Gang violence and activity has arisen in the past decades, with exceeding concerns and amongst youth being the primary target. Law enforcement try to gain a better understanding to why people are falling into criminal activity. Throughout the following essay we will be summarizing the background of one of the most notorious gang known internationally, MS-13. In addition, we will also be explaining ways different criminology theorist and theories apply to these particular group of people.
According to Juana Bordas “the Latino population in the United States grew by 43 percent in the last decade, accounting for more than half of the population gain” (IX). As a consequence the Latinos represent one of the largest and most diverse groups in the USA (cf. Saenz 352).
This paper gives will give depth information on gang activity in the U.S. and explore the causes of gang memberships and it will also mention several policies that have been studied to prevent youths from joining them. As of today, gangs continue to be a huge problem in the U.S. gang members are violent and are also responsible for committing crimes from assaults to murder using firearms and other weapons to intimidate rivals, law enforcement, and the general public. The purpose of my paper is to address why many youths join gangs. My paper will also address a few policies and programs that can prevent youths from joining a gang and prevent those who are already part of it from committing crimes. Street gangs in this country can
In the United States, every year there are around 2,000 gang-related homicides and in the realistic fiction novel, The Outsiders, by S.E Hinton, it explores the issues of gang violence, and teenagers in gangs. Around 40% of all members in gangs are teenagers, who are getting involved in some dangerous things very early in life. In the novel The Outsiders, the “Greasers” which is a gang of all teenagers, fight other gangs and commit serious crimes such as murder. We as a society need to pinpoint why teenagers join gangs and stop them beforehand. We also need to help people get out of gangs if they are already in one. There is a number of reasons that range from simple to complex, on why teenagers join gangs, and we can help by finding solutions to their specific problem before they choose to join one. To help someone get out of a gang, we as a society need to show there’s more out there in the world that they could do that will make a positive impact.
Merton’s Anomie theory lent credence to various subculture theories such as Albert Cohen’s lower class reaction theory, Cohen suggests “formation of delinquent gangs is the result of status deprivation” (Hagan, 2008. P.151). According to Cohen, (1955.) The boys who became part of gangs aspire toward standards that were opposite to those of the middle class, meaning “lower class reaction to middle class values”, Cohen explains the delinquent culture produced by gang involvement as not done to achieve monetary success, but rather status within the gang (Cohen, 1955. P.
The overall distrust of women is deep-rooted in the majority of the male gang members. Most likely caused by the abandonment issues these youth encountered at an early age when their mothers came to the U.S. seeking work. While the homeboys do not
Much of whether gangs are seen as a social problem comes from perspective. Society is more prone to seeing gangs in a negative point of view because the social reality is not reaching the ideals and standards of people’s conception of a perfect world. Many external factors such as the media and personal opinions encourage a bad outlook on gangs. The media inflicts fear and depicts gangs to be a threat, which the community looks at in a negative view. The media’s depiction of gangs or any other example will either serve the purpose of the government’s viewpoint, public’s opinion or the genuine
Gang violence has been a problem in society for several of years and is a growing problem each and every day. The youth that is involved in gang violence will have numerous effects upon them that will come soon or later when associated with a group of thugs. Children and teenagers if they still go to school when accompanying a gang, they face the heightened risk of dropping out of school; teen parenthood; be victimized by another gang ; abuse drugs and alcohol; commit petty and violent
Individual risk factors are personal issues that could increase the likelihood of a young person joining a gang, which corresponds to the individual youth violence factors. Researchers noticed four recurrences that can influence younger persons to join a gang. The first issue is antisocial behavior. Antisocial behavior can involve delinquent/aggressive behavior and violence; which, in turn, can then push an individual to join a gang (Lahey et al. 1999; Thornberry et al., 2003). Early signs of drug and alcohol abuse can also increase the likelihood an individual joins a gang, especially if the abuse is widespread (Huizinga & Lovegrove, 2009; Thornberry et al., 2003). The third reoccurrence is mental health problems, which can include conduct disorder, depression, or hyperactivity (Howell & Egley, 2005). Lastly, victimization can influence an individual to join a gang (Thornberry et al., 2003). Thornberry et al. discovered, primarily in men, that individuals who have experienced negative events in their lives, such as being victimized, could be more susceptible in joining a gang
The research which was done by Frederic Thrasher was substantially influenced most of the theories which emerged after it related to gangs. Albert Cohen, 1955 theorised that the emergence of gangs was directed to a subculture which had been created by the lower socioeconomic youths, and this was a result of their exclusion from mainstream middle-class culture. These youths noticed that they were unable to obtain the status of middle-class and created a gang culture that offered them an alternative source if
The issue of Gangs has received considerable critical attention and is a re-occurring topic on the news in the UK. This essay will critically discuss the notions around ‘gang girls’. Over the years there has been a vast amount of media attention around gangs and post code wars. However a majority of the gangs portrayed by the media over the years, have been male gendered. Leaving the question open: Are there only male gendered gangs on the local streets? Before addressing the issue of ‘gang girls’ we must define the terminology ‘gangs’. According to the UK ‘Policing and Crime Act 2009’ a gang must consist of a minimum of three people, the gang either uses a name, emblem or colour to identify the group ‘gang’ and is an associated with a particular
Youth gangs in North American culture is simply old news being portrayed as something new. Despite the fact that it is realized that adolescent violations are overrepresented in the media today, the subject of youth gang movements is a significant bind to our general public. In the course of the most recent couple of years, there has been an ethical frenzy made by steady presentation to the media which depicts a measure of youth wrongdoings and savagery. In Canada there are expansive urban communities with high extents of youngsters, a considerable lot of which live in poverty, that now have the issue of managing youth gangs and youth wrongdoings. A significant part of the consideration has concentrated on the viciousness and the selling of
Though Nuestra Familia originated in Northern California in the 1960s, the family has been steadfast in expanding, covering more ground and developing across the country. One area in which La Nuestra Familia is found to be very active is the Colorado prison system. Regarding this, Robert Koehler writes following the incarceration and release of a few members of La Nuestra Familia in California, they migrated to Colorado where they were later incarcerated again, as many convicts are (Koehler 168). As a result, “as the Colorado Chicano prison population grew into a larger percentage of the overall Colorado state prison population, La Nuestra Familia emerged. The precepts of La Nuestra Familia had been kept alive by a few old cons who assisted in shaping the reemerged La Nuestra Familia of the Colorado prison system” (Koehler
Why are some successful? Why do some commit crimes? Society has general laws, offenders who break those laws are known as being deviants. Society views robbery, assault, and murder, as deviant acts. Cultural Deviance Theory is a, “branch of social structure theory that sees strain and social disorganization together resulting in a unique lower-class culture that conflicts with conventional social norms” (Siegel, 2018, P. 581). Acts that are viewed as deviant vary between social orders. Deviance can be said to be socially built; the general public chooses what is degenerate, individuals or an individual can be named as aberrance because of their societal position, race, ethnicity
Throughout the 17th-century gangs have been causing havoc in people's life and destroying the society. The National Institute of Justice (2011) has defined a gang as "A group of collective members which create an atmosphere of intimidation among citizens." Many of these gangs are well organized, using different forms of violence to control neighbourhoods and to conduct their illegal activities. The National Gang Threat Assessment (2011) reports that “Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions.” Street Gangs have caused incidences of violence that is confined in the inner city of many countries. Most gangs are made up of young males that are of a similar background and have a desire of acquiring