Gang Prevention

Gang Prevention

Introduction

There has been a steep increase in the gang violence in the United States. This increase has been recorded since the middle of the twentieth century. The gangs are increasing their numbers and sizes throughout United States. These gangs also generate criminal violence and behavior. There has been so much increase in these gangs. Despite this steep increase and violence, there is very little knowledge about the dynamics of these gangs. There is also no much research and theories about combating the growth and violence of these gangs. Authorities and scholars have not yet been able to develop a consensus on the formation of these gangs.

This paper will focus on the contemporary researches on gangs in United States, problems creation by them, reasons of joining gangs. This paper will focus on the youth involvement of the United States in the formation of gangs. The paper will also focus on the role of community members in the prevention and intervention of gangs. The paper will also provide and suggest some effective programs that will help to prevent youth crime and gang violence.

Discussion

Demographic Characteristics of Gang Members

The demographics of these gangs and their members widely vary from location to location. These reflect the makeup of the youth population. This paper will focus on only Race and Gender (Esbensen and Lynskey, 2001).

Race

NYGS (2008) states that 50% of total gang members are either Hispanic or Latino, 32% of these members are African American or black, and 11% o them are either Caucasian or white (National Gang Center, 2010). The studies show that there is equal proportion of racial and ethnic groups. This can be proved by the results of a study sample of fifteen cities. The results showed the youth that joined gangs have almost similar ethnic and racial proportions. The proportion for whites was 7.3%, 8.3% for blacks, and Hispanics were 9% of the members. These results are almost similar with each other (Esbensen et al., 2008).

Gender

National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997) showed that there were two male against one female in the members of the gangs. This can also be presented as 6% females against 11% of males (National Gang Center, 2010). The recent studies present these stats in a different way. A recent study of 15 cities showed that the combination of current gangs has 7.8% of girls, and boys have 8.8% proportion (Esbensen et al., 2008).

Attractions of Youth to Gangs

There are certain factors that force the youth to join gangs. These factors are normally called attractions (Decker and Van Winkle, 1996). This section will discuss these factors in a bit detail.

Ethnicity

Many large cities have migrated population. This leads some youth to join certain gangs. The migrants face difficulties in the new culture to deal with life. They join gangs to ease out their daily life. These migrants also have certain inadequate schooling and parenting. The cultural, language, and economic barriers they face usually leave them with no other ...