...Introduction Violent crime will always be a problem; just because Canada doesn’t face high rates of violent crime in comparison to other countries doesn’t deem it an unimportant issue. My knowledge about this topic, violent crime, has come from a variety of resources that will be discussed as this paper progresses. The crime control polices in Alberta and/or Canada to my knowledge are having a positive impact, but more could always be done. Overall, I believe an enhanced proactive approach is needed. That being said, more could always be done. The youth need to be educated more about the justice system, violent crimes, and risks of the gang life at an earlier age. Problem of Violent Crime In Canada Violent crime in Canada isn’t too big...
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...The term “Youth Gang” has evolved to become a common term in the generation we live in. It is a term that is covered in most media outlets on an almost daily basis. In order to fully understand the weight of the influence of youth gangs in our communities, we must make an attempt to look at how various scholars define it. There seems to be no clear-cut definition for the term “youth gang” because different communities have their own perception on what they refer to as a “youth gang”. Various researchers agree that defining, recognizing and identifying youth gangs is perplexed by inappropriate labelling of youth social groups by outsiders (Mathews, 1993; Gordon, 2000; Church Council on Justice and Corrections, 1995). There is also insufficient...
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...Although Canadian youth from all backgrounds join gangs, gang activity is more prevalent in the Aboriginal community. In Canada, 22% of gang members are Aboriginals, and it is estimated that there are 800-1000 active Aboriginal gang members in the Prairie provinces, with the largest concentration being in Saskatchewan (Totten, p.255). Aboriginal Canadians are more likely to join gangs due to severe poverty, substandard housing, poor health, alcohol and drug use, racism, traditional culture, and the breakdown of community. Additionally, the Aboriginal community is plagued by high rates of criminalization and violence combined with low levels of educational attainment. Girls are especially at risk for joining gangs due to widespread misogynistic beliefs and practices in the Aboriginal community (Totten, 2013, p.257). Few...
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...Introduction Gangs have been around for over a hundred years. In the late 1800’s to 1930’s there were a lot of famous people known for their association with gangs, some are Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and Al Capone. There have been many movies about gangs and in the movies make it seem like being part of a gang is really cool, but in reality there are many risks with being part of a gang. This paper will discuss three articles discussing the risks of gangs. Article 1: “Why Do Youth Join Gangs? The Problem, Risks, and Attraction to Gang Life” This article discusses the increase in gangs across Canada. Most gangs in Canada are adult gangs, however there is an increase in youth gangs and problems arising in the community. The article further describes specific things that they believe attract youth to join gangs at an early age. This article addresses five characteristics that can cause youth to join gangs. They are poor school...
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...are exposed to violence, often times for entertainment. Television series such as Sons of Anarchy, focus on a violent biker gang committing indictable offences varying from theft, drug trafficking and even first degree murder but what many don’t consider is the idea that organized crime as seen in this series occur today in places not so far from home. What is organized crime? By definition in the Criminal Code of Canada, organized crime is “a group, however organized, that: (a) is composed of three or more persons in or outside Canada; and, (b) has as one of its main purposes or main activities the facilitation or commission of one or more serious offences, that, if committed, would likely result in the direct or...
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...Youth crime is a serious problem in Canada today and has been for many years. From 2000-2010, there have been decreases in the overall youth crime rate, properly crime rate, and violent crime rate, although youth crime remains high in many areas ("A Statistical Snapshot"). At-risk youth frequently become involved in criminal activity after joining a gang. Although Canadian youth from all socioeconomic backgrounds may join a gang, those who do so often come from low income backgrounds and single parent or foster homes or they may have a mental illness. Aboriginal youth are particularly susceptible to joining gangs due to the high levels of poverty and violence that plague many Aboriginal communities. Traditional methods of crime prevention...
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...Current Event Analysis Question 2: As discussed in class and in your textbook, crime rates in Canada having been declining for quite some time. Using various concepts in your textbook, how would you seek to maintain this trend? Make note of the different strategies, models and methods you would use. In Canada, crime rates have been declining drastically over the past years. Crime impacts the overall value of life. It identifies the complete action in variety of ones way of life. Today, crime rates are known as a majority outcome, which is not restricted and can lead to devastating consequences in the society we reside in. Crime is defined as disobeying the law; symbolizes an unlawful act, which is punishable by the public and it’s a punishment...
