Youth Gangs: The ole of the Family in the Formation and Prevention of Youth Gangs
The issue of youth gangs is one of the most serious concerns facing administrators in the UK today. Numerous factors have been identified as increasing the risk of one getting lured into gang activity. The most prominent of these factors include poverty and deprivation, poor performance in school, drug and substance abuse, and crime-prone surroundings. While not underestimating the role of these factors, this study seeks to establish the role of the family as an influencing factor of youth delinquency and gang involvement. It is intent on showing that disorganization within the family unit is the main reason as to why young people engage in gang activities, and the best way to address the problem is by giving families and parents a central role in policy and interventions.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Methodology

Literature eview

Defining a Gang.

The push and pull…...

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References

Alleyne, E. And Wood, J.L., 2010. Gang Involvement: Psychological and Behavioral Characteristics of Gang Members, Peripheral Youth and Non-Gang Youth. Aggressive Behavior, 36(1), pp. 423-436

Bennett, T. And Holloway, K., 2004. Gang Membership, Drugs and Crime in the UK. British Journal of Criminology, 44, 305-323.

Castella, T. And McClatchey, C., 2011. Gangs in the UK: How Big a Problem are they? The BBC News. Available at   [accessed April 13, 2015]http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-15238377 

Cox, A., 2011. Youth Gangs in the UK: Myth or Reality? Internet Journal of Criminology. Available at   [accessed April 13, 2015].http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Cox_Youth_Gangs_in_the_UK_Myth_or_Reality_IJC_September_2011.pdf 

Girls join gangs, Bilchik explains, because of "higher levels of normlessness" in her family, and she may have been the victim of incest or rape (older male siblings or an adult male in the household).
Gangs provide a way of "solving social adjustment problems," Bilchik writes. Going through adolescence brings with it "trials and tribulations," and being in a gang gives a young man a sense that he is dealing with those problems but not having to do it alone. In some situations, youth "are intensively recruited or coerced into gangs"; they seemingly "have no choice." There are some youths who are literally born into gangs; the father is in a gang, and hence, they will be too. But the most common "predictors" of membership in a gang are that the boy is from a poverty environment, there is "an absence of biological parents, low parental attachment...and supervision." Also, a…...

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Works Cited

Bilchik, Shay. "Youth Gangs: An Overview." Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention. U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved 21 Nov. 2006 at  http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/167249.pdf .

dealt with the issue of youth gangs and their prevalence in USA. Sociologists have been analyzing youth gangs in urban backgrounds for around 70 years. It has been debated that youth gangs were created in accordance with social events, and that gang members were of loose morals or inadequately socialized entities who tied up together to do delinquent activities in groups rather than as separate entities. This paper shall deal with the major components of youth gangs in the country and shall also emphasize on the policy implications to deal with the youth gangs.
Most of the primitive sociologists and enrollers of the media depicted gangs as tangential groups, wherein their actions were taken into accordance as infringement of the folkways, more than obvious infringements of existential laws. Nowadays the word 'gang' portrays impression of law assailing groups more than the old boys which existed around corners. ecurrently the word…...

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References

Curry, G.D. And Spergel, I. "Gang Involvement and Delinquency among Hispanic and African-American Adolescent Males." Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Volume: 29 1992: 5-27

Esbensen, F.A., & Huizinga, D. Gangs, Drugs, and Delinquency in a Survey of Urban Youth. Criminology, 4, 1993, pp. 565 -- 589.

Esbensen, F.A., Huizinga, D., & Weiher, A.W. "Gang and Non-Gang Youth: Differences in Explanatory Factors." Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 9, 1993, pp.94 -- 116.

Esbensen, F. & Osgood, D.W. "National evaluation of G.R.E.A.T." Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 1997.

Thrasher (1927) correctly identified the reasons for existence and persistence of gangs: "The gangs… offer a substitute for what society fails to give… it fills a gap and affords an escape….thus the gang, itself a natural and spontaneous type of organization arising through conflict is a symptom of disorganization in the larger social framework." (p. 13)
To prevent the youth from getting into the ills of society parents, teachers, the community and the entire nation should get together and contribute their part to it. Parents and teachers should guide the teens and explain to them about the dangers of becoming a part of a gang. The nation should provide their people with more opportunities so as to better their living conditions. Law enforcing agencies should increase their efficiency to create deterrence among the youth such that they would not indulge in delinquency. It is about time that everyone should recognize…...

