Why Children Join Gangs Essay

Who are the easiest targets to join a gang? The youth. With children and teens in gangs, it affects them the most, their families, and their communities. The youth join gangs because it makes them look cool, they have an older sibling is in a gang, one or both parents are in a gang, they are pressured, unity, and brotherhood. One major reason why children and teens join gangs is the neighborhood they live in and their surroundings (Chaskin 7). The majority of children and teens in gangs are typically from an urban upbringing (Friedman). This problem is mainly everywhere but it’s a major problem in the bigger cities Charlotte, Winston-Salam, Greensboro, etc. There are roughly 70 known gangs and 450 known members in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district (Frazier). In Forsyth County, there are 37 known gangs and 603 known members (Hinton). Gangs included are the …show more content…
This solution would be the most effective. These types of programs either work or they don’t. A major thing that children and teens will get out of this is that their “brother” will turn on them so they can get a light sentence. Then they will realize that being in a gang is not worth it. There was a television show called “Beyond Scared Straight” with the same concept. That show saved a lot of children and teens. A Chester County officer was shown on the show and says this about the show “this is one of those initiatives that we know has worked and can help the young people and the community” (Dys). This program is good, point blank. Teens go into this thinking they are all big and bad and realize when they get in jail, they are broken down. Now, other police stations want in on the action. One police officer has said “we take the youth, break them down, and build them back up (Dunn). The youth needs to get broken down, to get back up a better version of