According to Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice, outlaw motorcycle gangs and street gangs have been credited as the two types of organized crime in America since the 1980's (Levinthal, 2012). However, both criminal organizations have various gangs that are identifiable by crimes they commit, how they are committed, and where they are committed, just as each gang has their friends and foes. " Gang members who sell drugs are significantly more violent than gang members who do not sell drugs and are more violent than drug sellers who do not belong to gangs", (Levinthal, 2012, p. 107).…
Douglas J. Pettiford Stanley “Tookie” Williams CRIMINOLOGY July, 6 2015 The life of a gang member is a harsh one that often leads to imprisonment or death. Many who embrace gang life do so to fill emptiness or void in their life. Gang leadership frequently offers to fill that void, under the pretense of fellowship and family. Those who do accept the call gain a sense of power and belonging.…
In A World of Gangs: Armed Young Men, written by John Hagedorn, the audience sees the connection Hagedorn’s makes between politics, socioeconomic status, racism, and it’s unwavering resistance to change. Street gangs are complex and cannot be reduced to simplistic pathologies, especially with the lack of research and unexplored history by scholars. The book focuses on the more social-cultural psychological concepts, stating straight off the bat that street gangs are not apart of “a subset of “social pathology,”’ but rather should be classified as “’urban history, street politics.’” The strong statement is a good indicator of how Hagedorn shoots down many myths regarding street gangs and the way scholars view them. The book is hardly limited…
Under the leadership of Al Capone, the groups in the streets of Chicago became infamously known by law enforcement authorities for their murders and mass killings in the streets. Al Capone’s case gives an excellent explanation of the way gangs in a country come into existence through the influences of parents and neighborhoods, as well as the…
Goncalves-Peña writes about how courts have responded to variety of political asylum cases relating to gang threats in Central America. Specifically, she looks at how courts have interpreted the meanings and boundaries of political asylum. The article is analytical and references refugee law to define refugee and accounts of asylum. The article also looks at court cases, including INS v. Elias, Desir v. Ilchert, Zayas-Marini v. INS, and Osorio v. INS.…
The city has the highest crime rate in America due to the city’s numerous gangs. They wreak havoc by initiating new members into their clan and by retaliating to other gangs. Initiation usually includes committing a crime anywhere from stealing to homicide. To some, being in a gang is a way to get protection from other nearby gangs. To others, gangs are seen as family.…
Street gangs have existed in American history for around one hundred and forty five years. However, until the 1980’s, they were purely social organizations formed by member of typically inner city youths and young adults. However, the recent rise in the drug trade and the availability of crack-cocaine has led to the “corporatization” of street gangs. I will be analyzing two articles, the first ““An Economic Analysis of A Drug-Selling Gang’s Finances” by Steven D. Levitt and Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh, and the second “Youth Gangs as Pseudo-Governments: Implications for Violent Crime” by Russell S. Sobel and Brian J. Osoba. The first article discusses why joining a gang is not economically rational.…
The most recent estimate of more than 30,000 gangs represents a 15 percent increase from 2006 and is the highest annual estimate since 1996. Gang violence in America has been a major problem in this country which affects several communities and several major cities all throughout America. If gang violence awareness can be more available to areas where it is most popular and holding seminars and informational classes about what the gang life can cause, then there will be a decrease in gang related activity. In America, there has been a rapid increase in gang violence and gang related activity which affects the countries major cities. While larger cities and suburban counties expectedly report higher numbers of gangs, there is also considerable variation within each area type.…
In certain states, a gang member can only be identified through the courts. Therefore, agencies should adopt the legal definitions and protocols for gang member identification. The development of a national gang database, accessible within both adult and young offender institution, would provide a consistent means of monitoring and addressing the security threat posed by street gang members and it should be investigated with other agencies and levels of…
Research Assignment #2 In this paper, I will be discussing what young gangs are and how they are formed. I will also be describing the different types of youth gangs, the impact that peer pressure puts on them, and some tactics that law enforcement can use to control them. Youth gangs are organized by young adults or juveniles that want to gain control and power in their communities by use of violence and committing delinquent acts.…
This article was written by Brian Higgins (May 2015). Gang related violence is a major problem concern in America. Gangs are in our society, prisons, and in our children’s school districts. There is more than just one gang affiliation’s…
It has been noted that “Youth gangs in the U.S. have existed since at least the 1870s,” (Mosher, lecture gangs). Since the establishment, gangs have grown across the globe. In the fourteenth and fifteenth century, gangs “robbed, extorted and raped,” (http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Wh-Z-and-other-topics/Youth-Gangs.html). Gangs have evolved into street gangs from the violent past. Although some gangs do participate in violence, violence is not their sole purpose.…
When presented with the topic of gangs society is taught that the men involved are the cause of violence and crime associated with this term. Many are unaware of the number of female participants in gangs not only in the United States, but across the world. “Gangs are studied because they are of social concern. That concern stems from typically “masculine” acts of vandalism, violence, and other serious threats. It was often assumed that females did not take part in such behavior, so early researchers were not interested in the delinquency of female gang members.”…
Gang violence in the United States is increasing and becoming more widespread throughout virtually leaving no part of the country unaffected by its cruel and brutal wrath. According to FBI reports there are some 33,000 violent street gangs including motorcycle gangs and prison gangs with about 1.4 million total members who are criminally active today. These gangs are well organized; sophisticated and use violence to assert control. It is almost hard to believe that despite all of the studies that have been done over the years that the dynamics of gangs still leave many unanswered questions. Likewise, though many unanswered questions remain; much insight has also been extracted enlightening the tough questions about why people, and often very…
The traditional interpretation in today 's society correlates with many negative connotations. The word gang is associated with crime, violence, gangsters, drugs and murders. In many cases, a gang is another perspective of someone 's family. Considering, a group of people closely bond with love, passion, and care; it could be concluded that in certain situations gangs are the only outlet for an individual when they lack a family or a sense of…