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REFERENCES:

Winters, Clyde a. "Learning Disabilities, Crime Delinquency, and Special Education Placement." Adolescence 32.126 (1997): 451.

Hagan, J. And H. Foster. "Youth violence and the end of adolescence." American Sociological Review, 66.12 (2001):874.

Jeffery, C.R. "An Interdisciplinary Theory of Criminal Behavior." In Advances in criminological theory (1989):69.

Curry, G.D., & Spergel, I.A. "Gang involvement and delinquency among Hispanic and African-American adolescent males." Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 29 (1992): 273.

In the end, the capacity for gangs persist throughout history has shown that they are not merely one-dimensional juvenile delinquents, as they are often portrayed in media. They are also well-organized groups that have the ability to serve social purposes. This also shows that a reason why society still allows them to exist is because of these social functions (Branch 1997).

Nevertheless, media is also responsible for glamorizing the life of the gangsta, which may be a factor in getting adolescent and vulnerable teenagers to join gangs for the sake of being accepted and being part of a family. The outcome of which, if not death or imprisonment, is even if a gangsta decides to become a regular citizen, he will be held with contempt and suspicion by the community.

eferences

Branch, C. (1997). Chapter 1: Since the Days of Knights: Historical and Psychological Overview of Gangs. pp. 9-27. Perseus Books, LLC. etrieved…...

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References

Branch, C. (1997). Chapter 1: Since the Days of Knights: Historical and Psychological Overview of Gangs. pp. 9-27. Perseus Books, LLC. Retrieved August 24, 2009, from Education Research Complete database.

Branch, C. (1997). Chapter 2: Developmental Aspects of Gang Membership. pp. 28-43, Perseus Books, LLC. Retrieved August 24, 2009, from Education Research Complete database.

Gibbs, Jewelle Taylor. (2000). Gangs as Alternative Transitional Structures: Adaptations to Racial and Social Marginality in Los Angeles and London. Journal of Multicultural Social Work, 8(1/2): 71-99. Retrieved August 24, 2009, from Education Research Complete database

Ruble, Nikki M. & Turner, William L. (2000). A Systematic Analysis of the Dynamics and Organization of Urban Street Gangs. The Americal Journal of Family Therapy, 28(2): 117-132. Retrieved August 25, 2009, from Education Research Complete database.

Gangs
The presence of gangs has always been of concern to society, largely owing to their criminal behavior. The solution to the problem, however, lies not so much in police and legal action, but in addressing, the social causes of gang development. In other words, society has to change social conditions such as poverty, family abuse and neglect, the educational system, the Criminal Justice system, employment opportunities and the nature of social programs in order to prevent the development of criminally oriented gangs. Indeed, society would probably benefit a great deal if it could stop punishing such behavior and, instead, focus on the creation of a social environment that could prevent the development of criminally oriented gangs.

The primary cause of gang development, it has been well established, is poverty. This is because poverty causes economic and social pressures that lead to youth developing a poor image of self and society. In…...

POLICY Youth and Gangs in Low Income AreasThis assignment is based on Burgess concentric model, which divides urban centers into five zones that differ by income levels and distance from the central business district (Allen et al., 2005). Gang activity is more prominent in the loop (the CBD), the transition zone, which is characterized by low incomes and slum conditions, and the factory zone, which is dominated by factories and few residential units, thus producing a conducive environment for gangs to operate.Section 1: The Problem, its Importance, and CausesData from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) points to sharp rise in gang violence in the United States over the last decade (Department of Justice, 2020). Gang activity is mostly concentrated in the countrys largest cities (Department of Justice, 2020). In its most recent Youth Gang Survey, the National Gang Center (NGC) identified around 30,000 gangs with a membership of 850,000…...

