Being a member of an organized crime group, you would think might not have its advantages, but for some the advantages outweigh the significantly more disadvantages. Some of the advantages of being a member of an organized group is of course the financial aspect. Being a member of organized crime gives some people more wealth and power they would not have if were outside of their organization. Another advantage being more of a personal one as opposed to a financial one, is the feeling of belonging to a group and having the respect and “brotherhood” of others. Although these may seem like great attributes of being in an organized crime group they do not come without consequences. The disadvantages of being associated to these groups can come
at a steep price. The obvious disadvantage is being incarcerated. Another big disadvantage of being around organized crime, and the violence it brings, is that they are more susceptible to the violence than a normal law abiding citizen
The kids became gang members for many reasons. Some needed to find what their place was in the world, and they needed to know who they were as human beings. Joining the gang gave them a feeling of being involved in something and made them feel better about themselves. They felt that as a gang member they received the attention, emotional support, and understanding that they couldn’t get from their actual family members at home.
Individuals generally join a gang as young adults but, are sometimes recruited as early on as elementary school. Society generally sees gangs as dangerous groups to stay away from, but for a young person on the street, a gang offers a sense of family. Gangs present the benefit of protection and being part of a pack. When Latin Americans came to the United States as illegal immigrants they had very few resources and were essentially homeless. A simple solution was to join a gang. Mara Salvatrucha 13 profited from this scenario, exponentially growing in strength and size (Illegal Immigrant Gangs Commit Most U.S. Crime, 2009). An initial reason for the formation of Mara Salvatrucha 13 was for the immigrant’s protection from other gangs, but eventually ended up greatly surpassing their competition in both size and strength (2009).
Membership in a gang does not necessarily mean that the person is uneducated. Some gang members may have positions within the law enforcement communities (Sulc, 65) and some gang members earn college degrees in business, law enforcement, finance, etc. This type of education whether formal or on-the-job will make the gang even stronger. If an individual cannot afford to go to college, this type of scholarship program could be an incentive to stay or join up with ...
In the video titled Rival Gangs Unite for Justice, a CNN correspondent is interviewing members of different street gangs, who have temporarily set aside their differences and attempt to bring a sense of order to the community. When asked if the destructive behavior was gang related, they replied no, they are the ones out there trying to keep the peace. Additionally, when asked if they were doing anything to warrant the police constantly stopping and searching them one gang member shouted, “Stereotypes!” and another stated, “That’s why it’s not all about the (gang) colors right now, it’s about the black man…we’re all united right now, there’s a bigger systematic problem we gotta deal with” (CNN). Throughout the interview they roll footage of
Prison gangs are originally formed by inmates as a way of protecting themselves from the other inmates. These gangs have turned out to be violent and thus posing a threat to security. This paper will have a look at the different gangs in prisons, their history, beliefs and missions, and the differences and similarities in these gangs.
One of the major problems of corrections today is the security threat group - more commonly known as the prison gang. A security threat group (STG) can be defined as any group of offenders who pose a treat to the security and physical safety of the institution. Throughout the 1960's and 1970's, prison gangs focused primarily on uniting inmates for self protection and the monopolization of illegal prison activities for monetary gain (F.B.P., 1994, p. 2). STGs are mostly divided along racial lines and practiced defiance towards authority. STGs use a variety of hand signs, alphabet codes, tattoos, and different types of gang terminology. Gangs characteristically have rivals and make an alliance with other gangs. The criminal activity of S.T.G.’s does not only exist inside the confines of the prison walls, but has flowed to the outside world. “Prostitution, extortion, drug selling, gambling, loan sharking – such activities are invariably operated by prison gangs” (Gaines, Kaune, Miller, 2000, p.652). The Texas Prison System consists of eleven classified security threat groups; Texas chooses to classify a gang as a STG when they become involved in violent activity. “Prison gangs exist in the institutions of forty states and also in the federal system” (Clear and Cole, 2000, p. 260). Three main stages that the offender will experience with the S.T.G. are recruitment, the gang experience, and affiliation upon release.
Criminal gangs are a crucial part of the criminal pyramid; they can be paid as hit-men, distribute narcotics, assault innocent victims, and commit larceny, among other crimes. These are more serious crimes that require harsher punishment, though, but are these harsher punishments effective?
