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A rise in female gangs
Explain the more serious criminal activity of modern-day female gangs
Explain the more serious criminal activity of modern-day female gangs
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Society has marginalized women into gender related roles that made it almost impossible for them to succeed. Women in society have been taught to become puppets to a male master. Women in society were supposed to follow the orders of their male counterparts. Some of the women who felt that they have been marginalized by society tend to create or join subcultural groups known as gangs. The question remains: are female gang members used as disposable accessories in gangs or are they forming their own gang to liberate themselves from gender related roles set by society? Girls in male gangs have been viewed as disposable accessories, but they have changed the nature of a gang by creating all female gangs eliminating the male dominant figure. I believe that female gangs have been misunderstood and are liberating themselves from the stereotypes set by society. Gangs are a group of people or an organization fighting for a purpose. Gangs can have three members or more from the ages of 12 through 24 (Belknap, 2007). Some gangs can be unisex, male gendered, or female gendered only. According to Belknap many girls join gangs for four reasons: protection, family, escape, and status. In early history, women were viewed as housewives; their expectations were not necessarily equal to males. Females were placed in gender roles by society. Early gender roles included cooking, cleaning, taking care of children, and becoming house wives. Male gang members accept and encourage sex roles. Fleury and Fernet discuss the views that gang members have crystallized sex roles. A young gang member interviewed says, “I don’t like it [when my girl] come out to the park with me. Because girls that hang out in that park, they aren’t seen as good girls...Th... ... middle of paper ... ...carcerated women have tripled since the late 1980s, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. While violent-crime rates are decreasing nationally, female juvenile crime is on the increase. Total crime arrests of female juveniles increased 118 percent between 1987 and 1996...The percentage of female gang involvement nationally is estimated at 10 to 15 percent; their ages range from 9 to 24" (2005, p.1). By this statement, Edwards is trying to say that girls are forming their own gangs and are learning to engage in all manner of crime just like men. Females have been gaining equality in gangs, but their crime rates have increased greatly throughout the United States. Females have become more violent, independent, and dominant in their gangs. Past society may have seen females in gangs as disposable accessories, but females have been changing the nature of gangs.
Throughout the years, women have been mistreated brutally by gangs in their neighborhood. In a memoir by Luis Rodriguez, Always Running, the main character experiences many random acts such as shootings, rape, and many arrests. Even though, Luis may seem like a very tough young man, he gives the women the respect and love they wish to receive from a gang member. In today’s society, many young girls are attracted to what society calls a “bad boy” because their lifestyle seems exciting. When one decides to join a gang, one must prove their loyalty to their new family by getting “jumped” by the whole gang or committing a serious crime. When a young girl begins to date a gang member, she begins to see how quickly a situation can escalate to a violent scene and abuse. As soon as a young girl is expose to that lifestyle, they tend to get mistreated mentally and physically by other gang
Dismissed by the police as mere adjuncts to or gofers for male gangs, girl gang members are in fact often as emotionally closed off and dangerous as their male counterparts. Carrying razor blades in their mouths and guns in their jackets for defense, they initiate drive-by shootings, carry out car-jackings, stomp outsiders who stumble onto or dare to enter the neighborhood, viciously retaliate against other gangs and ferociously guard their home turf.
Webster’s dictionary has several definitions for the meaning of gang. The definition that best fits for juveniles is a group of young people who do illegal things together and who often fight against other gangs, or a group of people who are friends and who do things together. (Webster’s) One of the problems met by law enforcement and other professionals is the lack of a consistent definition of a gang. Generally a ga...
Gangs are a group of boys and believe it or not girls too, that frequently get together to make all types of vandalism and actions that are not admitted by the law. Gangs have been part of the world for a very long time; they have also evolved through time. For example gangs in the 1960’s are not the same as the gangs we see today in our days. Many gangs were made before and after the 1960’s but the major gangs in this time were: The Crips, The Latin Kings, KKK, The Bloods which were enemies of The Crips, and the 18th Street Gang.
