...Crouch Marsha Decker English 112’ October 11, 2013 Youth Gangs Today in America we hear a lot about gangs. There are gangs everywhere but the ones we hear about the most are the ones associated with the youth. I am going to be evaluating John Gerhardt’s Youth Gangs: An American Epidemic. By reading the article I already agree with what he has to say. It is about learning about gangs and how most of them are affiliated with races. If one wants to know how they operated then we must know that race can determine what each gang is and the beliefs in each gang. Some of what I picked up from reading the article is that they live in the environment of wanting respect and money relying on gangs and illegal activity to get them there. The three points I am going to evaluate will be guns, drugs and violence and how they are related with the youth gangs in the American society today. Gerhardt mentions “In American society, a crime epidemic is being carried by young adolescent teenagers, with the results usually being fatal” (32). I personally agree with these three things that Gerhardt has mentioned and that they can become super life changing, even fatal. How they can damage your life and put you places you do not want to be. How they influence one and how it could be the deciding factor in joining or being a part of a gang. In America a lot of people have guns, whether it be for hunting or just for the protection of their home. In gangs, a lot of the members carry guns just for the sole...
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...Why Do Urban Youth Join gangs? There is no universal agreed upon definition of a gang. According to the national institute of justice the federal definition is “An association of three or more individuals whose members collectively identify themselves by adopting a group identity, which they use to create an atmosphere of fear or intimidation, frequently by employing one or more of the following: a common name, slogan, identifying sign, symbol, tattoo or other physical marking, style or color of clothing, hairstyle, hand sign or graffiti.” The purpose of a gang is to engage in criminal activity and which uses violence or intimidation to further its criminal objectives. Gangs come in all different types, there are multiple types of gangs; for example motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, hate groups, adult organized crime groups, terrorist organizations and other types of security threat groups. The reasons people tend to join gangs are lack of jobs, poverty, domestic violence, and lack of education. The most common age for youth to join a gang is between 13 and 15. Youth join gangs for various reasons; money, sense of support and belonging, peer status, and a sense of protection are seemingly provided by the gang. Youth in gangs are more likely to abuse drugs, engage in high risk sexual behaviors, and experience long term health and social consequences. The reason that today’s youth join gangs is because of environmental factors, early academic failure and lack of school attachment...
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...Describing Gang Membership: An Examination of Youth Gangs Kiara C. Ross Georgia Gwinnett College Introduction Numerous studies have been conducted on the subject of youth in gangs and the many characteristics of a member or a nonmember. In this paper I will discuss what is considered a member of a youth gang, a nonmember and anything else in between. I have read three articles and I will compare and contrast each of their findings in detail. Article 1 The first article that I will be discussing was an in depth study done on youth in Canada. This article focused on “the frequency and stability of gang membership, family characteristics, concurrent behaviors, friendships, and school attitudes of stable and unstable gang members and non-gang members in childhood and early adolescence” (Craig, Vitaro, Gagnon, and Timblay, 2002 pg. 53). It also “examined the stability of belonging to a gang in early adolescence, the behavior profiles, family characteristics, and friendships of non-gang and gang members” (Craig et al. 2002 pg. 53). Craig et al. explained that there were three models that were used to understand the “relationship between gang membership and delinquency” which were the selection model, the social facilitation model, and the enhancement model. According to Craig et al.: A selection model is consistent with social control theory and the propensity theory of crime. According to this model, gangs recruit individuals who are already delinquent or have a propensity...
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...STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF TRAFFIC VOLUME IN DAVAO CITY FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS (2007-2011) Reyna Lea C. Rosales Course: Master of Science in Criminology Research Paper In MC 209 Professor: Dr. William A. Revisa TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………..3 II. Discussion A. Traffic Volume Data Collection…………………………………………………...4 B. Objectives of the Traffic Volume Monitoring Program ……………………..5 C. Uses for Traffic Volume Data …………………………………………………….5 D. Ways of conducting Traffic Survey / Methods of Traffic Volume Study……………………………………………...7 E. Importance of Traffic Volume Study …………………………………………..11 F. GLOBAL …………………………………………………………………………….12 G. NATIONAL ………………………………………………………………………….16 H. LOCAL ………………………………………………………………………………17 Table 1 ……………………………………………………………………………...19 I. Data Analysis ……………………………………………………………………….19 III. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………...20 References ……………………………………………………………………………..21 I. INTRODUCTION Traffic volume studies are taken to determine the number of movements and classifications of vehicles in a specific location. This information can help classify significant flow time periods and determine the influence of large vehicles and/or pedestrians. The time period in which these traffic volumes are calculated will vary depending on what data that is being collected and what its purpose is. Traffic counts are reported as the number of vehicles expected to pass a given location on an average...
