Social Problems Associated with Street Gangs Essay

“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

They were rejected in “normal” society and labeled as social problems first by the schools and later by the police. This early experience was devastating and they began to deny their own integrity (Padilla 1996, 89). To build up their own self-worth and integrity, these youngsters turned to gang participation to make a name for themselves, and to feel

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 in the United States have increased rapidly, and are becoming more violent and deadly than ever. There are deaths of innocent, young, and gang affiliated people dying each year. This everyday occurrence brings moral and heart felt emotions to these death tragedies. These gangs are corrupting our streets and neighborhoods of America, which is something that is needed to be stopped. All members get introduced and jumped in for a reason, a reason of family, trust, acceptance, and respect which threatens many people today. Every year gang violence is proposed in which it should be prevented in today’s public because they have the urge to be involved with conflicts based on rivalries over reputation and turf, compensates on creating a lot of violence where innocent people are being killed, participate in drug trafficking, and encourages the youth to get involved and join a group of affiliated crime.

“ Gangs offer a hierarchy of leadership and a path to gain approval and achieve success,” Samenow states in the article “ The Myth of the Street Gang as a ‘Family Substitute’”. As stated, He believes that gang members come from broken families, searching for support, sustenance, acceptance, and a structure that the average family provides. He states that most gang members come from “criminogenic”

Gangs can be classified as a group of adolescents who are perceived to be a threat to society, are mostly recognized by their name and territorial power, and have been involved in numerous acts that violate criminal law procedures in North America. (Esbensen, Winfree, He and Taylor, 2001). The first theme that was present in the pieces of literature collected was the lack of opportunities. As previously stated before, becoming involved in a gang starts at a young age. An article titled “Youth Gangs and Definitional Issues: ‘When is a Gang a Gang, and Why Does It Matter?’” explicates what exactly constitutes a gang, starting with young adolescents. Using a survey conducted in the United States, Finn-Aage Esbensen, L. Thomas Winfree, Jr., Ni

Gangs are very dangerous to everyone in society. “Gangs are groups of people (mostly young males) who band together for protection and a sense of belonging. The U.S. Department of Justice officially defines a youth gang as a group of young people involved in criminal activity” (Gangs 1). There are about one million gang members in more than 20,00 criminally active gangs in the United States. Also, that group of about one million people, are accountable for up to eighty percent of our nation’s crimes. Since 2005, gangs have nationally added about 200,000 members (Targeting Gangs 1). This is why more action from the community needs to be taken to help with the growing gang-related crimes here in America.

Gangs are often associated with violence, however, how gang members are themselves victims of larger, violent circumstances is rarely thought of. Although it is undeniable that gangs commit acts of violence, the path that led them to a life of crime, is one filled with victimhood. Inner-city communities are affected by the violence continuum, committed against them by individuals who profit from their subjugation, and are often guilty of misrecognizing the root cause of their domination and perpetuating their own oppression.

Street gangs in this country can probably be traced back to the first wave of Europeans who migrated to the colonies for a better life for themselves and their families. Many of the first gangs were formed as a means of self protection, with the thinking that there is simply strength in numbers. The missions of gangs in today’s society have grown and emerged to include many violent criminal avenues, including drug trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, and extortion but the original thinking that there is strength in numbers remains true. Criminology experts believe that the number of teens involved in gangs or gang activity may be as high as 1 in every 5 people in most urban areas. Those number jump to 1 in every 3 people in

In the United States, gang activity is a major issue in many communities. Gangs such as the Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings and MS-13 inhabit cities all across the country. Usually using graffiti to “tag” their turf, these gangs use violence, drug distribution, prostitution and various forms of smuggling and trafficking to intimidate citizens and expand their criminal organizations daily. Due to the existence of these groups, many civilians throughout the nation find themselves living in a state of constant fear. Over the past two-hundred and thirty years, various gangs have been formed throughout the United States.

Gang violence is a serious problem in America today, and it is also prevalent in the other countries in the world. “According to a national gang survey, the most recent estimate

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.

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

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.