Gangs And Substance Abuse's Role In Juvenile Delinquency

It is estimated that 24.6 million Americans ages twelve and older are current users of illegal drugs (Schmalleger, 2015). A high percentage of juveniles that go through the juvenile justice system have some type of relationship to drugs or gang memberships. Juveniles involved in gang activity are more susceptible to substance abuse as minors and subsequently as adults. Gangs and substance abuse play a large role in juvenile delinquency. A drug is defined as a chemical that alters normal body and mind functioning. (Schmalleger, 2015) Because not all drugs are illegal there are more specific illegal substances which are just unlawful drugs that can be easily abused. Substance abuse is defined as the excessive use of alcohol, opiates,

A gang is defined as any denotable group of adolescents working to unlawful or anti-social ends (Taylor & Fritsch, 2015). Gang members vary in ages, ranging from five years old to seventeen years old. Forty percent of gang members are juveniles. Almost half of all gang members in america are juveniles. Different gangs vary in size and how they operate. The most common form of communication for gangs is graffiti. Graffiti is defined as public markings used by gang members to identify their existence (Taylor & Fritsch, 2015). Nine out of every ten boys in juvenile detention centers have some level of gang

They are so closely related that the greatest factor influencing local gang activity and violence is drug-related. Drug dealing is a very common occurrence within gangs because that can be a source of income. So, once a juvenile gets involved with a gang, they are exposed to drugs and other illegal substances. Another issue lending to delinquency is that once a juvenile becomes involved in a gang and begins dealing drugs, it is almost impossible to get out of the gang. Once in a gang, the juvenile is generally a member for life. Typically, gangs are adolescent males from lower-class areas of large urban centers. (Cullen & Agnew, 2014) Because 60 percent of gangs do not allow females, it causes more aggression between the males within the gangs. The second biggest factor causing gang violence is inter-gang conflicts. This problem becomes even worse when drugs are involved. Illegal substances cause an altered state of mind which then causes them to react irrationally. The trafficking of drugs and selling of drugs leads to even more violence because most of the involved people have