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Strategies gang prevention efforts
Effectiveness of gang prevention programs
+essy on gang resistance education and training
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Introduction
Gang Resistance is Paramount (G.R.I.P) is a program that attempt to curb gang membership and discourage future gang involvement. It is meant for children and youth living in the City of Paramount, California (ojjdp.gov, 2018). The program involves three major components which are; neighborhood meetings prevent children from joining gangs through providing parents with support and assistance, 15-week course for fifth-grade students and a 10-week course for second grade students which deals with graffiti, peer pressure, tattoos, drug abuse and alternative activities and opportunities. To reinforce what children learned in the elementary grades, a school based follow-up program is implemented at the ninth grade level. The main goals
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It argues that, due to lack of social connectedness with personal and community institution youths find the reason to join the gang activities. Rapid population movements, rapid political, economic and social changes, racism, unstable political regimes, war between countries and so on are the main cause of lack of this connectedness (Gehring & Batista. 2018). As stressed by the theory the gang formation was not abnormal. However, a normal response by normal individual to abnormal social situations. The theory was created in the year 1927 by Thrasher. He believed that after the failure of a program that catered for their need failed, boys created a society for themselves that could meet their needs. According to Gehring and Batista, the main aim of forming gangs is to satisfy their needs that the communities, schools and families fail to …show more content…
If education fails them they will be in a position to create their own jobs and hence will be able to earn a living. The main reason why the youths forms the gang is due to unemployment. With self-employment this problem will be completely solved hence reducing the number of youth who would be willing to form the illegal gangs. The program will provide the youths with proper skills to cater for their needs and hence reducing the rate of crime in the area. The main reason as to why they are offered these courses is to keep them become busy at the same time give them source of earning a living.
The program may be successful in the urban areas and also the rural areas. However, the program may be more effective in urban areas where the application of courses like graffiti are mostly used in vehicles and in buildings. Also in urban areas young people are idle most of the times. If given a chance they can use their idle mind in a more creative way. The program can be more successful in urban areas compared to the rural areas for some reasons like population factor. In urban areas the population is higher compared to the rural areas. High population results to high sales of any
A Climate of Fear “The Gang Crackdown”, provided by PBS, communicates the everyday struggles that the communities of Nassau County face every day. The video’s focus revolves around the homicidal and violent crimes that have been provided by the “MS-13” and the details of cracking down on their development. The Latin American gang from El Salvador is known for their audacity to target the young population of Long Island and their homicidal tendencies. They have targeted children and teenagers at their workplace, their home, and their school. These gang members have left the community defenseless and struck fear into the hearts of many parents along with the government itself.
The four parts in Travis Hirschi’s theory are attachment (“being connected with those around you”), belief (“sharing values with those with whom you associate and care about”), commitment (“a desire and understanding that abiding by the norms and values of society are the right way to het where you want to go”) and involvement (being involved “or other forms of interactions that reinforce beliefs and behaviors”). The reason why this theory goes with the documentary is because the people who join gangs lack some or all the factors that according to this theory prevent crime involvement. Some examples include when it is mention how most the teenagers who join are always left alone because their parents work. Instead of relying on their parents, they seek affection and sense of belonging somewhere else. Apart from that, the belief and commitment part of this theory comes into play when the members share their belief of wanting to protect their turf from their enemy gang rival and reinforcing their limit lines. Meaning they avoid crossing their “turf’s” dividing line into enemy territory. Lastly, the lack of involvement is seen as they –the people who became gang members— are not involve in healthy activities such as volunteer programs/ clubs and instead are attracted to the gang
It is surprisingly difficult to pinpoint the origin of street gangs. This may be because of the inherent nature of gangs: a group of individuals who come together for the same purpose and in the case of str...
...sues causing an increase in the popularity and intensity of youth gang activity in targeted neighborhoods. This program has taken a bold, integrative approach to dealing with the issue of increasing membership and participation with gangs. The research findings for this program have supported the notion of its success and make assumptions about its continued success in the future. The program has shown to be of great value to those in the program and should continue to receive support and funding from government agencies and community members.
There are few known active members of street gangs attending district schools. The gang activity that is seen is that of ‘want-to-be’ gang members who are influenced by family members who are involved in street gang activity. Other ‘want-to-be’ members are often swayed by popular culture. Primarily, school administrators and district officials encounter smaller groups of students, anywhere from 3 to 10 students,from elementary to senior high, who band together and give the group a name. The group serves as a support system for members. These groups tend to be fluid and can disband as quickly as they formed. Most of these groups are benign and caused few difficulties. On occasion there have been groups that have caused greater disruption including violence, intimidation, and drug use. This has led to suspension and student transfer. When a student is identified as a street gang member or has shown signs of street gang influence the first intervention the district takes is to inform the parents of the individual, awareness is
The streets of Philadelphia are rapidly becoming a home to violent acts and random homicides. Innocent lives are taken every day due to the strong presence of gangs, and the streets are run by unruly groups of fearless young adults. Gang violence in Philadelphia is a major issue, and the citizens will never be safe until gang prevention occurs. Gang prevention is not a simple task, but with the right resources available, it is possible. Gang violence is a problem that will contribute to the collapse of Philadelphia, and it has yet to be solved throughout many generations. With gang violence on the rise, the best solution to gang violence is to educate the youth and parents about gangs and use family support to prevent the creation of gang members from the problem’s core.