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References Allen, J., Massey, D., & Pile, S. (2005). City worlds. Routledge Augustyn, M. B., Thornberry, T. P., & Krohn, M. D. (2014). Gang membership and pathways to maladaptive parenting. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 24(2), 252-267. Barnes, J. C., Beaver, K. M., Miller, M. (2010). Estimating the effect of gang membership on nonviolent and violent delinquency: A counterfactual analysis. Aggressive Behavior, 36(6), 437-451. Department of Justice (2020). Gang statistics. Department of Justice, 103.   D. C., Gerstenblith, S.A., Soule, D. A., Womer, S. C., & Lu, S. (2004). Do after-school programs reduce delinquency? Prevention Science, 5(4), 253-266. Higgins, A., Benier, K., Shenderovich, Y., Bedford, L., Mazerolle, L., & Murray, J. (2018). Factors associated with youth gang membership in low and middle-income countries: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 14(1), 1-128. James, H. (1998). Youth gangs: An overview. Juvenile Justice Bulletin, No. 167249. Lenzi, M., Sharkey, J., Vieno, A., Mayworm, A., Dougherty, D., & Nylund-Gibson, K. (2014). Adolescent gang involvement: The role of individual, family, peer, and school factors in a multilevel perspective. Aggressive Behavior,9(99), 1-12. National Gang Center (2019). National youth gang survey analysis: Measuring the extent of gang problems. National Gang Center.  https://nationalgangcenter.ojp.gov/survey-analysis/measuring-the-extent-of-gang-problems  Race Forward (n.d.). Racial Equity Impact Assessment. Race Forward.  https://www.raceforward.org/sites/default/files/RacialJusticeImpactAssessment_v5.pdf Savage, C. L. (2019). Public/community health and nursing practice: Caring for populations. F.A. Davis. Taylor, S. S. (2013). Why American boys join street gangs. International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 5(8), 339-349. https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-103-gang-statistics Gottfredson,

Gang Violence Prevention
Gang Violence

Study of each and every society around the world gives us a phenomenon, which indicates at a certain graph related to organized crime. American society has long been associated with such a vice, and there have been many unearths made in this direction. There has been a lot of study and research associated with fact that how these gangs formed and what is the major motivational factor behind such activities. Several studies in this regard have brought forward certain phenomenon which forms the basis of gang formations and majority of which is related to unsatisfied social structure. These gangs are formed in the societies, which are highly disintegrated and have developed into individually functioning micro units. Extensive liberalization of political policies and the general promotion of individualistic approach towards life in most countries have motivated certain individuals in direction of organized crime, and this is a growing…...

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Bibliography

Alleyne, E., & Wood, J. (2010). Gang involvement: Psychological and behavioral characteristics of gang members, peripheral youth and non-gang youth. University of Kent. Retrieved from:  https://kar.kent.ac.uk/27523/2/Gang_involvement_-_Revised2_ACCEPTED_by_Aggressive_bevhavior.pdf 

Donnellan, M.B., Trzesniewski, K.H., Robins, R.W., Moffitt, T.E., & Caspi, A. (2005).Low self-esteem is related to aggression, antisocial behavior, and delinquency. Psychological Science, 16, 328-355.

Dukes, R.L., Martinez, R.O., & Stein, J.A. (1997).Precursors and consequences of membership in youth gangs. Youth and Society, 29, 139-165.

Esbensen, F-A., Winfree, L.T., Jr., He, N., & Taylor, T.J. (2001). Youth gangs and definitional issues: When is a gang, and why does it matter? Crime and Delinquency, 47, 105-130

Career Development Program Juveniles in Gangs
The intervention plan provides various professional and organizational insights on the program and facilitation service. The program recognizes the relevance of initiating capacity, professionalism and skills of the persons involved while contributing towards the achievement of the strategic priorities and goals. The programs provide consultative information and services for the units of planning, team development and implementation of change processes (Bradshaw, et al., 2013). The system coordinates training in the correctional units. The medium-term goals of the project include providing advice and support for the application and development of staff and organizational development initiatives. The suite of program components will build on professional capabilities, leadership and management skills, organizational knowledge and team performance and development.

Literature eview

Various authors have literature on correctional systems. The practical approaches in gang situations include the need to address service delivery problems. The programs involve different stakeholders and groups that handle…...

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References

Anonymous, (2004). Gangs and Delinquency in Developmental Perspective. Adolescence, vol. 39, (153): 187

Bradshaw, C. P. et al., (2013). Bullies, Gangs, Drugs, and School: Understanding the Overlap and the Role of Ethnicity and Urbanicity. J Youth Adolescence. Vol. 42:220-234

Holder, Jr., E. H., Robinson, L. O. & Slowikowski, J. (2010). Best Practices to Address community Gang Problems: OJJDP's Comprehensive Gang Model. National Gang Center

Koffman, S., et al., (2009). The impact of a Comprehensive Whole Child Intervention and Prevention Program among Youths at Risk of Gang Involvement and Other Forms of Delinquency. Children & Schools, vol. 31(4):239-244

