Category: Gang

In recent years, gangs, and gang influence has played a major role on the effect of juveniles, and the rate at which they act with violence. Gang membership in adolescence can be linked to serious and violent crime resulting in long term effects in adulthood.

What is a gang?

While there is no universally agreed upon definition of a “gang”, the terms “youth gang” and “street gang” are used most commonly. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) federally defines a “gang” as “members who collectively identify themselves by adopting a group identity, which they use to create an atmosphere of fear or intimidation…” (National Institute of Justice, 2011, p. 4). Gangs and gang members can be identified by having a common name or slogan with identifiable hand signs, having an identifiable tattoo or physical marking, or often wear the same color clothing. These such organizations often have the intent to engage in criminal activity while using violence and intimidation to act on and further their criminal objectives and motives. Gangs are also seen possessing similar characteristics, such as having structured rules for operation and joining members, while meeting on a regular basis. Members of such organizations may provide physical protection for members from outsiders, and often times have their own identifiable structure. The most notable characteristic of gangs is seeking to control a specific location or region while also controlling goods or interests from rivals or outsiders. Identifying gang membership can often be emphasized by gang related or affiliated tattoos or symbols, and by being arrested for known gang behavior and crimes, or interacting with known gang affiliates and members. The National Gang Center (NGC) provides a chart that reveals the number one leading designating factor in determining gang membership in a jurisdiction is displaying gang symbols, colors, and tattoos at 66.1% frequency of use. This factor is followed by arrested or known associates at 55.9%, self-nomination in a custodial setting at 53.9%, and identified by a reliable informant at 25.3% (National Gang Center, Chart 1).

[bookmark: A1] Gangs are not always found just on the streets, as some gang members are reported in the schools as well. In 1989, 15 percent of students (approximately 3,301,000) reported street gangs in their school (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995). In a separate 1989 survey, students reported that the presence of gangs in their schools were higher in urban areas (27 percent) than in suburban (15 percent) or rural areas (8 percent). Therefore, gang presence in schools, are not just an urban-area problem. Students at schools with gangs consistently reported much higher victimization rates and levels of fear than students at schools without gangs (NCES, 1995).

The average age for a gang member is between 12-24, whereas in youth gangs, the average age is 17-18. The number of members in a gang range widely depending on the type of gang, however, male gang members outnumber female members by a large margin. Despite not having similar numbers in gangs as males do, females still do have a steady involvement in gangs. It is estimated that when considering all gang involvement, females account for 10% of all members (Miller 1992). Traditional gangs, such as those who are territorial and control land typically average around 180 members, while specialty gangs, those who operate in trafficking etc. average around only 25 members (Klein and Maxon, 1996). Certain crimes can be traced back to specific racial and ethnic youth gangs. African American gangs are typically involved in drug related offenses, Hispanic gangs are involved in more territorial, or “turf-related” offenses, and Asian and White gangs are affiliated with property related crimes (Block, 1996; Spergel, 1990).

Why do youth join gangs?

Youth and juveniles join gangs for many reasons, mainly including social, economic, and cultural factors. There are many “pushes and pulls” that can lead a juvenile into joining a gang. Negative conditions can push youth into the direction of gang, which may be coupled by what may appear as positive opportunities that pull youth in further. These pushes and pulls are known as risk factors (National Gang Center). Risk factors increase the opportunity for youth to join gangs; the more factors, the more likely one is to join a gang. Such factors can be placed into five categories; individual, family, school, peer, and community. Individual risk factors include: problem behavior, or “acting out” including aggressiveness or impulsivity, antisocial beliefs, negative life events, such as the death of a parent, school expulsion, etc., or becoming a victim within the home or community. Adolescence at risk also do not see any wrong within their actions, everything is justifiable, and lacking the ability to take ownership for their own wrongdoings; blaming their problems on someone else. Parenting also plays a major role in the risk factors towards youth gang membership. Parents or care takers who provide unrestricted access to peers, parents who lack oversight and control and lack consistent rules and discipline, do not provide their child with the necessary means to not be at risk. Adolescences who have poor parental supervision and lack enforcement, or who are inconsistent and provide disengaging parenting also allow youth to drift off into the influence of others, i.e., the introduction of gangs to one’s life. Children may also experience risk factors in the school environment as well. Risk factors at school include poor school performance, lacking any aspiration, low school or teacher attachment, coupled by frequent suspension or expulsion. Students who are labeled “special needs students” or “slow learners” are also at an increased odds of obtaining such risk factors.

An individual who partakes in early delinquency and violent behavior, has a troubled home life that displays forms of domestic violence, attends a school environment that is unhealthy and is accompanied by limited peer and social interactions and relationships, or lives in a community heavily influenced by the presence of guns, drugs, and violence, are all signs that a juvenile could be at risk to potentially join a gang.

Female involvement and membership within gangs, as stated by Glendy Garcia, gang intervention specialist, typically stems from the lack of a father figure at home, coupled by the mother dating or is remarried to a new man. This man then victimizes the daughter at a very young age in which the daughter tells the mother, but the mother does not believe her child and blames her, and then chooses to take her partner’s side. The daughter then continues to live in the household and continues to be abused and victimized to the point where she develops a substance abuse issue and eventually runs away where she is met and comforted by the membership of a gang.

Youth gangs are typically located in lower-class, ghetto, or working-class communities. In these types of communities, gang membership offers opportunities in a change of lifestyle through the selling of drugs and making money (Pennell, 1994). These opportunities allow youth to obtain money that could potentially change the way they or their family unit lives. Any some of money has the power to heavily influence or coerce someone into committing acts, whether they be criminal or violent. Some juveniles also join gangs to feel a sense of belonging, to create relationships that give them their own identity. Many adolescences want to feel loved or cared for, and want someone to finally accept them and value them. In some cases, youth join gangs as a mean of protection from other rival gangs or just a general safety net. In other cases, youth are forced or born into gangs as a result of their parent’s or family member relations to gang affiliations. For these select juveniles, the gang way of life is all they have ever known.

What substances are abused by gangs?

Gangs known as “street gangs”, “outlaw motorcycle gangs” and “prison gangs” are the main sources of drug distribution on the streets in the United States (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2009). Some gangs obtain millions of dollars in a month by selling and smuggling illegal drugs. Large and nationally known gangs may appear to be the greatest threat as they smuggle, produce, transport, and distribute large quantities of illegal drugs, while also acting with extreme violence. Street gang members convert powdered cocaine into crack cocaine while producing the most of phencyclidine (PCP), also known as “angel dust” available in the country. Primarily outlaw motorcycle gangs, produce marijuana and methamphetamine. Gangs are increasingly involved in the smuggling of large quantities of cocaine and marijuana, and smaller quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and ecstasy from foreign producers (NDIC, 2009).

Gangs abuse and become involved with not only drugs but alcohol as well. Drinking can be viewed as an aspect of symbolism in a gang. Drinking is a regular part of socialization within the gang life, it can be considered a social lubricant, or social glue, to maintain not only the cohesion and social unity of the gang but also to sustain masculinity and male togetherness (Dunning, 1988). Alcohol can also be used as a “facilitator” in the observance of wild or crazy behavior, especially in violent conflicts with outsiders. Alcohol is also used commonly during new member initiation, also known as a rite of passage. New member’s toughness, ability to defend oneself, and withstand physical violence is tested during this initiation. Gang members are also seen using alcohol during a funeral to show their unity to the deceased member. In some gangs, members pour alcohol over the grave or leave alcohol by the gravesite to furthermore display their togetherness (National Institue of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Campbell, 1991).