Criminals in the United States often get an unfair prison sentence due to the current imperfect system. The laws and guidelines that are used to determine an offender 's sentence are greatly flawed. Some crimes are much more severe than others; therefore using the same rules and regulations for all crimes as if they are all the same is unfitting. A drug dealer, a murder, and a fraudster could receive the same amount of prison time which is clearly unfair and unreasonable. Changing the guidelines that are followed would be lawful and the morally right thing to do.
The Gang Prevention and Deterrence Act was presented by Sen. Orrin Hatch and Diane Feinstein in the winter of 2003. The Act stated an increase in funding for the federal prosecutors and FBI agents needed to conduct coordinated enforcement efforts against violent gangs. There are much better alternatives than trying to pass a law that most people will never even hear about, or increasing funding for prosecutors and FBI agents. Creating new gang-prosecution offences will not prevent teens from getting into gangs. Jeralyn Merritt, a criminal defense attorney in Denver, Co. also suggested sports and mentoring programs. We should not just focus on the children and forget about the adults, help those adults that are already gang involved by actually employing them, but under certain guidelines. If there were more options out there, people would be to mentally and physically busy to even consider joining a gang. Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act would not do any good to assist in the fight against gangs.
Organized crime is a collective result of the commitment, knowledge, and actions of three components: (1) Criminal groups, who are core persons tied by racial, linguistic, ethnic or other bonds; (2) Protectors, who are persons who protect the group’s interests; and (3) Specialist support, which are persons who knowingly render services on an side-job basis to enhance the group’s interests. In order to thrive, an organized crime group needs many different elements. First, it needs an ensured continuity of members, clients, supporters, funds, etc. Additionally, it needs structure, criminality, violence, memberships based on common grounds, and a willingness to corrupt a power and profit goal. Generally, mafia organized crime groups disguise themselves behind the ownership of a legitimate business to avoid questioning from the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) regarding any financial sources. The ille...
People join MS -13 or any other gang for a many reasons; they need money because in many places there are no jobs for the younger generation and they know that gangs make quite a bit of money so they join, in some c...
Additionally, the need for the young people to have a sense of protection mainly drives them to join gangs. Many societies with high reported cases of mob activities frequently see youths linked with a bunch of criminals just for endurance. For many, it is better to connect with the mob than to stay vulnerable and defenseless in their localities (Klein & Maxson, 2006). For many, being connected to a mob guarantees sustenance in case of assault and retaliation for wrongdoings.
When I think of Organized Crime, I think of the mafia like you see on television. That’s probably what most people think of if you don’t know much about it. In the recent years, organized crime has changed, and the threat is more complex than it has been in the past.
In the American society criminal activity has become a part of the everyday activity. At any given time an individual can turn on the news and there has been some type of criminal activity that is headlining the news. More often then not it is a violent crime. Thanks to the media and exposure to crime on a regular basis as well as the entertainment industry, and other outlets projecting a certain stereotype of crime, and also criminals, society has developed their own definition of each. Society has also developed many myths or misconceptions about crime itself, and has distorted the realities to fit their mythical beliefs.
A big disadvantage is how dangerous being in a gang can be. It is true that not all gangs are violent but even the safest of gangs still have risk involved. One of these risks is when gangs have have a rivalry and fight each other commonly known as gang warfare. Like in The Outsiders the greasers and the Socs continually fight and jump each other for fun or just to watch them feel pain. In one chapter of the book some of the Socs who we intoxicated picked a fight with two greasers named Johnny and Ponyboy. The fight ended with one of the socs dead because Johnny had stabbed him with a switchblade. This shows how there is always a risk of being hurt or hurting someone even if you have done nothing or almost nothing to provoke the attack. Another big risk is getting in trouble with the law. If you get something on you pement record it will effect your life wherever you go and whatever you do. In many cases, if you are in the same group or vehicle with the people who committed the crime, but personally didn’t break the law, you can be charged for committing that crime or be charged for being an accomplice of the crime. Lastly, the stress of being in a gang can lower your lifespan by a significant amount. All in all, being in a gang is very