With many sources that attempt to explain why youth join gangs, studies based on empirical research are optimal to reveal the critical factors. This paper will focus on the key sources that are based on empirical methodologies as the base for comprehending why youth join gangs. The research has a pattern that reveals youth join gangs because of pre-existing delinquency, homophily, and low socio-economic status. One of the critical factors that explain why youth join gangs is pre-existing delinquency, meaning a youth is delinquent before becoming a gang member. Although this is based on a societal belief that being more delinquent will result in becoming a gang member, studies based on empirical research reveal that youth's pre-existing delinquency results in a higher chance of becoming a gang member (Gordon, Lahey, Kawai, Loeber, and Farrington 2004, Lachman, Roman, and Cahill 2013, Maclure and Sotelo 2004, Yoder, Whitbeck, and Hoyt 2003, and Johnstone 1983). This can be visualized by comparing youth who join gangs with youth who do not join. As suggested by Gordon et al. the youth who join gangs have more pre-existing delinquency versus youth who do not join (2004). This lives up to the societal belief that when a child behaves well, they will have a bright future versus children that cause serious trouble. In addition, there is a positive correlation between likelihood of being a gang member and pre-existing delinquent behaviour (Thornberry et al. 2003 as cited in Gordon et al. 2004), despite the fact that children do not stay in gangs for a long time. Thornberry et al. further support this by revealing that youth boys who are antisocial to begin with are more likely to be recruited into a gang (1993 and 1994). This makes se... ... middle of paper ... ...s that have been explored. Works Cited Gordon, Rachel A., Benjamin B. Lahey, Eriko Kawai, Rolf Loeber & Magda Stouthamer-Loeber, and David P. Farrington. 2004. "Antisocial Behaviour and Youth Gang Membership: Selection and Socialization." Criminology 42:55-87. Johnstone, John W.C. 1983. "Recruitment to a Youth Gang." Youth & Society 14:281-300. Lachman, Pamela, Caterina G. Roman, and Meagan Cahill. 2013. "Assessing Youth Motivations for Joining a Peer Group as Risk Factors for Delinquent and Gang Behaviour." Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 11:212-229. Maclure, Richard, and Melvin Sotelo. 2004. "Youth Gangs in Nicaragua: Gang Membership as Structured Individualization." Journal of Youth Studies 7:417-432. Yoder, Kevin A., Les B. Whitbeck, and Dan R. Hoyt. 2003. "Gang Involvement and Membership Among Homeless and Runaway Youth." Youth & Society 34:441-467.
1. (A) Discuss some of the reasons why minority youth may join gangs. (B) What are some of the reasons for female juveniles, in particular, to join gangs? (C) Lastly, provide some examples of how juvenile gangs have loyalties along racial lines.
Morch, S., & Andersen, H. (2012). Becoming a Gang Member: Youth Life and Gang Youth. Online Submission
Gang involvement has been quite higher than past years. The 2008 National Youth Gang Survey estimates that about 32.4 percent of all cities, suburban areas, towns, and rural counties had a gang problem (Egley et al., 2010). This represented a 15 percent increase from the year 2002. The total number of gangs has also increased by 28 percent and total gang members have increased by 6 percent (Egley et al., 2010). This shows how relevant gang related activity is in today’s society. More locations are beginning to experience gang activity for the first time. Gang crime has also been on the rise in the past...
In this, Curry et al. (2014) write, “gang membership is simply a risky behavior that some people select into, provided the opportunity is available” (p. 35). Although the criminal propensity theory seems similar to the selection perspective, I believe that once choosing to join a gang, criminal behavior will definitely become enhanced. The collective aspect of gangs allows for members to engage in increased criminal behavior. Due to the fact that the facilitation and selection perspectives developed by Thornberry et al. (1993) are so extreme, I feel as though the enhancement model is a middle ground that explains the relationship between gang membership and offending more logically. Essentially, the enhancement perspective offers a more rational approach when understanding the relationship between gang membership and
3. Maclure, Richard, and Melvin Sotelo. 2004. "Youth Gangs in Nicaragua: Gang Membership as Structured Individualization." Journal of Youth Studies 7:417-432.