What crimes are committed by gangs?

Gangs and gang members can be directly linked to drug and weapon use, while engaging in a much higher level of violent crime compared to those who are do not have any gang affiliation. Gangs engage in an assortment of crime, but most notably including assault, burglary, drive-by shooting, extortion, homicide, identification fraud, money laundering, prostitution, robbery, sale of stolen property, and weapon trafficking (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2009). Some gangs collect millions of dollars by engaging in such types of crimes, then launder the earnings by investing in construction companies, motorcycle shops, real estate, recording studios, etc. Gangs may also own and operate cash-based businesses, such as strip clubs, barber shops, and even restaurants. Cash-based businesses allow the members to work with and mix drug money through a legitimate form of commerce.

In 2011, the National Gang Center released a chart recording gang-related criminal offenses. Aggravated assault was listed at the number one most common crime at 34.6 percent, just in front of firearm use at 34.1 percent, and drug sales at 30.4 percent (National Gang Center, Chart 3). In comparison between single-year members and multiple- year members, multiple year-members had a much higher rate in robbery and drug-trafficking (Hill, 1996). Gun related homicide within a gang is very much prevalent. In 1980, the percentage of homicide with a firearm during a homicide within a gang was at 70 percent. However, in 1993, almost all of gang related homicide involved a firearm at 95 percent. The percentage of gang-related homicides caused by a firearm fell slightly to 92 percent in 2008, but the percentage of homicides caused by firearms during the act or partaking of committing a felony rose from 60 percent to 74 percent from 1980 to 2005 (National Institute of Justice 2019).

Violence in gangs is also increased by gang norms, such as group functions or initiations. These factors of violence serve to intensify and strengthen the bonds of the members. Violence is also used to achieve the organizations goals in association with recruiting new members, turf or land protection and expansion, and defense of one’s identity as a member of a gang or in defense of the gang’s honor (Block and Block, 1993). Violence is contagious (Loftin, 1986) and while bunched in space, may escalate and more likely to spread among youth who are violent prone (Block and Block, 1991). Lastly, violence is also used by displaying physical toughness and fighting ability to establish the gang’s status, or to maintain control and organization within the gang (Short and Strodtbeck, 1965).

What are the effects of gang violence on juveniles?

Gang involvement as a youth, has the power and ability to greatly influence the way one may act, and lives. Gang membership as a youth, was related to advanced transitions into adulthood that then predicted disrupted family relationships and economic instability (Krohn, 2011). Krohn found that this path eventually led to criminal behaviors by the age of 30. The Life Course Theory outlines the understanding of gang membership in youths affect illegal behavior, while emphasizing the strong connection between childhood events and adulthood events (Gilman, Hawkins, Hill 2014). The Life Course Theory also infers that gang membership in adolescence may result in negative development in both criminal and noncriminal acts, while also depicting decreased educational and occupational fulfilment, and poor physical and mental health. Active gang members are much more likely than their nongang peers to engage in criminal behavior, especially serious and violent offenses and in addition, they are more likely to be involved in drug use and the selling or distribution of drugs. Gang members also have more difficulties in school and are more likely to be violently victimized (Gilman, Hill, Hawkins 2004). Adolescence who were involved in gangs were more likely to be arrested and incarcerated as adults, were also more likely to rely on illegal forms of income, and had obtained less formal education than their nongang peers (Levitt and Vankatesh 2004). Male gang members who were in membership both long-term and short-term, were found to have a greater likelihood to live cohabitation at age 22, before marriage compared to their nongang peers. Long-term gang members had significantly higher rates of unemployment, dropping out of school, and early pregnancy in adolescence, following with teenage parenthood. Female gang members are more likely to experience harder transitions into adulthood, such as unstable employment, teenage pregnancy, and early motherhood. Both female and male gang members were more likely to experience arrests and incarceration in adulthood (Thornberry 2004). In addition, youth who join gangs may experience significant changes in emotions, attitudes, and behavior, further more suggesting that gang membership may be a major turning point in one’s life (Melde and Esbensen, 2014).

Youth involvement in gangs commit an unequal share of offenses, including nonviolent offenses. It is reported that in Denver, adolescent gang members accounted for approximately three times as many violent offenses compared to youth who are not members of gangs (Esbensen and Huizinga, 1993). In addition, gang members in Rochester, committed seven times as many violent offenses or delinquent acts compared to their counterpart of nongang youth (Bjerregaard and Smith, 1993). Adolescent inclination to act with violence, and gun ownership are closely related. Gangs are more likely to recruit juveniles who own firearms, while also being twice as more likely than nongang members to carry a gun for protection or have peers that own firearms or protection, and are more likely to carry a gun outside their house (Bjerregaard and Lizotte, 1995). Most violent gang members illegally own a firearm as they believe their rival gangs also own guns, and as a result, the intensity and destructiveness of assaults appear to have increased as the availability and use of deadly weapons increased (Block and Block 1993). By having possession of more guns and more sophisticated weaponry, gangs feel as they will not be caught at a disadvantage (Horowitz).

Juveniles commit many more violent crimes and offenses while in membership with a gang, than they do after leaving a gang (Esbensen and Huizinga, 1993). However, even after leaving a gang, ex-members still commit crimes at a high rate. Gang involvement may increase individual involvement in drug use, drug trafficking, gun carrying and violence (Howell and Decker, 1993). Drug use is strongly linked with drug trafficking, which is also strongly linked with gun carrying and serious violent crimes. With the increase in drug sales, comes the increase in violence. Gangs can typically use violence as a means to control their production and distribution sales in the community. This type of violent mindset typically does not vanish quickly as the influence of a gang is long lasting.

Juvenile violence is severely effected and impacted by early involvement, influence, and presence of gangs. Gangs attract youth who come from broken homes, youth who lack attention, guidance, discipline, and love from their family unit, and youth who desire the feeling of a sense of belonging and protection. Gangs are notorious for their violent offenses involving firearm related homicides as well as the production and distribution of illegal drugs and narcotics. The long-term effect of gang influence is long lasting in respect to social and economic factors, as membership in a gang, has the power to change one’s life forever.

References

1. Gang and Victimization at School. (1995, July). Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs/web/95740.asp
2. Gun Violence. (2019, February 26). Retrieved from https://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/gun-violence/pages/welcome.aspx#gangs
3. National Youth Gang Survey Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/survey-analysis/measuring-the-extent-of-gang-problems
4. Gilman, A. B., Hill, K. G., & Hawkins, J. D. (2014, May). Long-term consequences of adolescent gang membership for adult functioning. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3987584/
5. N. (2009, July 1). Drugs and Gangs Fast Facts: Questions and Answers. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs11/13157/index.htm#relation
6. What Is a Gang? Definitions. (2011, October 28). Retrieved from https://nij.gov/topics/crime/gangs/Pages/definitions.aspx
7. Demographic Characteristics. (1998, August). Retrieved from https://www.ojjdp.gov/jjbulletin/9808/demographic.html
8. Youth Gangs and Violence. (1998, August). Retrieved from https://www.ojjdp.gov/jjbulletin/9808/youth.html
9. Why Do Youth Join Gangs? (1998, August). Retrieved from https://www.ojjdp.gov/jjbulletin/9808/why.html
10. ‘Why Youth Join Gangs’. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/video
11. What Is a Gang? Definitions. (2011, October 28). Retrieved from https://nij.gov/topics/crime/gangs/Pages/definitions.aspx

A youth gang is not a new issue. It was prevalent for a decade. Lots of youth fall into the prey of youth gangs and ruined their life. A youth gang is an organized group of young peoples, who rely on group intimidation and violence, involve in criminal acts to gain power or recognition. (Canada, 2018). It is anti-social behaviour and creates chaos in the community. Youth are joining the gang because of tensions, unhealthy parent’s relationships, and lack of opportunity, neglect, and abuse. There is research saying that 93% of youths are joining the gang because they have been abused as children or they witnessed a caregiver or parents being abused.(waves, 2014).

