Gang Violence Analysis

Gangs have consistently remained a concern to the general public. They have consistently poised a threat to themselves, other gangs and the public at large. However, it is not until gangs take the lives of innocent civilians or high profile individuals when they become relevant in the media. Recently in Toronto, near campus, a prominent lawyer, Randall Barrs, was shot in daytime while working on a major marijuana case. The news reported that the suspect was involved in a gang whose members were represented by Mr. Barrs. The media reported this incident as a gang-related violent incidence. Certain scholars will argue that violence has been declining in Canada, but it is becoming more concentrated amongst Canada’s youth as discussed by Professor …show more content…
Wortley (Lecture 6) defines a gang as, “a group of three or more individuals that has existed for at least one month and engages in criminal activity on a regular basis. Gang-related crime can be conducted within the group conduct.” There is not only an academic inconsistency but also one within law enforcement agencies when it comes to identifying gangs. Barrows and Huff (2009), study the current state and federal legislation governing gangs. They look at the state’s laws in regards to defining gangs, gang criteria and strategies for creating gang databases. They discover that forty-one states and the District of Columbia have their own definition of a gang. Within those forty-one states, five did not discuss the number of individuals involved needed to label a group of individuals as a gang. Within those forty-one states, only 5 deem it necessary that gangs have a name or symbol, while fifteen states and the District of Columbia do …show more content…
Barrows and Huff (2009) stress the importance of having a single definition of a gang, as numerous definitions make regional comparisons extremely unreliable. A sufficient definition of a gang needs to identify fundamental elements, as well as different elements to distinguish a gang from other social groups that youth may be involved in. There are numerous elements that define a gang. These include age restrictions, a name, any colors or symbols, territorial claim, number of members, durability and usually a common ethnic background. In addition to the issue of coming up with gang definitions, criminologists and scholars do not agree on a set of elements and their order of importance in defining a gang. Gang-related studies conducted in America strongly suggest that how youth gangs are defined will have a major practical impact on