George Knox, director of the National Gang Crime esearch Center, teaches law enforcement officers how to search WebPages to pick up on gang member's lingo, territories, and rivalries. He also asserts it is crucial for officers to learn how to "read between the lines" when searching gang members' WebPages. Time on the Web, similar to time on the streets, gives gang investigators the ability to read the hieroglyphics of wall graffiti, and understand Web clues. In addition, "gang identifiers, such as tattoos, graffiti tags, colors and clothing often are embedded in each site" (Gutierrez, 2006, ¶ 27). According to Gutierrez, by studying gang blogs for several hours, one can pick up on subtle word choices, which the gang members consider to be almost holy words. Knox contends that some gangs use the Internet to recruit new members.

Other Efforts to Deal with Gangs

Suppression techniques may be one of the best ways…...

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REFERENCES

ARISE as a gang prevention program. (2007). ARISE Foundation. Retrieved November 6, 2009

from   ARISE foundation. (2009). Retrieved November 6, 2009 from  http://www.ariselife-skills.org/Home/Home.aspx http://www.ariselife-skills.org/Home/Gangs.aspx 

ARISE life-management skills program. A five-year evaluation. (N.d.). University of Miami.

Retrieved November 10, 2009 from  http://www.ariselifeskills.org/docs/pdf/5yearevalexecsummary.pdf

Hybrid Gangs in South Florida
On Public Policy towards Volatile Movements

South Florida has an increasing prevalence of criminal gangs in their communities and it is posing a growing threat to their security and safety. It is clear that in that region criminal hybrid gangs are spreading violence and fear in their neighborhoods making places like their parks unusable, and even bringing corrupt behavior passages to work and school, stopping legitimate businesses consisting of tourism, and bringing down property values. Right now, there are more hybrid gangs in Florida than ever before, with approximately 400 in South Florida alone, as stated by the latest state study. Hybrid gangs are not a new threat, nevertheless the most recent state study displays the problem is getting worse especially in South Florida. In 1991, there were 160 gangs in the south Florida region, but by 2007 the number jumped to beyond 1,500 with more than…...

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The community fails to acknowledge the fact that a hybrid gang is an organized group with a recognized leader whose activities are either criminal or, at the very least, threatening to the community in South Florida. They are not being educated enough to understand. Communities lack acknowledgment of understanding the characteristics of hybrid gangs. They do not understand that Hybrid gang show their uniqueness and unity in obvious ways for instance jewelry, colored clothing, jargon, and signals (Crews, 2014). The lack of acknowledging the problem in South Florida, has caused people to not realize that their key source of income for most hybrid gangs is narcotics which fuels a lot of the violence.

Communities fail to acknowledge Hybrid gang members of all ages and that they are used by the gang in the unlawful sale of narcotics and other illegal actions. It is a wrong belief that hybrid gang only function in less wealthy districts. Hybrid gang exist in virtually every community in South Florida and the communities want to ignore the elephant in the room. South Florida does not acknowledge that the gangs belong to one of two alliances, either "People" or "Folks." They do not even realize that both associations are alive and well on South Florida's streets, and in most circumstances are unpleasant rivals. The "Individuals" hybrid gang all wear their identifiers to the left side, while the "Folks" hybrid gangs wear their identifiers on the right (Roles, 2013). Not knowing these characteristics have caused the community to be in ignorance.

They also do not acknowledge that firearms and gang violence go hand in hand. In one study based on responses from 835 male inmates in 6 juvenile correctional facilities in 4 States, researchers found that movement from nongame membership to gang membership brought increases in most forms of gun-involved conduct. Forty-five percent described gun theft as a regular

Youth Behind Bars - Let's Rehabilitate Kids, Not Punish Them" published in the San Francisco Chronicle on February 27 of this year argues in his article that the California system for dealing with juvenile delinquents is a failure but that it must be repaired instead of being dismantled. He describes terrible abuses inflicted on the youth and opportunities to rehabilitate them ignored. Adachi makes sense. Because the youth of today are tomorrow's future, we must do everything we can to help those who have started off on the wrong path to turn their lives around.
It is easy to argue that people who commit crimes should be punished, As a society we do not accept that murder, rape or theft are ever acceptable. However, most young students start out performing relatively smaller crimes. If they can change their ways while they are young, they will spend the rest of their…...