Since the colonial era, there was a trend of the gang. They are involving in unlawful activities such as extortion, stealing a car, creating chaos in community, drugs, etc. In the 1830s cabbage tree mob was one of the prominent youth gangs of that time. Their gang behaviour includes prankish, irreverent to obscene language, larceny, hurling stones, brawling, drunkenness, and assault. (Melbourne, 2008). There is lots of gang in Australia that creates problems and shows a negative image to young people. There was another youth gang called Sharpies in 1960. That gang member includes young people ages 17 to 24. They were members of Suburban youth gangs in Australia. They were prominently found in Melbourne but also in Sydney and Perth to a lesser extent. In early 1990, media reporting of youth collectives has however increasingly assumed a radicalized character, with a range of ethnic minority groups such as Non-Anglo Australian, Somalian Lebanese, and Asian descent. Media negatively portrays youth and describing youth gangs on an ethnic base brings chaos in the community. In 1998, the drive-by shooting of the Lakemba police station in Sydney, police alleged that a Lebanese youth gang was responsible without an investigation. (Santina Perrone, 2000). It’s all because of Media, that youth became the victim of community and law.

Nowadays, young people with issues are ostracized instead of helping them. Young people joined youth gangs because they feel neglected, lack of opportunity, abuse, and unhealthy parent relationships. Young people feel that gangs serve to provide a sense of social inclusion, support, opportunities of status, and group identity.(criminology, 2003).So, what they feel is wrong and anti-social behaviour. Communities perceive them in a negative and root cause of societal problems. Youths in now a day’s include themselves in a variety of gang-related problems. There are different types of gang-related behaviour such as criminal, conflict, Retreat, street culture. (White, 2002). A youth gang is spreading like cancer in our society. The government has already passed strict laws to minimize this anti-social behaviour. According to 9 news report, it has mentioned that one of the young people joined the youth gang because he feels neglected and lack of appreciation from school. He feels safe and a sense of belonging in the gang. (Butler, 2019).That is the reason he joined the youth gang. So what we can see from here is that our community negatively perceived them. We should encourage young people and support them regardless of their background. It was an act of media that portray young people in a negative image of youth street activities, random violence, and other socially disruptive behaviour. Such reports of media bring moral panic in society and the community will start excluding them from society. So, we need to understand young people’s problems and should help them in resolving their problems.

As mentioned above that youth gangs are regarded as a threat to communal harmony and anti-social behaviour. The last factor that contributes significantly toward the youth gang that I will be addressing in this report is why youth are joining gangs and media representation of youth in our society. Youths are joining because of their problems, exclusion from society, unhealthy parenting, lack of appreciating, etc. Researchers state that the formation of a youth gang is strongly inspired by skinhead graffiti, heavy metal music, and common interest. 90 percent of known members were male and almost 50 percent were age between 15-18 years of age. (James F. Short, 2006).So what I observe from this is that the youth of our nations is neglected and less important is giving on them and their future. Young people associated with gangs are in general extremely vulnerable. They may join gangs for several reasons such as for protection from others, to feel accepted, for respect, excitement, status among peers, etc. so it is clear that youth have little concern over their future and care more about their respect and status. (international, 2018). So society must respect their ideologies and encourage them to pursue their career. Young people’s perception of being in a gang is rewarding and exciting but in reality it is the opposite. Joining a gang put young people life at risk. There is a risk of committing a crime, dealing, and trafficking of drugs, violence, or death. Young people life is volatile before they turn into adulthood. They will ruin their life definitely. Joining gangs and anti-social behaviour is one of them. The reason for group formation and the typical focus of activities can provide insight into differences between groups. Some of their groups are criminally cantered. (James F. Short, 2006).They perceived that joining a gang will provide them social status and respect. They often feel they are above law. Apparently what they think is wrong and anti-social behaviour.

Media plays a major role in their life. Media negatively portrays them. There is an exaggeration in news about youth gangs. They are the one who labelled the group of young people and says they are a threat to society. The presence of large groups of young people dressed in particular ways or with or without group affiliations appeared to have fostered at least within the media, the idea that Australia has a gang problem. (James F. Short, 2006). Media negatively perceive young people and they consider them a threat. When a group of young people dances on the street or gathering, media will label them as a gang. They will create a distinction between young people and labelled them as African gangs, Asian gangs, etc. (Mason, 2006). So that will produce a moral panic among society and society will perceive a group of young people negatively. Media defined youth as youth criminals and they even mentioned that youth gangs consider themselves above the law and showing no empathy towards other citizens. So the media representation of youth should be better and they need to stop generalization.

So, youth gang is an issue that can be eliminated by changing the perception of young people and society. Lots of research has been doing on the youth gang and their intervention. Australian research alliance for children and youth is a leading researcher among them. Their intervention includes family-based intervention, counseling, education-based interventions. (White, 2007). Their primary goal is to promote collaborative research and agenda-setting for young people. It is mentioned above that young people are joining gangs because of the wrong perception. So what I feel is that we need to change that wrong perception of young people. We can educate young people and build their self-esteem and encourage them to indulge in social activities. We need to organize a campaign for young people to create awareness of the consequences of joining gangs. On the other hand media should change their ways of portraying young people in society. They should focus more on the positive side of young people rather than the negative side. They should refrain from labeling and generalization of a young people group. So that it will not create moral panic among society. The government at all levels should organize a campaign that delivers in positive and constructive manners the realities and strengthen cultural diversity. (White, 2007).Police should works on grassroots of crime commits by young people and should not rely on media. Police should work independently without relying on media.

Young people are treasures of the nation and should assist them in any matter. Young people may commit a mistake but we should help them to correct their mistake. it is the responsibility of parents, teachers, youth workers, polices to respect their lives and their choices. One of the biggest drawbacks in these reports is that we ignore to appreciate the work done by young people and neglect them. We should not do that. it makes them feel discouraged and abstain from doing good work they are doing. So we should encourage young people. One of the main things here is to help those young people who already involve in youth gangs. We should help them by bringing back to their normal and provide counselling, educate them.

