Chapter 6, Problem 1RA-P161

Summary Introduction

Introduction

Retreatist gangs focus on consuming drugs to briefly escape an untenable situation. Criminal gangs work together using illegitimate opportunity structures to obtain money to make a living and purchase items for status. Conflict gangs fight over turf to establish reputations. The most useful of these is criminal because it explains why someone who does not have access to legitimate opportunities may turn to illegitimate ones. Music can be a factor around which to increase the feeling of belonging provided by gangs.

Explanation of Solution

Answer and explanation

(This question asks for a subjective response, the following is an example.)

Cloward and Ohlin theorized three types of gangs to explain why some people are attracted to them. The factor all three have in common is lack of legitimate opportunity structures, for example, educational levels high enough to help sustain employment, or help with learning disabilities. The criminal gang type substitutes illegal means for making a living for legal ones it feels are inaccessible. Conflict gang members are unable to organize enough to make a living from crime and focus instead on reputation, often using violence to build up credibility on the street and acting as drug dealers for criminal gang members. Retreatist gang members are even less engaged with society and choose to abuse substances in order to get away from what must feel like insurmountable problems, if only for a while. Music can be used in any of these structures to help members feel a part of something by being fans of similar music genres, such as gangster rap.