How a Gang Coercion Recruiting What Juveniles Avoid Scenarios

Gangs: Coercion and Prevention

The community problem of gangs and related violence is prevalent all over the United States. Young people join gangs for a variety of reasons. Some may feel isolated from their general school or social communities and search out the connections and community affiliation offered by gangs. Others are seduced by the importance attached to generally laudable qualities like loyalty and honor. In a gang setup, however, these are generally proven by violent or criminal activities. Some young people could also be somewhat seduced by the romantic notion of belonging to a group of people who all stand for the same thing and would give their lives for the cause and each other. To curb the danger related to gangs and gang violence and to protect young people from being coerced into gangs, parents, educators, and government officials need to be aware of the various reasons why a young person would join a gang, the most insidious, violent, and dangerous of which is arguably coercion. Open and honest communication between parents and their children could be seen as the first important platform from which to fight the continuous threat of gang membership and violence.

According to Carlie (2002), coercion has been used by gangs to recruit members for as long as gangs have existed. Generally, this method is most often used by large gangs who are active in cities known for their gangs. Motivated by stress factors such as gang conflict or the need to generate money, coercion is used to create a larger gang member base.

Coercion is usually threatening in nature, which can be either physical or psychological in nature. Recruits are threatened in terms of safety or harm. To protect themselves, they are then required to join the gang. Additionally, coercion could also take the form of beatings. Family members or friends can also be threatened if a potential recruit refuses to join. Death is not uncommon as retribution for refusing to join a gang. This in itself can be used as a coercion method, where friends of murdered recruits are coerced into either joining or being murdered like their friends.

As mentioned above, coercion can be curbed by ensuring there are honest, open communication channels within the family set-up. When coercion methods are then used against a child, he or she will more than likely take the problem to the family, who can contact the authorities and/or obtain sufficient protection for the child. In a family where there is no communication occurs, children are far more likely to be successfully recruited by means of coercion or other methods.

Carlie (2002) offers several points of advice for parents and families to ensure that coercion cannot be used against them as a recruitment method. The first of these is that families should provide an atmosphere of love and care, as well as take responsibility for their children. In this way, children will not feel the need to find a sense of community and connection elsewhere, while also being more likely to communicate when problems occur.

One of the ways in which a loving atmosphere can be provided is by building strong and loving social relationships by means of activities such as picnics, trips, tours, and bike rides, sports events, and the like. These events will not only promote a sense of fun, but also a sense of community and activities that can be enjoyable while also being safe and harm free. In addition, positive family role models will also help young children to build a strong sense of morality which would not need to be replaced by gang loyalty or violence-related honor.

In other words, parents need to take responsibility for promoting these role-model images by displaying appropriate behavior while also relating to children in a way that will emphasize a proactive, non-violent way of resolving conflicts, abstaining from substances, and the like. On the basis of such strong family relationships, it is less likely that children will succumb to coercion methods without seeking the help of a trusted family member who is perceived to be able to help, such as a parent or guardian.

Another way in which families can prevent their children from being coerced into joining gangs is an awareness of factors that promote gang recruitment and involvement. Studies cited by the OJJDP (2013), for example, suggest that there are certain risk factors within the community, family, school, per group, and individual attributes. An awareness of these by guardians and parents can go a long way towards effecting prevention methods.

First, the greatest risk of gang involvement is experienced by young males. Attachment is the common factor within all five set-ups to predict the danger level of gang involvement. In the community, for example, he risk is highest where social integration or attachment is low. In schools, low teacher attachment combined with low performance expectations, for example, increases the risk of gang membership. Combined with undesirable, delinquent peers, individual factors such as low self-esteem form a powerful risk factor.