Bibliography

1. Butler, R. (2019). 9 news. Retrieved 5 16, 2020, from https://www.9news.com.au/national/a-current-affair-melbourne-teen-street-gangs-youth/2dccfd85-fb30-44
2. Canada, P. s. (2018). public safety of Canada. Retrieved 5 14, 2020, from https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/gngs-cnd/index-en.aspx
3. criminology, A. i. (2003). Understanding youth gangs. Retrieved 5 15, 2020, from https://aic.gov.au/publications/cfi/cfi040
4. international, C. (2018). Childnet international. Retrieved 5 21, 2020, from Childnet international: https://www.childnet.com/teachers-and-professionals/for-working-with-young-people/hot-topics/social-media-and-gang-violence/why-do-children-and-young-people-join-gan
5. James F. Short, L. A. (2006). Studying Youth Gangs. In L. A. James F. Short, Studying Youth Gangs (p. 161). Rowman Altamira,.
6. Mason, R. W. (2006). Youth Gangs and Youth Violence. THE AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY .
7. Melbourne, T. u. (2008). Emelbourne. Retrieved 5 15, 2020, from http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00834b.htm
8. Santina Perrone, R. W. (2000). Young People and Gangs. Canberra: Austrlian institute of criminiology.
9. waves, V. (2014, 5 31). Why Do Teens Join Gangs?
10. White, R. (2007). Anti gang strategies and intervention. Tasmania: University of Tasmania.
11. White, R. (2002). Understand youth gangs,Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice. Understand youth gangs,Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice , 237.
12. Wikipedia. (2020). wikipedia. Retrieved 5 15, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpies_(Australian_subculture)

Introduction

Social and criminal issues produced outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia are best tended to through a scope of techniques. It is clearly evident that the impact of outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia is seen to flow in an oppositional cultural manner potentially resulting in the foundation of criminal activities and organised crimes (Bjorgo, 2017). The best methods for tending to a social and criminal issue produced by fugitive bike packs in Australia are through three significant strategies: media and innovation, police office and the general population. Accordingly, social and criminal issues created by outlaw motorcycle groups in Australia are best tended to through a scope of strategies, including media and technology, police officers and the general population.

Media and Technology

News, Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

The usage of new generation media and technology is a great way to address the social and criminal problem. In a similar manner, the problems generated by outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia is best addressed through various forms of media and technology.

The media source, “the guardian”, a British daily newspaper, specifically explores the expansion of Australian motorcycle gangs into south east Asia in order to get a slice of drug market (McGowan, 2019). The Guardian is a form of media that is spread across the United Kingdom in the form of a newspaper, however, technology has made it available for individuals across the world. The efficient collaboration of media and technology has developed numerous campaigns against outlaw motorcycle gangs, has raised public awareness and has assisted to a large extent when addressing issues to the police authorities.

Anti-drug campaigns that took place in America, was aimed at not only the youth (between 9-18 years) but at the parents and guardians of these youth (Hornik et al., 2008). This is because criminal activity during adolescence and adulthood is strongly influenced by the behavioural style during an individual’s childhood (Welsh and Farrington, 2012). Similarly, identical anti-drug campaigns in Australia are the most efficient way to bring forth the social and criminal plight caused by outlaw motorcycle gangs, particularly drug trafficking. Examples of anti-drug campaigns in Australia include Drug Aware, Alcohol and Drug Foundation and Drug Free Australia. The usage of the latest media and technological innovation is a great way to address the social and criminal problem that are formed by outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia.

Police

Inform Police Officials

Societies first and main place to address a social and criminal issue is the police station. Likewise, the problems generated by outlaw motorcycle gangs must be addressed to police officials. The police departments in Australia conduct investigations and crime preventative activities through a variety of methods. These strategies have the capability to either punish criminals severely or treat them through multiple aspects of counselling. This approach is further supported through Bjorgo statement that ‘some police forces have mainly applied a repressive criminal justice approach whereas others have put more emphasis on dialogue, prevention and harm reduction’. Police approaches and formalities towards a crime varies in different countries, however, in Australia, authorities aim to place more emphasis on dialogue, prevention and harm reduction. This is done by the Australian government through various drug aware campaigns. However, McGowan states in the article “United Nation’s report says outlawed gangs expanding presence because of increased law enforcement attention in Australia”. This increasement in law enforcement within Australia, fundamentally resulted in outlaw motorcycle gangs generating deals out of Australia.

Moreover, the main aim of the national drug policy is harm minimisation. According to forensic examination, the drugs detected in Australia for the past few years, especially heroin are identical to the ones that are exported from south east Asia. This importation of drugs is a result of shortage of heroin, although, measures have been implemented to decrease the entry of foreign heroin, the national drug policy states that the shortage in heroin potentially resulted in a greater change in price and lower quality of the substance.

Public

Public Social Media Police

The involvement of members from the society or a community is an excellent form of addressing a social and criminal problem. The problems generated by outlaw motorcycle gangs are best addressed through the integration of public, social media and police.

Outlaw motorcycle gangs have heightened their activities to regional areas of New South Wales, this is a result of increased law enforcement attention to them in Australia (McGowan, 2019).

“Public opinion on crime prevention is also important to its future development and practice” (Welsh and Farrington, 2012)

Moreover, the neighbourhood has a large impact on the crime rates of a particular place, hence, the general population of a community is the most ideal medium to address social and criminal issues caused by outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia. Creating awareness in the mindsets of the population has potential to minimise illicit drug trafficking.

Conclusion

Social and criminal problems generated by outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia are best addressed through a range of methods. The problems generated by outlaw motorcycle gangs are best addressed through the integration of social media, police and the general population. The social and criminal undertakings formed by outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia is best tended to through different types of media and innovation. Moreover, the criminal matters created by outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia must be routed to police authorities. Furthermore, the social and criminal acts caused by outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia are best tended to through the general population of the country. Accordingly, social and criminal issues created by outlaw motorcycle groups in Australia are best tended to through a scope of strategies, including media and technology, police officers and the general population.

Gangs are a big thing in the world all around, some more dangerous than others. These gangs use illegal actions and rivalries to make them an income outside of a job. Gang membership is on the rise for many reasons, and membership comes at a cost. Therefore, preventing and intervening in gang membership is of serious importance. Whether its drug distribution or all the way up to killing someone, it’s definitely a life you wouldn’t want your child heading to. But, some speculate there are a number of reasons leading to young kids joining these gangs. Those problems include racism, poverty, friends & family, and music.

Most rappers that are huge right now made it out of the situation they were in and did it along with their gang. An example could be Youngboy Never Broke Again who claims 4KT. While they do blow up with their gang, some of the members might let their fame get to them and start asking for money all the time. At this point, all ties are cut with that person and they move on. Gangs can either be a city/neighborhood thing or they could be worldwide.

33,000+ motorcycle gangs, street gangs, and prison gangs those of which are all violent are currently active criminally in the U.S. Today. You might ask yourself “why are these young people are joining gangs?”. Well, The Los Angeles police department helped identify these reasons to everyone.

“Identity or Recognition – Being part of a gang allows the gang member to achieve a level of status he/she feels impossible outside the gang culture.”

“Protection – many members join because they live in the gang area and are, therefore, subject to violence by rival gangs. Joining guarantees support in case of attack and retaliation for transgressions.” “Fellowship and Brotherhood – To the majority of gang members, the gang functions as an extension of the family and may provide companionship lacking in the gang member’s home environment. Many older brothers and relatives belong, or have belonged to the gang.” ” Intimidation – Some members are forced to join if their membership will contribute to the gang’s criminal activity. Some join to intimidate others in the community not involved in gang activity.” “ Criminal Activity – Some join a gang to engage in narcotics activity and benefit from the group’s profits and protection. Unfortunately, few youths realize the hazards associated with gang involvement. In many cases, parents are unaware of their children’s gang activity and are unable to intervene until it’s too late.” These all seem like reasons that are understandable but the Criminal Activity is not good for anyone. It’s all just a way to get money even though the people that worked for it are losing out on their hard earned income.

