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Gangs in America

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The gang issue in America is not a new one. Gangs have been around for many years but in the past couple of years the violence and gang related crime has escalated significantly. Police departments across the nation have developed gang units in which the specific purpose is to target and curtail the area's gang criminal activity. There are many different gangs, with many different names however, they all have certain commonalities in that they are driven by criminal activity, they have involvement with the drug industry and they recruit members to keep their numbers strong. Offering a "substitute for what society fails to give," (Thrasher, 1927, p. 33) the urban gang attracts youth through the promise of alternatives and opportunity not found elsewhere. Once the gang is created, its behavior--activities and attitudes--generally reflect the failures and absence of opportunity found in the social and economic structures of American society. Alienation and restriction of gang members (and the entire communities in which they develop) from participation and success in middle-class society forces a search for alternative, innovative means with which a sense of dignity, purpose, and accomplishment can be experienced. The gang behaves in many varied ways, Today's gangs are best characterized by their diversity in ethnic composition, geographical location, organization, and the nature and extent of members' involvement in delinquent or criminal activities. Hispanics have the highest percentage of youth gang membership in the US, however, adolescent African-American males represent a large proportion of the gangs, especially those established in the inner city. Causal risk factors must be explored in order to prioritize prevention and intervention programs to reduce youth gang activity among those communities most affected by adolescent male gang activity.When youths

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