Gangs are a group of people involved in illegal activity. They were formed over 200 years ago in the United States and have now reached approximately 1.4 million individuals. There are five different types of gangs. The traditional gang, the neo-traditional gang, the collective gang, the compressed gang, and the specialty gang are all different types of gangs. Captain Dexter Nelson, a spokesman for Oklahoma City police who used to work in the department’s gang unit, said “all gangs exploit areas that are less equipped or less willing to
female gang groups are, “an expression of the gender relations and boundaries of society” (qtd.
Kids that get into gangs are seeking identity and recognition. a gang
A gang is a group of people who claim a territory and use it to make money through illegal activities. Gangs are usually split up into race or territory and are made up of 10 to 30 members. There are three types of gangs there are the Ethnic Gangs, Turf Gangs and Prison Gangs and each have different ways of doing things. Ethnic gangs are gangs made up by thei...
The differences between a club and a gang, are quite distinct, but it is the connotational differences between these two words which distinguishes one from the other. The New Lexicon Webster's Dictionary of the English Language defines a club as; "...an association of people with some common interest who meet periodically..." It defines a gang as "...a number of men or boys banding together, esp. lawlessly..." This definition is traditionally slanted toward applying to male youth, and stereotypical gangsters, from the Mafia to street criminals. Persons who often have a negative attitude toward youth see gangs. Often individuals form gangs out of fear and for the protection of their members whether they are the Bloods and Crips of Los Angeles or the Sharks and the Jets of "West Side Story." Gangs may not possess a set of formal written rules, but all of them have their own sets of customs or conditions. Gangs may or may not be facilitated in a branch of higher and lower members, mimicking a military model. Gangs often have a loosely defined set of goals, and are often involved in delinquent activities.
Traditionally, there has been little research on or interest in the impact of female crime in modern society. In addition, juvenile crime rates are on the rise, which combine for a void of research or information on female juvenile offenders. In general, crime rates for women offenders have risen since the 1990's. Increasing numbers of young women are also offending at higher rates. In a 1996 U.S. Department of Justice Report, the number of arrests of young women had doubled between 1989 and 1993. Twenty percent of all juvenile arrests were committed by girls, an increase of 87 percent. However, according to The National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools, males are far more likely to admit to criminal involvement than are females. For example, 12 percent of males and 4 percent of females reported carrying a hidden weapon other than a pocketknife in the past year (Wilson, p.150). There are several theories for this rise in crime proposed by modern feminists, including that the introduction of women into traditional male roles prompted women to commit increasingly dangerous and violent crimes. However, this paper will rely on Meda Chesney-Lind's theories from The Female Offender.
This country was built on gangs and still run on gangs. Republicans, Democrats, the police departments, and the FBI. Those are gangs.Think about it. They wear certain color, they are respected, some of them carry weapons and they promote following the rules they made . Also Gangs probably see characters from TV shows or movies who use violence in order to increase their apparent masculinity and try to mimic them (Esbensen & Tusinski, 2007). With media as their main source for information about the world, what boys to think about what they must become when they grow up besides dominant and
Gang violence is a major problem in our society today. If nothing is done soon, gang violence could take place in our neighborhoods. MW Klein, a gang researcher, says that gangs are an aggregation of youths who perceive themselves as distinct, and that are viewed as distinct by the community. Klein also states that the gangs call forth a consistently negative image of themselves through their actions (Klein). To those involved in gangs however, gang membership provided a youth means of attempting to consolidate their gender identities (Douglas). Most of the early American street gangs have historically been ethnically based. Early gangs were mainly Irish, Polish, or Italian (Klein).
When I became aware of the regular occurrence of gangs in the Trenton area, I began to wonder why adolescents, usually males, join gangs in the first place. Though there are many explanations and, of course, each young male has his own reason, many of them [the reasons] revolve around the issues of safety, respect, money, and a sense of identity…Many of them [the gang members] learned at an early age that they were vulnerable if they did not belong to a gang that would protect them when they were threatened by other gang members (Patton 59).
Hallcom, Francine. "Gang Membership Can Fulfill Many Adolescent Needs." Contemporary Issues Companion: Gangs. Ed. J.D. Lloyd. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 13 July 2010
Gangs are a large part of society and allways have been. There are many ways being in a gang is important. It can also make a very significant impact on all parts of your life and on the lives of your family and friends. Although you may be protected by a group of people, being in a gang is very dangerous. With the rising popularity of gangs it seems as though gangs will not be going away in the near future.