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...According to Statistics Canada, ninety five people died across Canada in 2012 due to gang related homicides. In the short story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” by Evan Hunter, the protagonist Andy learns how bad choices can affect someone. Also, Andy enjoys being in a gang but he should not put it before his future. The protagonist made choices that were going to haunt him forever. Furthermore, realizing the past self centered teen he had been, Andy tries to care for someone else other than himself for once. The life of a teen is characterized by the choices made throughout their life. What one enjoys doing should not be put in front of duties. Andy displays himself as a brave gang member and he eventually realizes that he is endangering loved...
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...more complex. When we reach teenage, we are facing many difficult choices like studying, relationships, and drugs. If we make a wrong decision, the result will most likely to be on the street or become part of the gang violence, which destroys the moral of our society. Without a good morality in society, our life would be very insecure. I recall having learnt about the diseases associated with smoking and drugs when I was in grade 6 at elementary school. The presenter displayed many astonishing facts and personal experiences. For example, up to ninety percent of all male drugs abusing students in high schools will be involved in street gang violence. Moreover, these students’ life span will be shortened by at least thirty percent due to the diseases and violence associated. Despite these fearful facts, there are many naïve teenagers who think of smoking and drugs are “cool”. These students are wrong to ignore the guidance of their teachers and parents. In Canada, all high schools are required to have a planning class which will guide students through their early adulthood after graduating. In this class, students must learn about how to get the most suitable job, how to spend budget wisely, and the harmfulness of different drugs. In this case, the high schools in Canada are very responsible towards helping students...
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...The RCMP is also involved in combating gang activity and in preventing youth from joining gangs. One of the RCMP's five strategic priorities is to reduce youth involvement in crime, with current priority issues being bullying, youth radicalization, and drugs and alcohol. The goal of the RCMP is to support sustainable responses that are consistent with the Youth Criminal Justice Act while focusing on early intervention and youth engagement. The RCMP increases youth awareness through programs such as school based prevention initiatives, community engagement, youth consultation, and youth-police partnerships while also intervening with young offenders through extra-judicial measures and restorative justice approaches. Many schools in RCMP jurisdictions...
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...Summary of critiqued article: “Are All Gangs Equal Security Risks? An Investigation of Gang types and Prison Misconduct” - Ruddel, R., Gottschall, S. (May 5, 2011) To date, there has been very little scholar investigation towards the different types of gangs in Canadian penitentiaries, and their unique contributions to prison misconduct. Gangs in the correctional system are one the biggest problems facing correctional staff and administrators. Does every gang pose the same threat towards the Canadian correctional system? This study is an attempt at comparing the various gang members admitted into the correctional system between January 1, 2006 and August 31, 2009. It examines the offence-related characteristics of 1,636 gang members compared to 1,649 non-gang member counterparts. The 5 distinct types of gangs studied are: Aboriginal, Asian, street, outlaw motorcycle (OMG), and traditional organized crime (TOC). This study revealed that there are, in fact, distinct characteristics to each gangs conduct in the correctional system: Aboriginals have highest misconduct, highest rates of previous incarceration; street gangs were similar in violence but had less previous prison sentences; OMG had lower involvement in violent offences, but had longest sentences. Aboriginal gangs being the most violent, then Asian and street, followed by OMG gangs and TOC as the least. The closer examinations of these security threat groups (STG) suggest that the correctional system should imply...
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...Unit #11: Racial and Ethnic Inequality * Schaefer and Haaland, Ch. 10 and Ch. 16 pp. 375-377 * Video: The Real Avatar – optional Unit #12: Gender and Family * Schaefer and Haaland, Ch. 11 and Ch. 12 pp. 254-259, 262 and 265-267 * Adam, “Why Be Queer?” * Kimmel “Masculinity as Homophobia” * Video: Tough Guise 1. Explain how Daniel Wolf used participant observation to conduct research on biker gangs and how he used the interactionist perspective and labeling theory in his analysis. Define the term counter-culture, say how this concept applies to biker gangs, and use the conflict perspective to explain why people might join a counter-culture such as a biker gang. Use Merton’s anomie theory and the cultural transmission theory of deviance to analyze biker gangs. (Chapter 7 and Wolf article) Participant observation because He joined the rebels for a period of time to get an accurate sense of how they operate, referred to as participant observation By being one of them he was able to observe the gang in their natural settings and gather information from the field. This resulted in him being able to collect primary information...