South Africa is unceasingly making headline news being affected by crime and violence. The country has been afflicted by this problem for centuries and seems to be forever troubled with such indignations. Unfortunately, this issue is a deep-rooted one, and goes way back as far as the period of colonialism. The history of violence and its roots are therefore a very sensitive and contentious subject. This paper will therefore look at violence in South Africa by first doing a brief assessment of the difference between crime and deviance from a sociological perspective, and then exploring historical factors relating to violence in the country. In addition, the focus on gang violence will be emphasised to the extent of its inception and its detrimental consequences. Furthermore, will the theoretical perspective of Karl Marx’s conflict theory be used to illuminate and substantiate this issue of gang violence. Finally, a reflection on violence post-apartheid in South Africa will be done with the purpose of gaining some understanding of where South Africa is at twenty five years into democracy.

Crime, Deviance and Violence: Sociological Perspectives

It has been established that the line between crime and deviance is very distinct. According to Adler (2001), crime can be defined in many terms and from many perspectives, but whichever definition is decided upon, will determine how the perpetrators and the victims of crime will be treated. It will also influence how we see ourselves as individuals and the society we form part of (Adler, 2001). However, generally, crime is perceived as behaviour that is regarded as the breaking of a law against society, and these types of behaviours are therefore punishable by law. Sutherland (2003) stated very simply that crime is a misbehaviour that is damaging to society.

On the other hand, deviance can as well be seen from different perspectives. Giddens (2009) defined deviance as the non-conformity of an individual in a particular society or community, where there are given social norms that each member of that society should follow. Another definition according to Crossman (2019), is that deviance is a behaviour that infringes on social norms, and it can be criminal or non-criminal. Examples of deviance can be such as nudity in public, making use of prostitutes, being inebriated in public, or even dressing ‘weird’. Some people also view deviance as a coping mechanism or as asserting control, while others may see a person’s actions as irrational, but for that person it is rational. Deviance is therefore a very complex matter.

According to Degenaar (2009) violence has to do with extreme force carried against another. Degenaar (2009) also believed that violence needs to be looked at from different levels and perspectives. He further place violence into three major categories which are physical, psychological and structural violence, in order to give a better understanding into this matter (Degenaar, 2009). In addition, Degenaar argued that certain types of violence can be justified. For instance if someone attacks a person, and the victim uses self-defence. This type of violence would then be justifiable.

Historical Factors: Violence in South Africa

Historically, it is the psychodynamics and social aspects that comes to the fore when looking at the theme of violence (Cavanaugh, 2012).Therefore, from whichever perspective violence is looked at, it needs to be viewed at from the point of where and how it all started. It was Frantz Fanon that uncovered some hard truths concerning the background of violence. Fanon (1963) claimed that it was the coloniser that brought about the idea of the ‘civilised’ and the ‘uncivilised’. This was done with the intent of proving their superiority (Fanon, 1963). It was therefore the “superior” race that introduced violence in order to maintain their status (Fanon, 1963). The violence from their side was in the form of police and soldiers, while the colonized realised that violence could in-turn be the only way they could re-claim their dignity and humanity (Fanon, 1963).

Similarly, did Kynoch (2008) believe that the colonials used violence to regulate and subjugate the black people. Kynoch (2008) added that it was the “state sanctioned violence” during colonialism and apartheid that were the historical dynamics that subsidised the high levels of violence we experience in this country today. The forms of violence enforced on black people were by means of “police brutality, torture, gender and race discrimination, oppression and dehumanisation” (Kynoch, 2008). This directed violence into the mining compounds, prisons and ultimately the urban areas (Kynoch, 2008). This form of violence became exclusive to colonial Africa (Kynoch 2008). Thus proving that people in this country were predisposed to violence in so many ways. According to Fanon (1963), the only way to overthrow the colonial rule was through decolonisation and by liberating themselves of the mind-set forced upon them by the colonist, but this would be a violent process.

Gang violence and its detrimental consequences

Abrahams (2010) stated that it was the very laws that segregated people that played a highly influential role in the formation of gangs in South Africa. The inception occurred when Africans of different ethnic groups were placed in the same lodges on the mines (Abrahams, 2010). This set up inevitably created a sense of wanting to belong, which then brought about the creation of gangs (Abrahams, 2010). The most notorious gang during that period in South Africa, was the Ninevites (Abrahams, 2010). They were infamous for taking the law into their own hands, including dealing with the white capitalists that ill-treated black workers (Abrahams, 2010). Kynoch (2008) stated that the Ninevites were gradually wiped out by the government due to them targeting the white people.

It was around the 1950’s when the Tsotsi gang emerged (Abrahams, 2010). Most of the tsotsi’s were not imprisoned when they were found guilty, they were sent to Pondoland instead (Abrahams, 2010). This then resulted in the penetration of gangs in urban areas (Abrahams, 2010). Prisons on the other hand, had a continuous inflow of African males being incarcerated (Abrahams, 2010). The law made no effort to separate the hardened criminals from those that were first offenders, and this automatically gave rise to prison gangs being formed (Abrahams, 2010).

Consequently, violence was spreading on the mine compounds, prisons and in the townships. Kynoch (2008), revealed how township gang members would rape women and girls on the streets and even in their own homes. The law and police response was ineffective and deliberately slow (Abrahams, 2010). In addition, it was evident that certain gangs were supported by the state, which encouraged urban violence even more (Abrahams, 2010). The segregation laws of the 1950’s therefore created a very unequal nation (Abrahams, 2010). The whites were living in wealthy areas while the people of colour had to settle on the outskirt areas (Abrahams, 2010).

Gang violence based on the conflict theory

Karl Marx was the father of the conflict theory and highlighted a social perspective that points towards factors that creates conflicts in society (Carver, 1982). The main understanding of this theory is focused on how the rich and powerful prey on the poor and the disadvantaged (Carver, 1982). It also highlights the maintenance of social status and inequality. The ultimate goal of the conflict theorist is for social change and equality (Carver, 1982). It has however been proven that inequalities exists in almost every area of life as the capitalists are always pursuing ways to maintain their status.

It is such inequalities that causes “lesser” groups like the gangs to rise up and fight back. The competition in this regard is for power. The ones in authority are always trying to gain more power, while the gangs are merely attempting to hold on to the little power that they do have. Fanon (1963) disputed that even after colonialism, business people and property owners tried to take up positions held by the colonial. Instead of freeing people of the inequalities, they reproduced it for their own benefit and well-being.

This therefore perpetuated the struggles against inequalities and thus caused gangs to retaliate even more so (Fanon, 1963). Due to the historical factors that aided to the formation of gangs initially, gangs were now more determined to avoid a repeat of what was done to them before. Additionally, the fact that they were once robbed of their land, identity and power, they would do anything to prevent such injustices done to them even to the extreme. This is evident in the fact that gangs are territorial, they have their own identity and always fight to maintain power.

