Over the past few decades, there has been a rising concern about the increasing gang activity within the Canadian community (cite). Specifically, in Western urban centers within the prairies, there has been a notable increase in Aboriginal youth gang activity (cite). Currently, 96% of Saskatchewan’s gang related activity involves individuals of Aboriginal decent (cite). The CIA reports that the increase of youth gang activity developed in 2005 during the Aboriginal prison riots. After the Canadian government experienced riots, there was a division of gang members across Canadian penitentiaries. Consequently, there was a proliferation of gang members due to the recruitment new members in numerous provinces (Contenta 2008).
While the creation of Aboriginal youth gangs builds a foundation in research, it is also important to understand factors leading Aboriginal youth to join gangs. It is …show more content…
The most common definition of a youth gang involves self-formed group of young teens imbedded within a structured organization. The group is distinctly recognizable by those in their community, tend to have a name, and have a negative association with crime (Klein 1971). The group adheres to a strict agenda and often partakes in criminal behavior to reach a set of goals outlined within the guidelines (Thrasher 1927). Additionally, as determined, youth gang activity is contingent on an individual’s socio-economic status, race, and neighborhood (Klein 1971). However, given that such factors are never standard across all communities, it becomes difficult to place every individual into a standardized definition of gang members. Yet this is the definition used to define a large array of gangs varying in age, race, socio-economic status, and location. Additionally, many of these definitions do not take into consideration social histories of minority youth (Mathews
While the creation of Aboriginal youth gangs builds a foundation in research, it is also important to understand factors leading Aboriginal youth to join gangs. It is …show more content…
The most common definition of a youth gang involves self-formed group of young teens imbedded within a structured organization. The group is distinctly recognizable by those in their community, tend to have a name, and have a negative association with crime (Klein 1971). The group adheres to a strict agenda and often partakes in criminal behavior to reach a set of goals outlined within the guidelines (Thrasher 1927). Additionally, as determined, youth gang activity is contingent on an individual’s socio-economic status, race, and neighborhood (Klein 1971). However, given that such factors are never standard across all communities, it becomes difficult to place every individual into a standardized definition of gang members. Yet this is the definition used to define a large array of gangs varying in age, race, socio-economic status, and location. Additionally, many of these definitions do not take into consideration social histories of minority youth (Mathews