Gangs Inflict Social Problems

Eurogang program, defines a street gang as “any durable, street gang-oriented youth group whose own identity includes involvement in illegal activity” (Klein 2007, 18). The National Youth Gang Center (NYGC) defines a Youth Gang as, “a self-formed association of peers having the following characteristics: three or more members, generally ages 12 to 24; a name and some sense of identity, generally indicated by such symbols as style of clothing, graffiti, and hand signs; some degree of permanence and organization; and an elevated level of involvement in delinquent or criminal activity” (Howell and Egley, 2008.). This social concern was directly from the increased number of youth gangs throughout this country. This gang mentality and social deviance have been made, note of and documented over the years. “Prior to the 1970’s, gang violence was still popularly associated with white ethnic enclaves in the cities of the Midwest and East, and gang incidents were typically brawls involving fists, sticks and knives.

Additionally, gang members nowadays become addicted to their own drugs they supply. Such addiction follows by behavior that makes them commit violent offenses. According to Matthew O’Deane “a major concern is that illegal drugs are one of the primary causes of gang violence offenses in our society. Violence occurs in connection with drugs and gangs owing to the fact that users under the influence commit violent crimes because of the effects of the substance, or users commit violent crimes to get money for drugs” (Gangs and Drugs). In my neighborhood, I personally knew situations equivalent to O’Deane’s thesis.

Gangs in the United States Gangs have been a part of the United States culture since the beginning of our nation. They are an organized group of criminals who defend their turf and mark the streets and territory with graffiti (Stark 15). Most gang members wear color bandanas in order to represent their gang and to create an identity. Today, gang violence is a huge problem in America because it creates homicides and violence crimes. There is also a problem regarding the reason why young people join gangs.

When it comes to the word gang, most people affiliate this term to something negative and violent. What people tend to forget is that a gang is a group of people that share the same interest, which means that gangs can be a club or sport team. Since the word went through pejoration, the downgrading or depreciation of a word 's meaning, as when a word with a positive sense develops a negative one. It now depicts an organized group of criminals for example street gangs, they are usually accommodated with youths. Why do these young people associate their selves with such negative surrounding?

First they try to find out the criminal’s motive, the reason why they would need to commit the crime. Then they work their way to the characteristics of the criminal and look at their distinct personalities (Costanzo & Krauss, 2015). Profiling is not a science, and it can create more problems than solutions if the information that is put out to the public is too general. I also believe that considering how much the results depend on the profilers thought process, this could be hampered by their own prejudices and life

Are police really just one big gang, or is this just something thought by people who are constantly in the wrong with law enforcement? People tend to feel victimized when they have been doing something wrong and finally get caught for doing those things. Does it just stop there though, or do people who have done nothing wrong also feel intimidated by the police. A gang by defection of the department of justice and the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement states; an association of three or more individuals, members identify themselves by adopting a group identity which they use to create an atmosphere of intimidation, and whose purpose is to engage in criminal activity and uses violence to further its criminal

Inner city neighborhoods are often thought of as a place of violence. People appear tough, and they act against others before others can act against them. While their way of life may seem odd to those of that did not grow up in the inner city, I believe that the code of the street acts as informal social control. How an individual acts or looks can have serious consequences, and sometimes those consequences can be deadly. The code of the street is simply a response to unemployment, available jobs that pay less than living wage, and a general lack of hope.

violence, aggression. and inhuman ways of crimes as' shown in the crime re-enactment shows. Increase in sensationalism and violence in the crime re-enactment shows having such impacts on the audience which \\ ould disturb the information function of media There is a lot of fear about the content of the crime re-enactment shows these days wh ich often does not serve the mission of Journalism that is information the public (true and subjective ).

'Moral panic ' refers to the public and political reaction to minority or marginalized individuals and groups who appear to be some kind of threat to consensual values and interests (Jewkes 2015) Societies will be subject to moral panic every so often. This is when an event, person or group of people appear to be seen as a threat to societal values and interests (Cohen, 1972). A moral panic is a feeling of fear that is spread to a large quantity of people usually through the media. It is created when an incident or person that is reported and viewed as being an evil threat to society.

"Over-policing" occurs when greater attention is given to crimes allegedly committed by members of particular minority communities or ethnic groups, or when powers are used more harshly against such persons. "Under-policing" is defined as when the police are less willing to provide sufficient services and help to members of minority communities when they are victims of crime. If we cannot keep equilibrium of policing, sometimes human rights may be infringed and then, the people may be feeling of discontent with the government. As a result, radicalization may emerge within the areas of minority communities or ethnic groups and these areas may become breeding ground for home grown terrorists. Terrorism is under the purview of transnational crime.

People would become rebels to the former life: stealing, harming, and losing morals due to the new conditions

When a problem occurs in daily life, humans are affected by social variables such as socioeconomic status (class differences), race, age, and gender differences which contribute to people being labeled as a criminal. In fact, they have a stereotype in their mind which can affect them by their society. It includes culture, education, living environment, and work. And then , they often think, action, and judge other people unsuitably which also don’t have any pieces of evidence to label someone as criminal. So that, to base on the social variable to contribute to someone being labeled as criminally is not persuasive.

Gangs activities are frequently portray in the media , the exposure of gang violence have an negative impact on the minds of our youth in our communities . Gangs are described as groups that are involved in gang related crimes and other crimes , such as assaults , rape , and robberies . Gangs are mostly conform of people from the same race or ethnicity , the majority are males and are most likely to be young . The majority of the people that join this groups come from places where they suffer from economic disadvantage and dysfunctional families . One of the issue that is problematic in our society nowadays is the media coverage of gang activities .

I think the key aspect of viewing gangs and the young people they influence is keeping in mind how they are inducted into gangs and how they are contained in them. Now, I have never experienced this system personally. I've only seen into this world through media; which, as we know, can be wildly inaccurate and rarely provides the full story. But I think that's where the importance of Levitt's credibility comes into play.