Juvenile delinquency is a big problem in society. This is nothing new, however, it has been a problem for a long time. Individual juveniles performing delinquent acts is one thing, but when they join together to form gangs, it’s an entirely different thing. In the following paragraphs this paper addresses the youth subculture of gangs including their origins and history. It will then identify some of the delinquent and illegal behavior that is common with gangs. Lastly, it will discuss prevention recommendations with regard to gangs. The existence of gangs in Western civilization stretches as far back as the 1600s. These early gangs operated primarily in England as highway robbers. It wasn’t until the late 1700s that gangs emerged
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There are also many more gangs now than there was in the early 1900s. According to Huff (1998), “There are an estimated 23,388 youth gangs with 664,906 members in all 50 States” (p. 1). Realize also that these numbers are several years old. Youth gangs now days are involved in nearly every crime imaginable, from assault, to drug dealing, car theft, homicide, arson, rape, the list goes on and on. Kids everywhere are at risk of becoming victims of gang related violence. Curry (2010) tells us that “More than one in four public school students say their schools are infected by gangs and drugs” (p. 7). That is an alarming statistic to me. How are parents expected to protect …show more content…
Prevention is one way. Poverty, poor parental management, familial criminality, and delinquent peers have all been attributed to
Gangs 4 youth involvement in gangs. Therefore, things like raising ones economic status, or keeping kids away from other delinquent people can help prevent kids from joining a gang. I, for one, place a great deal of responsibility on parents for the upbringing of their children. Parents are the ones who are supposed to instill values and morals into their kids’ heads. How a person is raised is more important than where a person is raised. It doesn’t matter if people are rich or poor, live in the city or the suburbs, a child that is raised with good morals and values will be far less likely to join a gang. Deterrence is another way to keep kids out of gangs. If the criminal justice system handed out severe punishments for gang related activity, kids might think twice before joining a gang.
In conclusion, gangs have been around for a long time. Since their early beginnings gang membership has grown to staggering numbers, and have become more ethnically segregated. Crimes committed by gangs run the gamut from petty theft to homicide. Some measures that can be taken to reduce gang activity are prevention and
There are also many more gangs now than there was in the early 1900s. According to Huff (1998), “There are an estimated 23,388 youth gangs with 664,906 members in all 50 States” (p. 1). Realize also that these numbers are several years old. Youth gangs now days are involved in nearly every crime imaginable, from assault, to drug dealing, car theft, homicide, arson, rape, the list goes on and on. Kids everywhere are at risk of becoming victims of gang related violence. Curry (2010) tells us that “More than one in four public school students say their schools are infected by gangs and drugs” (p. 7). That is an alarming statistic to me. How are parents expected to protect …show more content…
Prevention is one way. Poverty, poor parental management, familial criminality, and delinquent peers have all been attributed to
Gangs 4 youth involvement in gangs. Therefore, things like raising ones economic status, or keeping kids away from other delinquent people can help prevent kids from joining a gang. I, for one, place a great deal of responsibility on parents for the upbringing of their children. Parents are the ones who are supposed to instill values and morals into their kids’ heads. How a person is raised is more important than where a person is raised. It doesn’t matter if people are rich or poor, live in the city or the suburbs, a child that is raised with good morals and values will be far less likely to join a gang. Deterrence is another way to keep kids out of gangs. If the criminal justice system handed out severe punishments for gang related activity, kids might think twice before joining a gang.
In conclusion, gangs have been around for a long time. Since their early beginnings gang membership has grown to staggering numbers, and have become more ethnically segregated. Crimes committed by gangs run the gamut from petty theft to homicide. Some measures that can be taken to reduce gang activity are prevention and