Sociology Gang Girls

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Recommended: The role of girls in gangs

There is an increasing concern in the UK, that the education of some gang girls are being damaged and some often leaves school without reaching their full potential. The Centre for Social Justice also believe this, as they suggest that Gangs are destroying the chances of many girls achieving their full academic potential, therefore wiping out their chances of a better life (2014). In 2014 the Centre for Social Justice published their case studies of gang life for girls following the 2011 riots which highlighted the problem of gangs. The case studies carried out by the Centre for Social Justice, shows that a girl’s education can be affected by their involvement within a gang (2014).
Gang life can be a serious distraction for both boys and …show more content…

However, for one girl fighting and violent involvement on behalf of the gang cause a big interruption to her education. The case study highlighted the life of a gang girl whose role within the gang was to sort any issues a gang member had with a girl. ‘Whenever anyone in her gang has issues with another girl, they would call on her to fight them (Centre for Social Justice, 2014). Around this time she was around 15 years of age would often find herself fighting people serval years older than her. On this one occasion she borrowed a firearm and made her way to the conflict with it, the situation was resolved without the use of the firearm on this occasion (Centre for Social Justice, 2014). Yet, this shows the depths gang girls go to for their gang. It is just one of many illegal actives in which they take part in, on behalf of their gang. In spite of her criminal past, CSJ highlighted a transformation in which this particular gang girl took. She was introduced to some new friends through her cousin, these new friends created a positive influence on her life. She found an inspiration which led to her leaving her gang life behind, she has now stopped selling drugs (Centre for Social Justice, 2014). However, for some the opportunity to leave the gang life may not always be easy. Some gang girls become a custom to the way of gang …show more content…

This ex-gang member is an example of gang girl who not victimised by the gang. Gangs participate in a hierarchy system, where there alpha is at the top, the alpha is usually male. Then you would have the senior members of the gang, it is not uncommon for gangs to have females as a senior member of the gang. According to a female who was a senior member, she claimed she got a sense of power when she stabbed a person. ‘When I stabbed him I felt powerful, I could feel myself breaking into his skin, and I had the power over him. However, according to one study girls in gangs are 10 times more likely to be a victim of crime than they are to be a perpetrator of it. For that reason this shows, although it is common for girls to be victim of gang crime, they can also be perpetrators of it as well. This therefore shows that you can feel powerful when you are a well-respected gang member. This also reveals that it is not only females who are victims of gang violence and in fact the women can be

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