Violence: The Cause Of Youth Gang Crimes

The Problem In several different neighborhoods across the nation, many young people are filling juvenile detention centers and ending up in early graves as a result of joining gangs and partaking in violent behaviors. We see it in headlines often, but many of us don’t seem to think much of it. It’s not an issue that remains at the front of our minds, until we begin to realize that dozens of young people in our own communities are falling victim to these same consequences. Youth gang activity and violence have been a long standing problem in Denver’s Five Points community, and remains present in this area today. In fact, the number of reported violent gang crimes is beginning to rise. According to statistics found by the Denver Police Department, …show more content…
It became known as the “Summer of Violence,” in various different neighborhoods across the nation. The number of teens and young adults affiliated with gangs began to grow, parallel to the number of those being incarcerated during this time (Brown, 2007). Data provided by researcher Thomas J. Billitteri in his article Youth Violence shows that at this time, “juvenile-arrest rates for murder peaks at more than 14 per 100,000 juveniles” (p. 203). Many of the youth being charged for these crimes during the height of violence will stay incarcerated long into adulthood, considering the extent of the crimes that many of them committed at such a young …show more content…
A small fraction of the children involved in the statistic illustrated in Stricter Gun Control laws Can Prevent Youth Violence, were the victims of gun violence involving any gangs. Not all young people who are involved in the use of firearms have any gang relations, so stricter gun control laws won’t have a large effect on the problem of gangs. Although stricter gun laws may lessen the number of those being killed by gunfire due to gang relations, it would not put an end to the problem completely. Neither would it decrease the total number of those being murdered or injured due to gang relations in other ways, such as beatings or stabbings. In fact, in an article published on economicpolicyjoural.com, titled “How People are Murdered in the United States,” author Robert Wenzel provides statistics on homicides in the U.S. and explains that, “in 32% of murders in 2010, no firearm was used at all” (2012). This number proves that a fairly large amount of people are being murdered in ways other than by firearm, and with stricter gun control laws, this number would only