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...The main idea of this source is to present five new studies being conducted on youth gangs. A broader developmental perspective, underscoring the need for ongoing inquiry linking the heretofore separate literature on youth gangs and antisocial peer influences from criminology and developmental science (201). Gangs have been present in America for decades. All through only in recent years are local and national observation studies showing gangs growing at an increasingly rapid rate. This section discusses the full range of youth involvement in gangs, from their entry to the significant amounts of activities that occur during their involvement to their disengagement. Understanding the complexity as to why youth join gangs is very critical and...
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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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...Joining youth gangs as consisting of both pulls and pushes. Pulls pertain to the attractiveness of the gang. Gang membership can enhance prestige or status among friends. Gangs provide other attractive opportunities such as the chance for excitement by selling drugs and making money, they see personal advantages to gang membership. Social, economic, and cultural forces push many adolescents in the direction of gangs. Protection from other gangs and perceived general well-being are key factors. Feeling marginal, adolescents join gangs for social relationships that give them a sense of identity. For some youth, gangs provide a way of solving social adjustment problems, particularly the trials and tribulations of adolescence. A few are virtually born into gangs as a result of neighborhood traditions and their parents' earlier gang participation or involvement in criminal activity. The most important community risk factor is growing up in neighborhoods in which the level of social integration is low. Among family variables, poverty, absence of biological parents, low parental attachment to the child and low parental supervision all increase the probability of gang membership. Three school variables are very significant risk factors: low expectations for success in school, low student commitment to school, and low attachment to teachers. Along with school factors, peers have a very strong impact on gang membership. Important individual risk factors are low self-esteem, numerous negative...
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...Why Youths Join Gangs and How to Prevent it from Happening Reaver J Childers Liberty University CJUS 310-B02 Professor Godwin Abstract Have you ever been watching the news and heard the news reporter say, “A young man was shot and killed outside of a corner store. It has been reported that he was a part of a known gang, referred to as the Crips. He was shot by a rivalry gang member.” Do you ever wonder what provokes a juvenile to want to join a gang? There are a lot of parents who ask this question after hearing about someone else’s child or their own child becoming a part of something so horrible. There are so many parents in the world who are losing their children to gangs. The gangs are coming into the communities and praying on what is considered to be the “weak ones.” The “weak-ones” are the ones who seems to be lacking something in their lives, and the only way they know how to fill that void or to get what they are looking for is by joining a gang. The gang gives them status, love, trust, attention, and most of all, it gives them an opportunity to have all the things that they think are important. They find all that they are missing without thinking about the consequences of being affiliated with such groups. This isn’t new to our society; youth gangs have been around for more than 150 years. The youth gangs have grown larger and bolder since the beginning of their time. This paper will discuss why so many youths join gangs...
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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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...Introduction There are many contemporary issues surrounding us in the world today. The increase in African American youth gang membership is one of the many issues that are still prevalent within our communities. The number of African American’s joining gangs is on the rise because of the strong bonds within neighborhoods and the inequalities within power structures. In this paper I will analyze two different theories from Sociologist’s. I will start by analyzing networks from Charles Kadushin and Manuel Castells then I will discuss power by C. Wright Mills and Ralf Dahrendorf. I will apply their concepts to the contemporary issue of the rise in the number of African American’s joining gangs. I will talk about solutions that are available from...
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...that have a common name or common identifying sign or symbol, form an allegiance for a common purpose and engage in unlawful or criminal activity (Hess 2010). In the United States there are large number of Filipino gang membership around the Southern California region (SoCal) and generally the entire West Coast region. Due to their Hispanic culture they are more assimilated with other Latino gangs. There are thousands of Filipino gang members which mostly center around the California region, Chicago, New York, and Miami. They represent a diverse array of backgrounds and affiliations with some being with the Bloods, Crips, Sureños, Norteños, Peoples, and Folks. A number of gangs in the Philippines are known to be active around the nation, the majority being centered in Manila with locations in and around the general Metro Manila region. One of the most infamous areas in the City is Tondo, Manila. Tondo is known to be the "Hub" of Gangs in the region, with the majority of street gangs being located in this district. Apart from a very large number of local street gangs, there are a number of organized gangs among the Philippines (Yahoo Phil.). In general, there are gangs located in the Philippines that deal in organized crime and follow a general hierarchy. These gangs can be linked to certain families or...
