...HOW TO PREVENT LOOSING OUR YOUTH TO GANGS To prevent youth from being involved in gangs or gang-related activities more states should implement programs similar to A&E’s “Beyond Scared Straight” to let kids see what the consequences of their actions could lead to. Gangs and crimes are increasing each year that it’s no wonder why kids fall susceptible to them. There are currently about 400,000 youth gang members and about 600,000 adult gang members in the United States. Out of all the youth gang members 360,000 of them are boys and 32,000 of them are girls. A lot of youths that join gangs end up committing crimes which land them in juvenile detention, according to research 15% of youth females and 85% of youth males are incarcerated in juvenile detention. Gangs also often lead to death and in 1994, 24% of youth deaths were gang-related and I’m sure the number has tripled by now. Some kids are born into gangs because it runs in their family and others choose to join but no good ever comes from them. Youths are easy targets for gang members to recruit for many reasons. Children aren’t very mature and do not yet fully understand the consequences of joining a gang so their easy to convince. Children also don’t know that gangs can be very difficult to get out of and sometimes the only way out is death. Some gangs let females get out if they become pregnant but the other options are to get jumped out. Children also see gangs as a way to make easy money to buy those things they...
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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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...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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...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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...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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...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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...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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...explain how the response from professionals to problem behaviour can become a contributing factor to a child’s sense of futility, through discussing positive and negative theories of behaviour. The second objective of this essay is to examine the concept of “learned irresponsibility” and to understand how youth cultures are able to contribute to such learned helplessness and rebellion through things like social exclusion and street gangs. Next, nearing the end of this essay I will offer my opinion as to how the child and youth care worker should approach the young person differently during the assessment as to avoid the young person becoming discouraged during the transaction. Before the conclusion I shall offer my self reflection as well as sharing the impact that this topic of “the seeds of discouragement” has had on me. Climates of Futility The climates of futility refers to those environments which may cause young people to experience feelings of deficiencies and that are able to contribute to their fears of failure. The negative transactions between the young person and others within these hostile environments can become “an ecological hazard in the lives of youth at risk” (Brendtro, Brokenleg and Van Bockern 2002, p. 8). There are a number of factors that can lead to climates of futility, one such important factor to investigate is that of...
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...The Streets are not A Home for Youth Carlton Crayton English 147 August 31, 2015 University of Phoenix The Streets are not A Home for Youth The United States of America; the "Land of Milk and Honey," also known throughout the world as a place of prosperity. While this may be true for some, there is a significant percentage of the American population who lives in poverty. There are many who are so impoverished that they do not even have a place to call home. While homelessness has always existed in America, never before has this nation seen such a high percentage of its youth population living on the streets. Even though Young people often become homeless due to family conflict and substance abuse, youth is at a higher risk for homelessness than adults ("Starry Children At Heart Ministries, Inc.", 2015). In order to reduce the number of homeless youth, society needs to address the high rates of substance abuse, mental illness, and sexual trauma that is experienced by today's young adults. Substance abuse of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs are prevalent amongst homeless youth. Many, young adolescent young people who became or on the verge of becoming homeless, were brought up in households where drug and alcohol were being used on a regular basis by parents or guardians. Domestic violence and some form of abuse within the home was present. Therefore, prompted the youthful pre-adult youth, encountering a horrible and traumatic adolescence. Subsequently;...
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...others. The film “Our World” from the website was based on R&B singer John Legend and how he has taken his success and his name to provide a better education for youth. Bringing a quality education to each child is very important. John Legend speaks on the importance of education as well as how each child should receive the equivalent amount of education. John Legend also includes, we as parents should not blame the system for not working. Taking time out and looking at our community needs will provide our kids with programs and resources that will ensure kids are receiving the proper education. John Legend was successful not by chance, but with meeting the right people as well as having an education. External social pressures are no more than peer pressure, but more suffered and caused by society to encourage and conform attitude changes in values and behavior for the good of society. Social pressure can change a brilliant and charming idea into a hopeless and dry one. However, the influences external social pressures have on organizational ethics can influence corporations to consider actions and behavior they may not otherwise take into account. For example, kids living in a low-income environment with no direction will more likely follow in a direction of gangs in violent because of their environment. For some youth there is no choice, but we can’t expect for our kids to be better than we were if we do not make change. These issues are important to the organization because...
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...Causes of Youth Violence Latoya Cook CM107-23 March 8, 2013 I. Introduction II. Peer pressure A. What is peer pressure? B. How to stop peer pressure? III. Parental Violence A. Involving more extra curriculum activities B. Parent and families making a difference IV. Bully and Victim A. Statistic of being bullied B. What is being bullied? V. Conclusion Learning about Youth Violence Youth violence is a serious issue in today’s world. Youth violence is on the rise throughout the world. These violent acts are being done daily in schools around the world. Numerous factors are involved when it comes to youth violence. The top three reasons are peer pressure, parental violence, and being bullied and victimized. Youth peer pressure is one of the most frequently referred to forms of negative and positive peer pressure. It is particularly common because most young people spend large amounts of time in fixed groups (school and subgroups within them) regardless of their opinion of those groups. Peer pressure can be beneficial depending on the teen friends. While it is true that teens start spending more time with their friends and are influenced by these peers through peer pressure, parents need to remember one simple truth: your teen will never forget the values you have given him. Still...
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