Essay On Gang Violence

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

In order to move up the ranks in their gangs, their crimes become more gruesome causing them to become traumatized. Initially, youth feel a sense of sympathy for the family of the victims, but it is short lived and after the guilt is passed they immerse themselves once in crime. Kelly, Anderson and Penden (2009) said that exposure to gang violence at an early stage makes the perpetrator feel sympathy for the victim, however, committing the act may lead to desensitization. Futhermore, violence increases the likelihood of aggression and violent behaviour in youth, which stimulates aggressive thoughts and behaviours. Youths which have aggressive thoughts influences their interpretation of situation, such that they inflict hostile behaviour on people. Esbensin, Peterson, Taylor and Freng (2010) implies that “ young people who have committed serious violent offenses have the highest level of impulsive and risk-seeking tendencies.” Moreover, extreme violent criminal activity being performed in front of youth increases the risk of them performing acts of extreme violence themselves. Because youth see those acts as acceptable so committng those violent activities make youths to become ruthless. Smith and Green (2007) assert that violent activities becoming ruthless and the perpetrators even more ruthless. Over time youth do not feel guilty for being involved in deviant activities because they have become unfeeling due to the gruesome nature of some of the crimes they have