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...recreational opportunities and was successful for many years. In Scarborough, a program known as YELL provides employment and leadership training over the course of 40 weeks to older youth and young adults who did not earn a high school diploma. Boys and Girls Clubs of Niagara operate an emergency shelter for homeless and at risk youth, and nearly 70% were able to transition to stable housing over the course of a 22 month period. Finally, the Peace Builders program was offered at 23 Boys and Girls Clubs in Alberta with the goal of teaching youth peaceful, non-violent conflict resolution. Nearly 90% of...
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...Prison Gangs Prison Gangs According to (Wikipedia) a prison gang is a term used to identify any type of gang activity in prisons and correctional facilities. The difference between prison gangs and street gangs has become unclear because gang members are in and out of the prison system according to the (Street Gangs and Interventions: Innovative Problem Solving with Network Analysis, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2005). Prison gangs offer more than just simple protection for the members in prison; many prison gangs are responsible for drug, tobacco and other contraband handling. Prison gangs often seek to intimidate other inmates and bribe or intimidate prison staff. Prison gangs are a large influence of organized crime. Prison gangs are also known for laundering money from outside gangs while in prison. The forming of a prison gang is prohibited however; prison gangs are on a rise and without regard of the law prohibiting them. Many of the gang members are already in prison serving very long sentences; when another member is sentence they link up and look out for one another. There are multiple prison gangs in America such as the Aryan Brotherhood, the Nazi Low-riders, La Eme, those are just a few. (American Prison Gangs by Sharon White) According to this article prison gangs are in the Federal prison system and 32 state jurisdictions. There are 29 able to be identified and the prison guards know the member by names. Prison officials have identified 114...
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...CJA/334 June 23, 2013 Research Article Analysis Based on the article gangs were responsible for about 20% of homicides in 88 of the largest cities in the United States of America from the year 2000 to 2006. Gang violence The purpose of the this research is to try and identify and asses the high-risk factors in youth population as well as protective circumstances, also prevention for gang related violence and to inform primary prevention strategies. The article mentioned that little research has been done on mental health such as suicidal ideation and depression since this factor might be crucial since they are common amongst youth that are involved in delinquency activity has been increasing in many urban areas it is observed to be at an “epidemic level”. Members of a gang are more incline to be involved in criminal activity and violence than peers who are not affiliated with any gangs. Based on the research article about five percent of the population in the U.S. has ever affiliated with a gang and gang membership in many urban area has reached a percentage of about fourteen to thirty one percent. Memberships of gangs has a high impact on a youth’s health, prevention efforts can be done when youth are in they’re early adolescent age and discouragement of being in a gang or the desire to be in a gang might compellingly decreased the number of youth being recruited and also the number of gang related violence or activities. The study that was done showed an approach by...
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...Juvenile Gang Violence The expansion of youth gangs has widely increased since the 1960’s mainly due to the baby boom during this era. In the article “Preventing Adolescent Gang Involvement” from September 2000, Finn-Aage Esbensen describes the major impact on how gangs hurt the community. The population of children ages 13-17 rose ten percent corresponding to an increase of crimes of the American youth. In the 1980’s only seven percent of the American youth made up the population yet no signs of decrease in crime was slowing down. Movies and television brought notice of gangs to suburban and rural areas of America. With high rates of gang involvement and the increase of lethal weapons being bought by these gangs it turns attention to law enforcement to find a way to stop gang violence across the United States. In order to prevent the formation of gangs and youth to join new or existing ones it is necessary to understand the causes and attractions of gangs. The first criteria that concerns law enforcement is defining what elements resemble a gang. Some usual signs are groups larger than two people between the ages of 12 and 24. These groups may have a specific name, colors they wear, or symbol and handshake they use to define who they are. They must be stable for over a period of one year and have an area or “turf” of where they represent. The last and major area is to have some type of criminal activity in which they are involved in. The typical gang member...
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