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...mean much to residents of Chicago, Illinois, “the city of broad shoulders” so deservedly named after the gang leader who held an unquestionable grip on the its neighborhoods. Today, every gangster desires to be like “Scarface Al” as Capone was commonly referred. He is the epitome of what a gangster blueprint looks like that is engraved in the minds of those who had a first hand experience of his reign. Young as they may have been during Capone’s reign, they undoubtedly felt his power and effect. Al Capone’s background Alphonse “Al” Capone was born in Brooklyn on January 17, 1899. He acquired “education in petty crime” in the neighborhoods of Brooklyn. His name “Scarface Al” originated from a razor slash across his face (Bergreen, 1994). He later moved to Chicago where he survived several gang wars by having his rivals eliminated. In 1929, Capone’s gang, dressed in police uniform massacred seven members of a rival gang, the “Bugs” Morgan gang. This was revenge of his best friend’s death and abduction of a consignment of liquor from Canada. This became the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. By the end of the 1920’s Capone was in charge of bootlegging liquor. This brought him an annual income of over $20 million. The arrest and prosecution of Al Capone Despite his numerous crimes, including running illegal breweries, heading a gang and killing members of other gangs, Chicago police could not arrest and prove a case against Capone in court. However, the federal authorities...
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...of youth crime is that it is growing out of control and that violence crime is common. Sensationalized media coverage, frustrated law enforcement officers and vote-seeking politicians, have tended to portray only parts of the overall reality of youth crime (John Howard Society, 2008). The government of Canada has evolved over the many years to deal with youth crime from installing the Juvenile Delinquency Act in 1908 all the way to the Youth Criminal Justice Act recently amended in 2012. What these acts have accomplished is the separation of youth and adult sentences (Stevenson, 2014). This was done in order to protect children because it is the belief in Canada that children are not responsible for their actions because of Doli incapax or the inability to do wrong. That being said there is still legislation in dealing with youth crime that is punishing and effective (Stevenson, 2014). This paper will analyze a court case decision made under the Youth Criminal Justice Act which involves a young offender who was convicted of a gang-related murder and breached Conditional Supervision Order (R. v. S.(M.), 2014). This court case will be analyzed using relevant research on youth gangs using concept of theories that apply to our young offender. In conclusion, this paper will discuss limitations of laws and possible alternatives that dealt with the young offender. A summary of R. v. S.(M.), the court based decision under Youth Criminal Justice Act. Legislations used in this court case...
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...Motorcycle Gangs: From Outlaws to Any Joe Throughout history any person that rode a motorcycle was considered an outlaw or some sort of bad ass. The beginning days of motorcycle gangs weren’t the everyday Joe that had a nine to five job. These people were in their own class and were feared by anyone that crossed their path, but times have changed. Now anyone can ride a motorcycle without being labeled as a deviant outlaw. From the 1950 to today, the world has changed their perspect on a person that rides a motorcycle. Motorcycle gangs began after the veterans of World War Two returned home. Many of the return veterans started to ride motorcycles to feel the excitement that replaced the emotions from the war. On 4th of July 1946 the American Motorcycle Association held a motorcycle event in the small city of Hollister, California. At that time there were two motorcycle gangs that were know as the Pissed Off Bastards of Bloomington and the other gang was known as the Market Street Commandoes (CTGIA). The small city was filled with bikers and the police department consisted of only seven officers. The night got rowdy and the officers arrested one of the P.O.B.O.B. The gang ordered the police to release their fellow member and when they refused, the gang tore the city apart. This one event created history for motorcycle gangs because from that day on their will always be a July 4th run and the one percent image came into play. The Pissed Off Bastards of Bloomington...
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