Urban Gangs Research Paper

Being arrested is treated like a game to many people that are etched into the gang life. Many of the gangs that terrorize cities all over the United States are also established inside of prison. A lot of the time these members are the hardest of the hardest. The members will trade people for tangible items such as drugs, food, money, cigarettes, and many more things. Gangs are able to get a lot of tasks done in prison even though there is police or guards watching the moves the men and women are taking. People believe that arresting these members is putting a stop to the gangs and teaching them a lesson but in all actuality these men and women are just being taken off the streets to do the exact something while incarcerated. Even though they are carrying out the same actions in prison it is much better than outside because there isn’t other people and children at risk.

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.

Throughout the years, many plausible solutions to gang violence have been presented. A commonly thought of solution to gang violence is to punish and arrest gang members. People want anyone who is in contact with gangs locked up, but that will only make gangs rebel more. By doing so, the streets would be rid of gangs, but jails would be overpopulated with them. It may seem like having gangs in jail would solve the problem, but gang leaders being in jail does not stop a gang from continuing what they’re doing. Arresting gang members teaches nothing except for children to hate the authorities. “From 1985 to 1994, the number of American youths arrested for murder increased 158%, to more than 2,200” (Teen Gangs and Crime, 1996). If a child resents the authorities, they would be more likely to join a gang that goes against authorities. Officials are aware that they cannot arrest their way out of gang violence, and they have to take positive measures (Parks & Recreation, 2009). The most important thing to remember is “To treat this not

The results threaten our children at a younger age and are thwarting the virtuous influence of education/school that we try to inspire our children with. It seems that our children see the some good out of joining a gang, whether it is because of security, fear, or pure nostalgia, it is happening and needs to be stopped nationally; the only way to stop gangs is through a national perspective because of the origins of gangs and because the are engrained in today’s culture and need to be a nationwide, or at least statewide initiative.

Gangs have existed in America since the early eighteenth century, they first rose a outsider institutions that provided membership and sense of self to individuals who were not seen as part of the community. Traditionally, gang membership correlates to familial membership; parental and family membership in a gang elevates the possibility of youth also joining a gang. Though these outsider institutions have developed overtime, they pose some of the most violent threats to public safety, but also to those they say they will protect. It is this violence and lifestyle dominated by power associated with gang memberships that create an appeal to black youth and change the course of their lives. Gangs are a creation of an ongoing cycle, in which society has failed to improve conditions for teens who are looking for new ways to belong in the community.

The Social Work Dictionary defines a social problem as “a condition among people leading to behaviors that violate some people’s values and norms and cause emotional or economic suffering”. The above definition accurately describes the social problem that gangs are, and their impact on a community. People who live in gang infested neighborhoods live daily with fears of losing their lives and the lives of loved ones. That fear, along with the fear that their family members will join the gang, or that they will be physically harmed in some way by the gang. They may exhibit many emotional, psychological and physical problems that people who don’t live in gang infested neighborhoods do not. Since before the 1940’s law enforcement and others have attempted to put a stop to gangs. These solutions usually hampered gang activity but didn’t eradicate it. Gangs evolve their practices over time to adjust to law enforcement tactics. Today gangs are involved in sex trafficking rather than drug dealing. Sex trafficking is easier to hide, more profitable and has less legal ramifications.

There are over 700,000 adolescents who are involved in youth gangs. (Thomas). America has a youth gang culture that is present in its society. This paper will focus on youth gang membership and it’s implication to adolescent development. First to be discussed will be the demographics of adolescents involved in gangs. Then the reasons why youth join gangs and how it is related to their natural development. Next, we will turn to contemplate the implication of gang culture and involvement in America’s public school system and the effect on teachers and their classrooms. Finally, we will look into how prevention programs on large and small scale can positively influence gang culture in our education systems.

Gangs are not a new phenomenon, but they are still a problem that has to be addressed. Gangs are involved in a number of criminal activities. In the last few years or so many urban cities have experienced an epidemic of youth violence that is rapidly spreading from the inner cities to the suburbs. Gangs are no longer the problem of those who live in the crime-ridden neighborhoods where the gangs thrive; they are now everyone's problem. Along with the violence that comes from gangs, there are also other economic costs of gangs, such as medical costs and incarceration. There are many factors for why young people get involved with gangs. Communities and law enforcement have come up with a number of programs and ideas dedicated to preventing gang development and recruitment.