Shute, J. (2013). Family Support as a Gang Reduction Measure. Children & Society, 27(1), 48-59. doi:10.1111/j.1099-0860.2011.00368.x
Have you ever wondered why gangs do what they do? I know I’ve always pondered on that question! Well throughout this research paper I will explain why people get caught up in gangs and commit the criminal acts they do. I will also thoroughly cover the average gang member’s personality and overall lifestyle. Those two factors play a key role in why people join gangs. After I’ve explained why gangs members chose that lifestyle I will than move into the history of gangs. I will cover the beginning of street and prison gangs. Many believe street and prison gangs are the same, but I will explain the key characteristics that set them apart. How they originated, why they started, and where did they begin? Those will be just a few
Understanding is important “not because terrorists deserve sympathy—they do not—but because understanding their state of mind is necessary to limiting the risk” (Stern, 215). Therefore, in understanding why youth join gangs, a possible solution may rise. One reason as to why youth join gangs is identity. Once one finds a place of belonging it reinforces the mental and emotional security that is essential to human security (Bhangoo Randhawa, PACS 10). This belonging is quite strong and gang members develop into family. Soon after joining, a child has found their father, their brother, their grandfather; a family that not many Salvadoran youth have seeing as many families are broken. Thus a threat on a gang is not only a direct personal threat but a threat on one’s family. MS-13 and Barrio 18 stand for different beliefs in which they both feel their personal gang is in right. In addition, “the degree to which exclusive individual or group identities are reflected or represented in the definition of the collective national identity makes the issue of of identity a public concern” (Deng, 80). As a result, if someone is does not agree with the gang completely, they are automatically against the gang and henceforth violence continues affecting not only the gangs themselves, but every other outsider as
Wood, Michelle, et. al. “Understanding Psychological Characteristics of Gang-Involved Youths in a System of Care: Individual, Family, and System Correlates.” Education and Treatment of Children 20 (August 1997): 281-294.
I must admit that this class and it's statistics continue to shock me! As my son is of a age and has certain risk factors that would make him succeptable to gang membership. I was shocked to learn that only 1% of the population are gang members. That's 1 in every 100 people.(Pyrooz, 2013). I believe that this is definitely based on the neighborhood you live in and the culture you are brought up around. While other studies have proven the gang rates to be more they all conclude that gang activity peaks at around age 15. The National Gang Center reports that 50 to 67% of gang members are 18 or older. While gang involvement usually lasts 2 years or less adolescense is a time where individuals are finding and learning who they are and want to
Belliar, Paul E., and Thomas L. McNulty. 2009. “Gang Membership, Drug Selling, and Violence in Neighborhood Context.” JQ: Justice Quarterly 26 (4): 644-69. Web. 15 March 2014.
With the promise of a greater life by the gangs, the excited teens get attracted to the illegal activities of the mob (Bryman, 2008). Some of the teens are addicts of substances and they tend to believe that being in a gang will give them the freedom to continue using it. At home, the challenge can be bad since parents may not even have an idea of an addiction or ways of coping. Therefore, most teens are forced to join a mob because they have the desired freedom and access to the drugs. Some of the teens are pressured into joining a mob if their association will add to the mob’s criminal actions.
This paper analyses why youth join gangs from a theoretical perspective. Sutherland’s Differential Association theory will be used to explain why youth join gangs because of its socio-psychological focus (Ball, Cullen, and Lilly 2015). I will argue that youth join gangs because of peer, familial and socio-economic influences. Differential Association theory is able to explain peer and familial influences as reasons youth gang involvement, but it is unable to account for why school influences lead youth to join gangs.
One of the reasons young people join street gangs is because of neighborhood disadvantages. A theory that can contribute to why young people might join street gangs is Social Disorganization Theory. Social Disorganization theory assumes that “delinquency emerges in neighborhoods where neighborhood relation and social institutions have broken down and can no longer maintain effective social controls (Bell, 2007).” Social Disorganization contributes to residential instability and poverty, which affects interpersonal relationships within the community and opens opportunities for crimes to be committed. The break down of neighborhood relation and social institutions create a higher likely hood that young people will affiliate with deviant peers and get involved in gangs. When there is lack of social controls within a neighborhood the opportunity to commit deviance increases and the exposure to deviant groups such as street gangs increase. Which causes an increase in the chances of young people joining street gangs. If social controls are strong remain strong within a neighborhood and/or community the chances of young people committing crime and joining gangs decreases.
A gang can be defined as a group of people who unite to serve a common purpose and engage in violent or otherwise criminal behavior. (http://www.ci.torrance.ca.us) The types of crimes committed by gang members differ between gangs, but the crimes generally associated with gangs include vandalism, robbery, drug-trafficking, assault, arson, and murder. There are many reasons why teenagers may join gangs. The root causes of violent gang formation are poverty, stressed families, unemployment, under-employment, under-education, racism, and the breakdown of sociocultural institutions. (http://www.instanet.com) Many people join gangs for protection from violent people in other gangs. (http://www.public.iastate.edu) Other people join gangs for the sense of family that comes along with it. The youth gang satisfies a void - the child's desire to feel secure. It provides the child with a sense of identity, belonging, power, and protection. The gang provides a protective barrier against the outside world. (http://www.highways.com)