Violence post-apartheid

Violence in South Africa has clearly caused tremendous strain on the citizens as it makes headline news on a daily basis. According to 2007 statistics from the South African Police Services (SAPS), there has been a decrease in violent crimes throughout the country (Pillay, 2008). The general feel amongst the population does not agree with this finding. The government has made an effort to encourage social unity in an attempt to reduce violent crimes (Pillay, 2008). Despite all efforts made, violence and atrocities related to it, seemed to be at an all-time high.

Very recently, the country experienced xenophobic attacks that were very brutal and violent. It is the very countries who once hosted our political exiles, whose people are now being hurt, killed and ordered to leave (Khumalo, 2019). Also very recent, and still at present, is the gang violence in Cape Town. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was deployed to the city to deal with gang violence (Davis, 2019). Subsequently, the army has been requested to extend the period of deployment (Davis, 2019). Almost every single day someone becomes a victim of crime in one way or another.

Moreover, the country also experienced gender-based violence to the extreme. One of our very own students at The University of the Western Cape (UWC), Jesse Hess, became a victim of this senseless, heinous, crime (Hlati, 2019). Furthermore, was the senseless killings of four children whom were murdered by their own mother (Mabona, 2019). None of these are justifiable in any way or form. The sad fact is that we are twenty five years into democracy and it is as if not much has changed.

This paper has looked at the issue of the violent nature of crime in South Africa. It considered the various definitions of crime, deviance and violence, in order to provide some different perspectives. A brief investigation was done to gain some historical factors that could possibly explain the violent nature of crime. The aspect of gang violence was then explored by looking at its inception and its consequences. Furthermore, Karl Marx’s conflict theory was used to view the status of gangs and the reasons behind some of their actions in their plight to maintain power. Then lastly, this essay looked at violence post-apartheid and some of the very recent experiences the country had to deal with.

In 1980, a brutally violent civil war broke out in El Salvador. Thousands of Salvadoran refugees poured into the United States seeking a better life. One of those refugees was a boy named Nelson. Nelson and his family landed in a guetto neighborhood of Los Angeles. While his parents worked numerous jobs, Nelson spend much of his time by himself, in a new country still trying to adapt to new customs and the English language. When he and other Salvadoran kids went to school, they were bullied by Chicano kids because of their foreign accents and cultures. Thinking that enough was enough, one day they took all the violence they’d known as kids and combined it with the anger they built up inside. So, that year, they formed a group of their own, Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13. The tables turned when suddenly the victims of constant bullying became the bullies themselves. Years later, in 1996, the U.S. government deported a large number of immigrants including Nelson. Now an adult, who spoke English and wore gangster clothes, he didn’t fit into Salvador’s culture anymore; other Salvadorans realized, but they didn’t torment him. Contrary, they wanted to be like him meaning they wanted to join MS-13. A country trying to recover and rebuild from a war, unexpectedly, had the first ever gang problem on their hands and it only got worse (Ted, 2018). In a recent TED Talk, Gerardo Lopez, a former MS-13 member, before speaking about why he joined the gang and how he found a way out, goes back to the beginning by recalling this unbelievable story that MS-13 is the tragic outcome of a tragic environment.”

Before those major events occurred that would result in the creation of one of the most notorious gangs in the country, the roots of gangs in the U.S. trace back to their surface on the East Coast circa 1783. New York’s street gangs, the first ever form of gangs, developed in three periods; the ones responsible form the formation of gangs in this northeastern part were the English, Irish, and German immigrants. Contrary to the later ones, these gangs known as “the forty thieves,” “the bowery boys,” and “the fly boys,” included youngsters fighting over local territory (Howell & Moore, 2010). Years later, in 1820, questions toward the seriousness of these gangs ceased to exist as they began their involvement in violent activity. Not long after, a wave of Poles, Italians, and Jewish immigrants began to flood and with that began more rise in gangs. The 1920’s and 1930’s, a time of rising crime, showed the establishment of Mexican-American and African-American gangs. By the 1920’s, New York City, gangs shared a link with well-known organized crime groups such as the Italian’s established, American Mafia. They were partners in crime for corrupt businesses. Afterwards, gangs spurred at different times in three other regions. They began to flourish not only in the Northeast but in the Midwest, West, and South as well. Another large city that showed that organized crime groups were prevalent was Chicago. The West region showed to have the first appearance of gangs in the early 1890’s. By the 1960’s the two most famous gangs in history emerged, Bloods and Crips. Meanwhile, the South coast rose much later as important gang territory.

Today, gangs have evolved; prison, hybrid, motorcycle, and youth gangs are among those that have emerged since the traditional street gang. These gangs often form along racial or ethnic lines. Studies show a greater percentage existing of Hispanic/Latino (46%) and African-American (35%) gang members compared with other race or ethnicities. Los Angeles is home for Hispanic gangs; its members use slang that is a combination of English and Spanish language. They are referred to as “cholo(a)s,” meaning “Chicago gangster,” or “pandillero(a).” African-American gang members are mostly seen in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Due to society’s perspective of them, black gang members deal with constant discrimination and racism that exists more than in any other racial gangs. The other 11% consists of white and 7% among other gang members (Asian) (Cassada, 2010).

The term “gang” has no official definition as may meanings exist, none which have been established as the universal one. Researcher and author of The Gang, Frederic Thrasher, states that a gang is “an interstitial group, originally formed spontaneously, and then integrated through conflict. It is characterized by the following types of behaviors…The result of this collective behavior is the development of tradition, unreflective, internal structure…and attachment to a local territory.” Thrasher’s definition influenced multiple researcher’s definition of a gang. Gang bangers are proud of who they are, and they want their presence to be known. So, they employ characteristics such as a name, logo, colors, clothing style, hand signs, and tattoos. These features set gangs apart from one other; they each have their own. Each gang has a distinctive name and claims control over their turf, which can be a block, neighborhood, or an entire part of their city. Gangs will often use graffiti and vandalize property with their symbols and colors to inform the community that they marked their property. Graffiti is not simply art, gang graffiti on buildings and other public places is also used to bring intimidation to rival gangs. Gangs are identified by their colors worn by their members. The traditional gangster clothing style is the Nike Cortez shoes, Dickie Pants, Panettone shirts, and bandannas around the head or hung loosely in the back pocket.

Becoming a part of a gang means making a commitment. Besides proving their pledge of loyalty and gaining the other members trust, he or she must go through a tough initiation first-that involves a strict procedure before making their position official. Yet, they are willing to do whatever it takes to be a part of something bigger and more powerful than themselves. For males this means being beaten, fighting against current member(s), or carrying out a mission, or committing a crime. Meanwhile, females, most of the time, have two options: being hit for a short amount of time or having sexual intercourse with gang veterans.

People constantly hear about them in the news, gang bangers have been called murders, violent, destructive, lawbreaking, and criminals. A lot of what people have heard about gangs is true, while some of it tends to be incorrect. The form that news media interprets gangs often misleads the concept of their reality. Mike Carlie, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at SMSU, argues that mass media misinterprets the gang problem by focusing on individual gang violence rather than on the social causes that contribute to the formation of gangs. Often, the media presents black youth as a representative of all gang bangers. People’s view of gangs is also shaped by law enforcement, who typically define gangs as “organize crime” (Stark, 2000). Therefore, the distorted image created in the people’s mind is that the world is a completely frightening place. The press has published a large number of gang-related articles, and the most controversial trending topic is Trump vs MS-13. Although information may be false, the fact that gangs are dangerous is without no doubt.

