Essay On Street Gangs

In almost every urban community in the United States of America, gangs are present in the area. Street gangs have been around for many years, most notably as early as the 1820s. Street gangs have become more popular over time, with gang activity peaking in the 1980s until the late 1990s. Gangs typically recruit children as young as age 15 and 37% of gang members are under the age of 18. In more recent times the prevalence of gang has poisoned the minds of the youth in urban communities around the United States. Gangs have been a problem in urban communities for a very long time. The first gang to gain popularity in the United States was the 40 Thieves in New York City which was established around the year 1820. Since then over one hundred …show more content…
Many children that join gangs in America do so in order to obtain the sense of belongingness that they are not being provided at home. When parents are unable or choose to not provide their child emotional support, the child is likely to turn to other sources for this support. Children who do not understand what gangs truly are may only see the gang as a tightly knit group of individuals who unconditionally support each other, just like a family would. However, the child will not realize that the gang will not provide much, if any, support for him or her. Gangs will not help the child in any real positive way in …show more content…
One of the more popular programs is known as the Scared Straight program. This is a program designed for children ages 14-19 who have been arrested for minor crimes such as public intoxication and petty theft. In addition to those crimes, many of the children are also affiliated with gangs. The children are accepted into the program in lieu of jail time or probation sentences. The program shows the children experiencing what real jail situations are like. Their experiences are meant to show them that they aren’t built to handle life in