Many have attempted to explain gang involvement in today's society. However, there is an underlying activity of youth joining gangs that does not seem to have enough media coverage or thorough explanations. As the name suggests, youth gang membership is about the juvenile population creating and joining gangs. Research indicates that youth gang membership exists in contemporary north America (Bernburg et al. 2006; aLilly et al. 2011; Maclure and Sotelo 2004; Sims 1997; Wiley et al. 2013; Yoder et al. 2003). This paper will examine the factors associated with youth gang membership using Karl Marx's conflict theory and labeling theory in comparison. Although conflict theory helps explain why a troublesome economy and coming from a low-socioeconomic status contributes to gang involvement, the theory has its limitations. On the other hand, labeling theory is unable to fully explain youth gang involvement based on the aforementioned factors. That being said, it can give a better explanation based on the factor of government intervention in the lives of citizens such as the context of stop-and-frisk which lead to unwarranted searches.
Measures of prevention or intervention that can be taken include creating early prevention programs, collaboration between the school, police, and parents, and policy measures. Programs that focus on increasing positive interactions with peers and encourage self esteem can help deter a child from a lifestyle susceptible to gang recruiting later in life (Simon, Ritter, and Mahendra, 2013). Such programs are vital in the school environment, where a youth spends most of his/her day. Schools must take note of the common signs of a youth with a high risk of becoming a gang member, for instance, poor grades and performance, and social rejection in the form of being bullied or being the bully. Moreover, schools should offer programs that raise awareness
Give the kids and teens after-school programs such as sports and mentoring programs. The government should not waste money funding useless laws, instead it should build more boys and girls clubs in the neighborhoods where gangs are likely appearing to organize. Most people who join a gang are just looking for a sense of belonging. These programs will show them they are smart and talented. It is that sense of belonging when they’re in an after-school group.
Echoing the structural strain theory is the differential opportunity theory, which states that learning environments and opportunities are not equally distributed in the social system and gender, class and ethnicity affects conformity and deviance (Deutschmann, 2007). Taking both theories into account, those susceptible to joining gangs would be people that are deprived of opportunities and resources to succeed, mainly people of the lower class and racial minorities as exemplified by the high volume of emergence of racially exclusive gangs in the past. In the 1970’s, the United States of America lifted its quota on immigration based on nationality and this saw the influx of immigrants from Asia and the West Indies coming into the USA in hopes of getting rich or simply to flee from their war torn native lands. Instead of assimilating into the American culture, these immigrants brought along their own cultural practices and religions, which were rejected by the Americans and resulted in resentment between both parties. Racial discrimination was rampant and these once hopeful immigrants soon found themselves being isolated in the outskirts, jobless and helpless.
The City of Los Angeles is the “gang capital” of the nation. There are more than 450 active gangs in the City of Los Angeles. Many of these gangs have been in existence for over 50 years. These gangs have a combined membership of over 45,000 individuals. Gang violence has for a long time been a major issue. Now it may not be as bad as it was back in the 90’s when it really first surfaced but gang violence is still a critical issue. A place where gang violence has really been an issue is none other than the state of California.
Growing up in the modern world is a difficult process with many temptations. Kids learn that they need to fit in and be accepted. Sadly, since not all youth get those needs met at home, they look to gang activity to fulfill desire for acceptance. Since these children learn behavior from an early age, the police and community realized the importance of teaching them about the dangers of joining gangs. There are many theories that could explain this behavior among juveniles, and the creators of the program use these theories to support G.R.E.A.T.. Keeping these influences and theories in mind, law enforcement developed Gang Resistance Education and Training. Referred to as G.R.E.A.T., Gang Resistance Education and Training is a gang and delinquency prevention program which is taught to youth by law enforcement in schools across America. The goals of G.R.E.A.T. are straightforward and simple. To help juveniles avoid gang membership, and to have them develop a positive relationship with the police (Esbensen, Peterson, Taylor, Freng, Osgood, Carson, Matsuda 2011).
Gangs originated in the mid 1800’s in the cardinal direction using it as a method to defend themselves against outsiders.The idea of gangs became populous, powerful, and a broad influence. But like all powers, they tend to corrupt and recognizes violence as a way of getting what they want faster than other methods.They turn violence into fun, profit, and control.Creating a situation that affects youth in today’s society.
Statistics show that school-based programs as well as community-based prevention programs minimize gang involvement. School-based programs address substance abuse and violence, which reduces the risk factors for gang involvement. For example, in the article “What Can Schools Do to Prevent Gang Involvement,” by Gary D. Gottfredson, he states, “universal programs in kindergarten through secondary school, which [is a] rewarding educational environment im...
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).