in illegal behaviors, widespread access to and the use of firearms and drugs, and low level of neighborhood attachment (Howell, 2010). Additional factors that lead to gang involvement include learning disabilities and emotional disorders, school failure and truancy, no positive involvement outside of school, friends and peers are delinquent, low income, and early involvement in petty crimes and behavioral disorders in grade school (Hernandez, 2015). Reasons given for joining a gang as reported by youths includes for protection, for fun, for respect, for money, family members are part of the gang (and because a friend was in the gang (Howell, 2010).

Wax, (1972.) States “Though delinquency is a universal problem, standards for delinquent behavior vary, both Intra- and cross-culturally”. So the standards for the poor is far different from that of the upper/middle class. Conflict theorist believes that gangs form due to the strain people encounter when wealth in unevenly distributed in poor neighborhoods. This perspective is a social, political one that speaks of inequality of social groups and is based on the conflict between the middle/upper class and the lower class (Siegel, 2011, P.12.)