Impact On Public Health: Community Analysis

Impact on Health At the age of 20, according to the LAPD, 60% of gang members are either dead or incarcerated. Hence, gangs can impact upon the society by causing public health problems. This occurs by individuals who are members of gangs, they usually get involved in risky and illegal activities such as drug abuse and sexual activities. (Dalmas K, 2014).

Not only are gang members affected but also the person in society as well. This happens by when members of gangs decide to terrorise persons or murder someone the families are placed under a lot of stress. According to the Centre for Disease control, this stress can now lead to chronic diseases or mental health problems. (Dalmas K, 2014).

Impact on Businesses

Gang activities have affected

These gangs can now introduce illicit drugs into communities which can cause individuals to become addicts. This, however, can affect them both physically and mentally. This also allows persons to become a menace to society disrupting the lives of other individuals in the community in order to maintain their new habit. Children in communities, if they do not have a strong foundation at home, can also model the behaviour of these gang members. They may also promise these children a better life not mentioning the consequences of their actions. This also causes and increase in school dropout which without obtaining a proper education makes it difficult to gain employment, therefore, makes the decision on joining the gangs much easier. (Arum &Beattie 1999) found that students who report being suspended in high school were 2.2 times more likely to be incarcerated as adults than students with no history of

(Armstrong 2014). The individual can also be affected even after leaving the gang. After all in society labelling persons becomes a trend. Even if the person decides that they are changing their life and try to make a difference society will label them as a “gangster”. Along with this turning, a new leaf becomes difficult because fitting into a normal life becomes a task, finding a job that will accept your past or even a spouse that will do so as well. This individual will also have to live with the many scars they received while being in a gang for the rest of their life. They may also be living with an illness from the risk they took while being in the gang. Many times their life is still in danger because their members may not have wanted them to leave the gang and think that they are aware of too much that goes on or they may be wanted by enemies they made during their membership within the gang.

CONCLUSION

All members of a gang have a common purpose and belief. After all, they all strive for survival. There are many reasons an individual may join a gang this includes, peer pressure to which they are forced to join, single or poor parenting as well as poverty. When in gangs persons now live a life of crime where they are involved in activities such as drugs, theft, extortion and murder. All along society has been and continues to be a victim of crime in various ways.