Gangs
The Issue of Gangs

History of Gangs in the United States of America

Northeast egion (specifically New York City

Midwest egion (specifically Chicago)

West egion (specifically Los Angeles)

South egion First period

Current Status of Gangs in the United States of America

Types of Gangs in the United States of America

Factors Triggering Indulgence in Gangs

Impacts of Gang Activities on United States of America

ecommendations for Community esponse

This paper will analyze the nature of gang membership within the United States of America by delving into the historical trends and current status of gang membership in the nation. Moreover, the paper will also discuss the factors that trigger the formation of gangs in the state. In addition, it will also put light on the types of gangs that exist in the U.S.A., and the impacts that these entities have on the nation. Furthermore, it will also propose recommendations for community response regarding this issue.

The Issues of Gangs

1. Introduction

The United…...

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References

Howell, J., Egley, A., Tita, G., & Griffiths, E. (2011). U.S. Gang Problem Trends and Seriousness, 1996-2009, pp. 1-14. Tallahassee: Institute for Intergovernmental Research. Retrieved from  http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/content/documents/bulletin-6.pdf 

Howell, J., & Griffiths, E. (2015). Gangs in America's Communities. [S.l.]: Sage Publications.

Madden, V. (2013). Understanding the Mental Health Needs of Young People involved in Gangs, pp. 3-26. London: Westminster Joint Health and Wellbeing Board. Retrieved from  http://www.mac-uk.org/wped/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Mental-Health-and-Gangs-Report-2013.pdf 

Pappas, C. (2001). U.S. Gangs: Their Changing History and Contemporary Solution, pp. 1-14. Washington, D.C: Youth Advocate Program International. Retrieved from http://yapi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/report-gangs.pdf

deviance relates to the American Dream
In his book, Always unning: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A., Luis J. odriguez uses his own experience and writing talents to tell the story of lives that are caught in the fire of bad luck. Children who happened to be born in some of the poorest neighborhoods of LA in the 1960's, 70s or 80s, as odriguez, were condemned to contamination from the gang life that was going in the streets, around their homes, even creeping into their porches. The U.S. was marching on its way to become a world leader while huge urban areas like those of LA or Chicago were infested and ruled by a way of life that had little or nothing to do with the "American dream." Prostitution, drugs, alcohol and extreme violence, were the four main driving forces of "progress" in the "barrios." Life had little to…...

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Rodriguez's account of his own life is, as underlined before, a story that makes one think outside one's own little universe. He does not use pathos in his writing, he would rather present the facts as they are, as painful as that might be. Because of his frankness, he writes, some schools have banned his book from their library shelves or taken it out of their reading lists. Those he is writing about are too real and too close to the students who might come across this book. Is it possible that some school officials were afraid that the experiences described here could be harmful for those young minds and sous they were supposed to train for life? Were they afraid the children might get contaminated by its lecture? In fact, the question is: is it possible that the people populating this book could be harmful for the entire American society because they are a part of it and not a separate entity, as they would like to keep it?

Conley, Dalton. 2013. You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like a Sociologist (Core Third Edition). W.W. Norton. New York. London Rodriguez, Luis J. 2012. Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A, Open Road Media, Jun 12, 2012

Pacheco, Juan. 2009. March 12 forum at UCLA on "Global Perspectives on Youth & Violence." Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLCjpX9aDmY

Gangs in Public School
Many schools especially in urban and suburban areas continue to register gang-related activities within their premises and involving their students. This study appreciates the dangers associated with such gangs to the schools and other stakeholders around them. Various laws and regulation have been passed in different states in the U.S. allow parents to withdraw their children from certain public schools. Schools reputed for gang-related problems stand to lose students. This paper provides the scope of action steps in which schools take to intervene, prevent, and suppress the scope of violent gang activity while establishing crisis response plans. The strategies are developed to address potential actions of school violence including gang activity.

Gang members bring in their attitudes, behaviors, and conflicts to the school compounds. The dangerous gang issues and activities of a given community take place within local schools. Gang members take on each other within school hours…...

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References

Branch, C., (2013). Adolescent Gangs: Old Issues, New Approaches. New York: Routledge.

Garot, R. (2010). Who You Claim: Performing Gang Identity in School and on the Streets. NYU Press

Kinnear, K.L. (2009). Gangs: A Reference Handbook. New York: ABC-CLIO.

Macnab, N. (2012). Uncle Sam's Schoolhouse: Bullying, Predators, and Students. New York: Dog Ear Publishing