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Main Causes Of Gang Violence

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Youth violence in school continues to be a significant issue in the United States and research has repeatedly acknowledged being in a gang as one of the main causes of the violence in youths (Egley, Howell, & Harris, 2014; Huizinga & Lovegrove, 2009; Miller, 2001; Snyder & Sickmund, 2006). Youth violence can range from bullying, pushing/shoving, or emotional harm to gang violence or assault, with or without a weapon (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Research shows that in recent years, gang activity has been steadily growing—outward from larger cities (Egley, Howell, & Harris, 2014)—and about 8 percent of the youths, who surveyed for the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, had belonged to a gang at some point between the …show more content…

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 …show more content…

Weak family ties, single parent households, multiple transitions within a family, and poverty/financial stress are all potential influences for youths to join a gang (Howell & Egley, 2005). Family risk factors can also include parents refusing to give their children the proper education or lack of discipline at home (Howell & Egley, 2005). Family members that are in gangs can also influence their children to join a gang themselves (Herrenkohl et al. 2010; Lahey et al. 1999).
Risk Factors Related to School. Thornberry et al. did a study and concluded that poor math scores for males and a student’s weak attachment to his or her teacher are both strong indicators that he or she will join a gang (2003). Researchers also said that youths who feel unsafe at school are also more likely to join a gang—for protection (Curry, Decker, and Egley, 2002; Decker & Curry, 2000). Schools that have a high teacher to student ration or schools that have poor academic quality can also increase the likelihood of a youth joining a gang (Curry, Decker, and Egley, 2002; Decker & Curry,

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They were drawn into the gang life because people in gangs offered not only protection but a family, and power they wanted. It gives kids a sense of belonging and control over their own life. It is necessary tool to survive that is why many kids join the gangs. Throughout this book he explained that there is no functional system of these kids that have nothing better to do with their time. This affects kid’s way to get to the American

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A. Parents socialize their children knowingly, sometimes unknowingly through their negligence into the gang. B. The schools serve as a recruiting ground for the gang C. Through peer to peer interactions or bullying. The gang recruits new members through peers. D. The adults in the neighborhood educate the children about the gang E.

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According to CNN, “Criminal gang membership increased as much as 40 percent in the United States during the past three years, according to an FBI report released Friday. An estimated 1.4 million people are active in more than 33,000 street, prison and outlaw motorcycle gangs across the country, the report states.” Todd Strasser writes the book, If I Grow Up, the book shows the perspective of a kid that lives in the projects. DeShawn, a kid that lives in the projects of Chicago wanted to stay out of gangs, stay in school, and to support his family. But, the conditions got too bad for him, so he had to join a gang.

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In chapter 19 of Membership in Youth Gangs and involvement in Serious and violent offending, Terence P. Thornberry examines the correlation between youth gang membership and their participation in serious crimes. Throughout the reading, Thornberry highlight’s what he believes to be the three most important findings in his research. First, our author provides research exhibiting just how youth gang members are responsible for a majority of serious and violent crimes committed by the general youth. According to the reading, prior studies have determined that gang members are significantly more involved in serious delinquency than non-gang members. For example, Fagan (1990) study of a general adolescent sample revealed that only 23 percent of the participants of the study where a part of a gang, but accounted for 67 percent of felony assaults, 66 percent of minor assaults and 66 percent of robberies.

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A common coping mechanism amongst youth surrounded by a poor environment is gang involvement. Initially, communities that have large gang involvement are often provided with less opportunities to obtain a

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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. Teenagers have different reasons to join gangs depending on their life situation. Everyone in the “Greasers” in The Outsiders had different reasons to be part of the gang. “We were used to seeing Johnny banged up-

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References Egley, A., & Howell, J. C. (2012). Highlights of the 2010 National Youth Gang Survey. Retrieved from: https://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/237542.pdf Sanders, R., & Moore, S. (n.d.). Mandatory Waiver for Juvenile Gang Members in Tennessee. Retrieved from: http://www.belmont.edu/burs/pdf/Social%20Work-%20Sanders%20and%20Moore.pdf Searles, K. (2017).

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What they found was that males and females join gangs for different reasons. Females tend to join gangs when they feel socially isolated and have low self-esteem, where males tend join gangs under opposite circumstances such as a limited opportunity to thrive and a higher attachment to their mothers (Esbensen and Deschenes 812,-16). What these general findings show is that there are a variety of reasons that people join gangs.

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In the 1990s, gang violence was on the rise, where it was dominantly founded in youths. Anderson, Dyson, and Lee (1996) argued that when a group of African American youths join together and commits delinquent acts and crime, they already categorized as gangs to the American public. This affect and many other affects is what creates an increase in gang violence. Those other factors are socioeconomic status, history, race, gendered, and geographic background. They play a huge role on the creation and formation of gangs.

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Introduction Juvenile delinquency due to gang relation has increased drastically. Many people fail to realize that gangs have a considerable influence on the decisions juveniles are making. Adolescents are easily influenced by the members of the gangs and manipulated to commit certain crimes. As juveniles they are not mentally and emotionally mature to make such critical decisions, which in turn allow gang members to manipulate and control the youth they recruit. Juveniles become a part of gangs for several reasons, including, gaining protection, governmental, and social issues.

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Violence is an issue in all schools. School fights have decreased by 51 percent and drug use has decreased by 69 percent (“School Uniforms”). Gangs are one of the leading causes of violence in schools. Gangs can be formed by clothing, like students wearing a certain color or symbol on their shirts. If all students wore school uniforms, there would not be a way for gangs to be formed.

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Young adults may want to join gangs because of the money that they might earn through illegal processes. Their grades could start to drop and they could potentially have a difficult time finding jobs. Young teens could begin joining gangs at as young as ages 13 and 15 ("Violence"). Gang rivalries could also happen at schools. This could be a major problem for school systems.

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Most gangs are made up of young males that are of a similar background and have a desire of acquiring

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Gang effects on the community: Gangs has their own culture and characteristics that includes their dress codes, identifying symbols, language, graffiti, drugs use &trafficking, use of other narcotics, and involvement in other illegal activities. However the nature and characteristics of gangs differ from community to community. Gangs however are found to be more prevalent in high crime areas and are also responsible for the majority of crimes committed. However to understand the function of gangs within the community we have to delve once more into the definition which is characterized as an identifiable group of people who: are generally perceived as a distinct aggregation by others recognize themselves as an street identifiable group (almost invariably with a group name) have been involved in a sufficient number of delinquent incidents to call forth a consistent negative response from neighborhood residents and/or law enforcement agencies.

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Gangs The effect of joining a gang will ruin your life for ever. There is six ways joining a gang will mess up your whole life its drugs,droping out of school, tattoo of the gang, killing , jail time and lossing family. Its bad enough that you have to get jumped in or have sexual relation (this go for the famel) but once you are in drugs become apart of your life. You go from being a sweet little kid to slaging dope on the corner for durty ice.

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