Approximately 24% of Canada has reported gang activity, (“Youth gangs in Canada”). A gang is a group of people who are associated together for criminal purposes. Some gangs can control entire neighbourhood which can result to everyone following their laws. Gangs are always on the hunt for new recruits, especially young ones because that is what will make them stronger as a group. This puts the youth of Canada at danger of going down a path that they will regret in the future. Gangs can only have negative effects on someone’s life; this is evident as gang members are prone to health issues, moreover, gang membership can lead to more difficulties in their personal lives and they are more prone to be involved in criminal activities.
Individuals …show more content…
A study done by Dr. Catharine Paddock demonstrates that over half of gang members were drug dependant, two thirds were alcohol dependant and 85% had antisocial personality, (Paddock). Gang members depend on drugs as their stress reliever, since they have no other option. This further reinforces the fact that gang members are prone to health problems. Over half of gang members had anxiety disorders and one in three have attempted suicide, (Paddock). This is the case because most gang members cannot handle the pressure that comes with being part of a gang. Doctor Jeremy Coid from the University of London reported that young gang members are scared of future violence and victimisation that will happen which is why, they have high levels of anxiety, “the fear of future violence and victimisation led young men to experience extreme anxiety.”, (“Gang violence cause of high levels of mental disorders”). Moreover, gang members are under constant fear of retaliation from other gangs, this causes their high anxiety levels. It is not rare to see ex-gang members using mental health services in order to deal with their mental issues. Due to the amount of violence that gang members experience on a daily basis, they cannot handle it. Therefore, they develop different illnesses which stays with throughout their …show more content…
Gangs are able to convince its members that the gang is their only real family. A gang membership will create broken family relationship, as gang members do not consider their biological family as their real family, (Curry). Their gang members become more important, as a result this creates broken homes. Gang members rely on their family to support them financially, (Curry). This means that they need money to fulfill their duties as gang members. This includes anything from buying drugs to buying illegal firearms. Gang members are in and out of jail frequently. Therefore, this means that family members are subjected to paying the amount required to get them out. In the long run this creates the loss of trust in the family and can put them in serious economic deprivation. Gang members do not realize that they are putting their family under a lot of stress. Moreover, family members are always wondering if whether or not their loved one is safe, (“Impact of Gang activity on Family Members”). It is also common for family who have active gang members to suffer from depression. Gangs are causing disorder within an individual’s family, which can lead to the family having to lose all interactions with each
Individuals …show more content…
A study done by Dr. Catharine Paddock demonstrates that over half of gang members were drug dependant, two thirds were alcohol dependant and 85% had antisocial personality, (Paddock). Gang members depend on drugs as their stress reliever, since they have no other option. This further reinforces the fact that gang members are prone to health problems. Over half of gang members had anxiety disorders and one in three have attempted suicide, (Paddock). This is the case because most gang members cannot handle the pressure that comes with being part of a gang. Doctor Jeremy Coid from the University of London reported that young gang members are scared of future violence and victimisation that will happen which is why, they have high levels of anxiety, “the fear of future violence and victimisation led young men to experience extreme anxiety.”, (“Gang violence cause of high levels of mental disorders”). Moreover, gang members are under constant fear of retaliation from other gangs, this causes their high anxiety levels. It is not rare to see ex-gang members using mental health services in order to deal with their mental issues. Due to the amount of violence that gang members experience on a daily basis, they cannot handle it. Therefore, they develop different illnesses which stays with throughout their …show more content…
Gangs are able to convince its members that the gang is their only real family. A gang membership will create broken family relationship, as gang members do not consider their biological family as their real family, (Curry). Their gang members become more important, as a result this creates broken homes. Gang members rely on their family to support them financially, (Curry). This means that they need money to fulfill their duties as gang members. This includes anything from buying drugs to buying illegal firearms. Gang members are in and out of jail frequently. Therefore, this means that family members are subjected to paying the amount required to get them out. In the long run this creates the loss of trust in the family and can put them in serious economic deprivation. Gang members do not realize that they are putting their family under a lot of stress. Moreover, family members are always wondering if whether or not their loved one is safe, (“Impact of Gang activity on Family Members”). It is also common for family who have active gang members to suffer from depression. Gangs are causing disorder within an individual’s family, which can lead to the family having to lose all interactions with each