Secondly, a hostile neighbourhood enables the development of juvenile delinquents. Urban and inner city areas experience high levels of deviance and are plagued with criminal elements and gang related activities. Furthermore, gangs possess an influential presence on the youth, especially young males who join willing or by force through intimidation or the threat of violence. Gangs are often view as a source of security and a benefit to communities like those aforementioned. Whyte stated that gangs rather than being in conflict with its community, was viewed as an integral part of the social order (Muncie, 2009, p. 32). However, gang activities does more harm than good because innocent civilians are caught in the cross fire between rival gangs,

Criminal gangs are there to rule, they have been there in every community for a long time. Gang's intentions are to commit crimes. Gang leaders oversee extortion, order killings or smuggle drugs. This paper studies gang formation, why individuals join gangs and the negative influence gangs have to the society and the economy. The study focuses on some of the prominent gangs in the world today; it explains the activities of the Russian mafia and other gangs. This paper explains power struggles within gangs and gives out recommendations to solve problems associated with gang operations. This paper puts into perspective a study on factors influencing gang membership; the study employs personal interviews as a method, causal research design and ordinal scale of measurement. Prisoners in California state prison are the sample population. Structured proxy question are used, and observation to study an individual's race. The study focuses male prison gang members. Findings from the study indicate that the less educated an individual is the likely for one join a gang, from the study it is evident that gang members feel disregarded when formulating policies, it is clear that race is not a factor to gang membership and that most of the gang members come from dysfunctional families.

Oftentimes, individuals that come from these entities (gangs) have experienced some form of oppression, or inopportune moment which slung them at the bottom of the economic food chain which in turn forces them to enact in deviant ways. Without gang membership, the gangs would not exist and the like; without gangs, gang membership would not be prevalent. In order to combat murders, robberies/thefts, and illegitimate acts, a strategy needs to be imposed to effectively eradicate the existence of gangs. In order to do that, strategies and efforts to extirpate gang membership must be sought after. Understanding why members select a deviant career such as gang membership is priority, outside factors and sources will be analyzed as well in order to determine why this membership occurs.

Gang violence is an issue that has existed for many years and a problem that continues to exist in our society today. According to, The National Gang Center, there is no clear way to define a gang, but one thing that characterizes a gang is a shared identity usually linked to a name or symbol. There are many different types of gangs but I want to focus on the “street” gangs, the gangs that we encounter on a more frequent basis within our communities. In 2007, there were approximately 785,00 active gangs in the United States, according to The National Youth Gang Survey. Amongst these groups, illegal activity and violence is more than common, it is a way of life. Gang violence can be perpetrated in many ways which include: murder, robbery, drug trafficking, gang trafficking and even prostitution. From an outside perspective we may view gangs as a waste of these young people’s lives that have nothing better to do. Gang members view it as an opportunity. An opportunity that may include “earning” more money, feeling respected, feeling “loved” and also feeling a sense of pride for being a part of something. Parents are incredibly influential on their children and their actions as parents can help build a better and non-violent future for their children. I believe that gang violence can be prevented, and this begins with parents at home, and within communities by being involved with their children 's upbringing and being proactive in their children’s

A multitude of social conditions prompts young adults to join gangs and participate in the illegal crime that makes a city unsafe. People join gangs because of “economic issues, weapon availability, drug market access” and street protection needs (Block). Gangs are

Gangs is seemed to offer a form survival to the youth, but they often lack basic essentials such as food, clothing shelter, as that as resulted in making a profit through illegal activities, like selling drugs and auto theft. Also the Desire for protection seeming as though it is easier to join a gang then staying in vulnerable and unprotected neighborhoods. Another concern and reason that was brought up is peer pressure, youth often faces constant pressure to trying to fit in. The forms of peer pressure can come from intimidation or harassment. As they also brought up it be in family history or tradition, were families were already gang involved for many years. Because of that it can be in impossible to escape the gang lifestyle especially when they might be rooted in to family traditions and their values. I liked that they also brought up the excitement and rush that youth get from disobeying authority or committing crimes There is that attraction to the gang lifestyle. Breaking laws and having unlawful

The problem with gangs in relation to school settings is that gang members do not leave their attitudes, prejudices, conflicts, or behaviors outside of the school. They bring that to school with them every day, and run into members of other gangs in common areas, class, assemblies, and school events. This leads to violence in the school which if left alone will take over. Gang members that are not even associated with a particular school, may even show up to engage in criminal behaviors such as drug selling. Staff and administrators of the school should take actions to prepare on how to deal with gang activities at school. School administrators and staff can no longer believe that they are immune to the problems of gang activities. In some instances, school staff may not recognize what gang activity is because they do not have the proper training. Training and preparation