Statistics suggests that young adults joining gangs is a serious problem that America faces. According to an FBI report, 1.4 million are currently active in more than 33,000 U.S. gangs. As of 2010 reports from law enforcement agencies show that teenagers ages thirteen to eighteen make up the largest percentage of the gang demographics across the country. There are about 24,500 youth gangs with approximately 772,500 teen members, this is equal to 7% of the U.S. teen’s population (Frieden, 2011).

As research shows. the number of young adults involved in gangs has spiked. There are many factors that contribute to why youths join gangs. According to Karen L. Kinnear, she references that those main reasons are peer pressure, poverty, and lack of parenting (Kinnear, 2009). In some cases, being in a gang runs in the blood. Daily, young adults are pressured not only from their friends but their family as well to be a part of a gang; most of the time, they tend to look up to their role models, but sometimes those models are not good ones. Rather than being told not to follow in their footsteps, they are encouraged to carry on the family legacy. There have been times when they remind themselves that they’re not meant for that lifestyle, but they feel like they have that sense of duty. People have come to believe that gangs were the result of the growing number of dysfunctional or broken families. Gang member usually come from the low-class city areas, and many of them are recent immigrant to the U.S. Teens feel frustrated when their parents don’t provide them with their standard necessities. When they see an opportunity to help their family financially, they sacrifice themselves by joining. Lopez was born in L.A.; the neighborhood he grew up in as a kid was MS-13 territory. As a child, he knew he did not want to be a part of a gang; sadly, his mother wasn’t around most of the time, and he would spend much of his time alone in the streets. One day, an MS-13 gang member pointed a gun at his face and robbed him. He would try to dodge him, by doing anything to avoid being seen, which meant traveling miles outside of the neighborhood in order to escape the gangs; he wasn’t safe no matter where he went. Lopez recounts the time he saw them from his apartment window celebrating Nelson, who recently came back from El Salvador. Unlike Nelson, who had respect, power, and pride, Lopez yearned to have those three things. It wasn’t until then that he wanted to be revered in his own neighborhood, so at only 14 years of age, he chose to join MS-13. All that glory he felt vanished in thin air; it wasn’t long before he regretted his decision. Before attaining gang membership, teens think that joining is their only option for survival and there’s no other door open for them. Unfortunately, like Lopez, many youths are affected by the role of social factors and fall victims to believing that there is no other option. However, they must realize that they always have a choice. They should realize that gang membership means seeing as how they are putting their lives at risk and sacrificing and dealing with the dangers and ruthless streets.

Throughout the years, the amount of gang violence has increased and the number of deaths due to the violent acts has skyrocketed. The aftermath of it all is that the loved ones of the innocent lost lives are left behind to endure the pain. Gangs are responsible for 48% of violent crime, in most jurisdictions (Frieden, 2011). The #justiceforjunior trial is the latest that drew outrage among the city and across the nation. On June 20, 2018, at nearly midnight, Lesandro “Jr.” Guzman-Feliz, laid dead right outside of St. Barnabas Hospital. Minutes before a group of gang members, who carried machetes and knives, hunted and dragged Jr. from a Bronx-neighborhood bodega. the incident, captured by, revealed the barbaric strategies of the gang called the Trinitarios, a Dominican gang that was established in New York prisons, went viral on all social media platforms (Wabc., 2018).

Gangs rob the youth of their teenage years, and whatever the reason they had for joining deprived them from a normal life. The love they claim they have for the gang and for brotherhood blinds them from a future. They start making bad choices, are exposed to a life filled with violence and filthy crimes that will eventually land them in jail. Many like Lopez, lament joining in the first place and feel regretful. After a series of life reflecting, Lopez decided it wasn’t too late for him to get out. Therefore, there should be more done to help prevent further gang involvement. Unfortunately, like he mentions, society also plays a huge part in this. Society tends to ignore young people who are following a wrong path and pay less importance. Preventing greater spikes of gang violence begins with preventing young adults from joining gangs or having any involvement with them. By telling his personal story, Lopez wants to raise attention to the current ongoing issue. Alex Sanchez, a former MS-13 gang brother that he looked up to, told him about the opportunity to join his gang intervention group. Part of Lopez was reluctant; he feared not knowing who he would be without the gang. He thought about the younger generation than him and was inspired to get out. Lopez states how young vulnerable kids want to feel that sense of belonging and accepted, which is a main target for gangs. They don’t have to go the same route as their friends and family, there is always a different path, the right one. Sadly, not all make it, as families are left behind mouth fill with prayers that it wasn’t their child’s dead body laying underneath a white sheet. The strong bond they form with their brothers fades once they see their bodies in caskets. The youth must be led in the right path. With the help of the program and his personal will, Lopez soon realized that members from other gangs felt the same, the only thing that separated them was the name of their gang. At the program they learned to express themselves without using drugs and violence, and it took them traveling to different places to share their story and more people listened. By speaking to audiences, they gained the same feeling of respect, pride and power they had while being a gangbanger. Lopez faded away from the gang, ultimately leaving. He admitted that not even a police department welcomed the gang intervention group instead treated unlawfully. After receiving his degree in criminal justice, Lopez worked in youth detention facilities as a youth counselor to continue to get kid gangs. Although MS-13 was his past, he continued to be punished by society for his past. Lopez stresses the importance to get kids out of gangs. They feel alienated and just want to belong and belong, feel valued and have a purpose; it’s no surprise why Lopez decided to join. After leaving MS-13, Lopez had his gang intervention group to support him. Strong families are key to violence prevention group session interactions build a mutual understanding across generations (Ted, 2018). Unfortunately, most people don’t have that luck. They have nowhere to turn to and nowhere to go. Lopez states 70% of kids who try to leave a gang but don’t have another support system in place fail. The only way to accomplish to get kids out and keeping them out is to create an environment that will support them through every stepping stone. Now, Lopez, is the executive director of Homies Unidos Denver, a gang violence prevention and intervention organization. This facility empowers youth and families to become advocates of social change rather than agents of self-destruction. The sense of self-esteem that a gang provides them is false you have to love yourself first no one can do that for you. Their negative actions have impacted their family’s communities and each other. They begin taking responsibility for their actions.

What started as a group of street kids hanging out in the boroughs of New York led to the emergence of modern-day gangs. The current growing gang problems the nation faces are the results of years of complex factors. Today, gangs have become a tragic epidemic. Unfortunately, like Lopez, other gang member’s life has become the tragic outcome of a tragic environment. Throughout history, gangs have been cultivated and become profoundly recognized as the most feared group, such as MS-13 being considered the most “dangerous” gang in the world. Gangs have highly developed from the late 18th century to present day. Gangs are the cause of the increased number count in deceased tortured people occurring around the world. The fear being consumed by everyday gang violence eats away the lives and hopes of others.

