Gang Violence Essay

In society today, there is a major problem We live in a society where gangs are taking over our neighborhoods in numbers. It is the responsibility of the individuals to part take in getting their neighborhoods back under control. Gangs are becoming a growing problem in American society. More young people are turning to gangs to solve problems in their lives or for acceptance. When youths join gangs, they drop all their social activities with school, family, and friends. However, individuals ruin their lives, and the chances of them having a decent education, and a successful life by getting involved in gang activity.

Gang involvement and its associated violent crime have become a rapidly growing problem for the United States. Generally, gangs consist of young people of the same ethnic, racial, and economic background. Usually of a low socio-economic status, these gangs engage in illegal money making activities and intimidate their neighborhoods and rival gangs with violent crimes and victimization. Gang members exemplify a high value for group loyalty and sacrifice.

     Ever since the terrible tragedy at Columbine High School, there has been a numerous list of recent school shootings in America. Youth violence is a major issue in today’s society. Many people dread what causes adolescents to be so violent, committing horrible crimes.     

What ever happened to kids wanting saying they wanted to be a police officer, fireman, doctor or teacher when they grow up? Does anyone ever say, when I grow up I want to be in a gang? According to the National Gang Threat Assessment there are over one million gang members in California and over forty percent are under the age of eighteen. Just in Fresno alone there are over twelve thousand gang members and over 500 gangs (Overend). Gang violence is a growing problem and if we don’t try to control it now it will be a bigger problem in the future.

This paper was done in response to an article that I came across in which a child was convicted as an adult for homicide. The homicide was supposedly gang-related; the young child that was only 14 years of age was painted as an entrenched gang member. This article made me think what contributed to this situation and how it can be eradicated from today’s society so this will never happen to any of our youth.

Fagan and Castalano (2012) identified 17 juvenile prevention/intervention strategies that focused on youth 0-18 years of age, and which showed meaningful reductions in delinquency (specifically violent acts). These strategies targeted several risk factors and using diverse mechanisms including early intervention, school-based, and school, and family-focused based interventions. Following are examples of three specific strategies.

America’s cities have experienced a substantial increase of gang membership among the youth living in impoverished communities throughout the last thirty years. Prior to 1990, many individuals associated gang activity with specific communities, but as youth gang violence was drastically increased across the United States’ inner cities, the public’s perception of this emerging social issue shifted. Due to the rapid rise of gang violence and the rise of youth membership, delinquent behavior by youths began to receive a substantial amount of academic and media attention. Gangs have been perceived by the media as groups of individuals who congregate regularly to commit crimes to profit their organizations.

Violence among youth has become a serious problem worldwide. In 2016, the United States ranked homicide as the third leading cause of death for people ages ten to twenty-four years old. Homicide is ranked as the fourth leading cause of death for this age group worldwide. A juvenile is defined as a person who is under the age of eighteen. Six hundred and five juveniles were arrested in 2015 for murder, two thousand seven hundred and forty-five for forcible rape, and twenty-one thousand nine hundred and nine-three for aggravated assault. These acts of violence make the communities in which citizens live more dangerous. As these crime rates rise, the values of the homes and business begin to go down as well. This has become an issue for concern because more and more youth are being convicted of serious crimes. In 2010, juveniles made up 13.7% of those who were arrested from violent crimes. While youth violence has always been present in society, it is becoming present through technology too. In earlier times in order to hurt someone they had to be physically present. Now a days, it has become easier to bully someone from his or her home through the Internet. 15.5% of students admit to being bullied through electronics in 2015. Youth violence is a cause for concern in Family and Consumer Science related fields because those who are working with juveniles should be aware of the problems they are facing.

Street gangs in this country can probably be traced back to the first wave of Europeans who migrated to the colonies for a better life for themselves and their families. Many of the first gangs were formed as a means of self protection, with the thinking that there is simply strength in numbers. The missions of gangs in today’s society have grown and emerged to include many violent criminal avenues, including drug trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, and extortion but the original thinking that there is strength in numbers remains true. Criminology experts believe that the number of teens involved in gangs or gang activity may be as high as 1 in every 5 people in most urban areas. Those number jump to 1 in every 3 people in

In David Nirenberg’s narrative monograph, Communities of Violence: Persecution of Minorities in the Middle Ages Nirenberg examines the meaning and function of violence in fourteenth century southern France and in the Crown of Aragon. Nirenberg’s thesis is that violence towards minorities (Jews, Muslims, and lepers) was neither irrational nor a result of intolerance, instead violence towards minorities was contextual and part of the everyday function of society. Nirenberg argues that there is a difference between “systematic violence” and its function and “cataclysmic violence.” Nirenberg focuses on how those of the time maintained a society by using everyday violence to enforce boundaries and propel negotiations among minorities.

I didn’t grow up in the best of circumstances. I grew up in a neighborhood filled to the brim with crime. My father was a low ranking gang member with little to no room for advancement. My mother was a heroin addict. Or whatever she had on hand. Sometimes my father joined her, but when he got high or drunk he became very abusive. That was typically when I snuck out and hid out at a friend’s house for a few hours. But I never stayed the night. My father made a habit of visiting my room, as if trying to make up for the fact that every time that he lifted his hand, maybe to catch my attention or something harmless like that, I would flinch away from him.

Abstract: This review studies in depth research done on street gangs. Social issues have social scientists turning away from including this in their research around this time. Sociological views have been changed dramatically in the past 40 years due to gender and racial studies. Also, women have started to join gangs since America has been changed with woman equality laws passing.

Who do people call when police murder? When police are out shooting innocent people and assaulting them, citizens begin to wonder who are they are able call next when they're afraid to call the police. On August 11, 2014, Ezell Ford was shot multiple times by Antonio Villages, and at that time Antonio Villages had told everyone including his chief that “he was reaching out for his handgun.” The eyewitness, his partner at that time, Sharlton Wampler, confirmed that Ezell was trying to reach for his handgun. After that incident they put an investigation by the LAPD's watchdog unit, Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. In June they concluded that both police officers had acted outside of LAPD policy, and had violated Ford's civil rights by detaining him. A couple of weeks and months later Ford’s shooting triggered multiple demonstrations and a lawsuit by Ford’s family for $75 million in damages. In the Past five years police brutality has

In 1977, the National Alliance for Safe Schools was founded by Peter Blauvelt. This organization was formed with the intent of providing technical assistance, training and research to school districts concerned with increasing incidents of “serious, disruptive student behavior,” (Kopka, 36). The NASS conducts seminars,

A nonprofit organization called Students Taking a Right Stand, (STARS) works to support the goals of a healthy school climate, and enhanced academic success. Local business leaders representing the community participate on the STARS board of directors. STARS supports the schools through staff professional development opportunities, student training, and alternatives to school suspension due to alcohol and tobacco offenses. A representative from STARS, conveys educators and students are actively engaged in the antibullying programs at the schools, however, parental involvement has been somewhat disappointing. She mentions two events in recent months wirh very poor attendance (Glenn, K., 2016).