Why Teens Join Gangs

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However, gangs are essentially an organization that disregards the law in all forms. Within urban cities there are public housing sectors; these neighborhoods are known to have high rates of crime and gang activity. Just within Chicago alone there is about 10% of the city’s crime found within public housing communities (Lens, 355). When city officials have the power to construct public housing there is a sense of lost hope for those who grow up there. The teens are surrounded by the activity of gangs all around them. Almost in a way giving them little to no chance in changing the life they will lead as they become adults. There could be a conclusion as to why young teens are joining gangs and it’s due to the desire and sense of survival. …show more content…

It’s like they don’t know that there are other legal ways to become successful. So many teens turn to the streets and find this success level they desire through gang activity. Given that young adolescents are more prone to being a part of a gang. Research proves “self-reported gang members were twice as likely to report carrying firearms and three times as likely to report selling drugs” (Curry, Decker, Egley, 2002). When gang activity takes over sectors of urban communities there seems to be a little to no control by city officials. This then continues the trend of more young adolescents being exposed to this type of …show more content…

Receiving a basic education is very important and crucial for those who wish to further their education. Although not all neighborhoods within cities receive equal and adequate funding. For the city of Chicago, the public schools are all ranked and receive different amounts of federal funding. Typically, a CPS school funding is based off the neighborhood it is located in. A percentage of the neighborhoods tax money contributes to the funding of schools. If there was a CPS located in a lower-class area, where the average income is extremely low, then there is the consequence of the children not receiving proper education tools to facilitate a safe positive environment. Proper learning facilities would consist of well qualified teachers and enough of the to balance the student to teacher ration within the classroom. Some schools in lower income neighborhoods don’t even have enough desks and chairs for all the students due to lack of funding and overcrowding. These basic school items should be found within each school regardless of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, this isn’t true for all public schools. CPS aren’t receiving enough money to be funding properly. This lack can result in little to no motivation for these young grade school and high school

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