Gang Violence Research Paper

Violence is inherent in gang activity. Anybody in the area is fair game, including men, women and children. Once, gang members used chains, knives and an occasional homemade "zip gun." They now use shotguns, automatic rifles, handguns and explosives. Once, victims of gang violence were rival gang members. Now they are often innocent bystanders killed or injured by stray bullets. Certain gang-infested neighborhoods are frighteningly similar to a war zone. Gangs are typically young Hispanic or black males; but the victims of gang killings are no more likely to be involved in drugs or other crimes than their non-gang slain counterparts. Most of the violence-homicide and other assaults committed by gang members are directed toward other gang members.

Historically, gangs and gang violence have been concentrated in Urban centers with economically disadvantaged and racially diverse populations. Many youths have little parental oversight and are too easily influenced by gang membership and glamorized violence in a popular culture. America is estimated to have over 33,000 gangs with approximately 1.4M members. Gang violence is often, but not always, the result of intergang rivalries; that is, much of the violence that occurs among gangs is directed toward other gangs and gang members. In this vein, the disputes are most often territorial and occur in specific neighborhoods. Escalating violence also results from provocation, retaliation, and revenge between rival gangs. Gangs always have a name, they claim a particular territory or neighborhood, and usually direct its criminal activity towards rival gangs and the general population in the form of robberies, assaults and narcotics sales. Gang members participate in a variety of anti-social behaviors, including battery, mayhem, sexual assault, damage to property, larceny, murder, gang wars