Works Cited

1. Cassada, Raychelle. “Teen Gangstas.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 11 Oct. 2010, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/teen-angst/201010/teen-gangstas.
2. Curran, Amanda. “Common Characteristics of Gangs.” Http://Www.wsfa.com, 24 Apr. 2009, www.wsfa.com/story/422734/common-characteristics-of-gangs/
3. Dudley, William, and Louise I. Gerdes. Opposing Viewpoints: Gangs. Gale., 2005., pp. 24-31
4. Frieden, Terry. “FBI Report: Gang Membership Spikes.” CNN, Cable News Network, 21 Oct. 2011, https://www-m.cnn.com/2011/10/21/justice/gang-membership-increase/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
5. Friedrichs, Matt. Gangs: Problems and Answers, Ethics of Development in a Global Environment (EDGE) , 26 July 1999, https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/ganginterv/gangsproblems.htm
6. Stark, Evan. Everything You Need to Know about Street Gangs. Rosen Pub. Group, 2000., pp. 35-40
7. Wabc. “Justice for Junior: After Innocent Bronx Teen’s Death, Lawmakers Take Aim at Gang Violence.” ABC7 San Francisco, 28 June 2018, https://abc7news.com/justice-for-junior-puts-focus-on-fighting-gang-violence/3670121/

The Outsiders, written by a 15-year-old S.E Hinton is an enticing and compelling Bildungsroman telling the story of 14-year-old, Ponyboy Curtis’ life along with his gang in the 60s, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The gang goes through a tough journey together being known as Juvenile delinquents and greasers along with facing the soc’s, stereotyping, grief and the life of being an outsider. Hinton draws you into her novel “The Outsiders” by using key themes such as stereotypes and gang culture. These themes are worth acknowledging as they are relatable and captivating to the reader. With the novel being published over 50 years ago, the themes are still relevant to our society today. We’ve all encountered stereotyping with or without noticing. Gang culture may not be as relevant today, but the topic stays intriguing.

Stereotypes are negative to society because they are not always reality. People don’t always act the way they are portrayed. In the text, the greasers are stereotyped as Juvenile Delinquents, lower class and show too much emotion. The socs, on the other hand, are the complete opposite. This is shown in the text through dialogue in the quote said by johnny “there’s gotta be someplace without greasers or soc’s, just people.” Johnny says this because he wants there to be a place where people aren’t pressured, portrayed and stereotyped. This makes the reader feel empathetic towards the greasers, the author uses that empathy to give the reader an understanding that being stereotyped isn’t always positive and has a negative effect on society and our wellbeing. This is further analyzed back to the theme of the outsiders that the “bad people” are portrayed unfairly and are the complete opposite of inadequate.

Being in a gang, its like family, you have each other’s backs, just like the greaser gang. The lifestyle of the greaser gang is that they’re affectionate towards each other without having to show it. The members always looking out for one another. Throughout the novel its shown that the gang is always keeping an eye out for each other. An example of gang culture is portrayed through the use first-person narration said by Dallas ‘You take up for your buddies, no matter what they do. When you’re a gang, you stick up for the members.” This shows the reader that the greasers will go to great lengths to protect each other and protect their friends. The author creates suspense to suspect just how far they will go protect each other. The audience relates to the characters by feeling the same affection towards their friends. The theme draws us into the world of the outsiders and tells us that gangs are not just gangs but family.

Hinton drew you into the world of “The Outsiders” by including her key themes, stereotypes and gang culture. These themes gave important messages to the reader and made us think about our lives as an outsider.

Over the past years, crime has become a major issue of societal and public concern, often leading to the dysfunctional factors of society. As society continued to develop, certain individuals, also known as sociologists, began to study why members of society engaged in crime. These studies led to the acknowledgment that crime is extremely diverse and can be categorized into different segments. A particular segment that contributes significantly to crime would be organized crime.

The term organized crime tends to be associated with ‘The Mafia’, ‘Cartels’, and ‘Scarface’, due to the influence of media. The appropriate definition of organized crime can be explained as an ongoing criminal enterprise that intelligently working towards obtaining profit through the engagement in illegal activities (O. Finckenauer, 2005). The structure and organization of these crime groups tend to be the reason for their success within the illicit community.

In Canada, organized crime groups have evolved through social and economic means. One of the many groups that had a great impact in Canadian society was the Italian Mafia. The Mafia was adapted into North America by a small group of Italian immigrants, primarily from Sicily and Calabria (Dubro, Champlain and MacAdam , 2006). This became the one of the many organized groups that engaged in crimes such as murder, drug and firearm trafficking, loan sharking, fraud and numerous others. In early history of the Italian Mafia, members of society began to question the intentions of these immigrants. Specifically, questions regarding whether the Italian immigrants had brought in the culture of Mafia into society or did the conditions in Canada restrict certain individuals from evolving. The Mafia began to arise in Sicily during the late middle ages, in which the possibility of a secret organization. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the aspirations of the private group grew to be powerful and have an higher level of engaging in criminal behaviour. Towards late 19th century, there became an increase of Italian immigrants in Canada which resulted in a greater level of concern of criminal behaviour within the country. The first Italian immigrants primarily settled in Toronto, Montreal, which marked the beginning of the extensive challenges that were faced by Italian immigrants. Due to the many barriers such as, language, culture and people, the Italians remained with, socialized with, and committed crimes with other Italians within their own Italian communities. These communities slowly became known as the Italian Mafia.

The Mafia was recognized for the type of bond they formed with members of the group – Omerta. Omerta, is an Italian word that members of the Italian Mafia obeyed as it conveyed a code of silence (Çayli, 2010). The structure of the Mafia was solely based on family, specifically, these groups can share a bound together by oath, blood and secrecy. Within the Italian Mafia, three sub-groups exist that share “similar structures, rituals, and norms … evolving into violent criminal fraternities” (Schneider, 2017). The first of these groups was called the ‘Ndrangheta’, which originated in the 1860s that consisted with Sicilians who were banished by the Italian government. The Canadian ’Ndrangheta engaged in numerous amounts of criminal behaviour such as, smuggling unlicensed tobacco products, extortion, loan sharking, theft, mortgage and bank fraud. This group was labelled as the Siderno Group which operated particularly in the Greater Toronto Area. The second group was known as the ‘Camorra’, which originated in the 17th century – one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations. The Camorra shared a ‘horizontal’ structure rather than a ‘vertical’ structure, which the other clans maintain (Alesina, Piccolo and Pinotti, 2016). Hence, individuals within this clan acted independently of each other, and were more prone to conflicting within the group. The third group is the ‘Sicilian Mafia’, which was frequently referred to as Cosa Nostra and were common in Canada. This group’s core activity consisted of murder, loan sharking, robbery, narcotics trafficking, illegal gambling and labour racketeering. After the high levels of emigration individuals within the mafia spread to Canada and the United States.

As many organized crime groups, the Italian Mafia was compressed into having a strict structure. In order to maintain a successful group, certain individuals had to declare power positions such as the boss. Specifically, the Sicilian Mafia indicates the importance of having a structural hierarchy within the organization. Unlike the Camorra, the mafia follows a ‘vertical’ structure to guarantee a chain of command. To begin with, the group is structured through the means of a pyramid, where those of higher power are at the top while those whom are not fall under them. The pyramid begins with a leader also known as the boss, which is considered a position that is common in many organized crime groups as they would make all major decisions regarding the group’s ventures. Under the boss would follow the underboss, whose powers greatly varies through different families. These individuals posses the power of arbitrating many of the disputes that arise within the organization. The underboss in a sense enrolls to become the boss’s right hand. After the underboss the individuals begin to branch out, in which they are called ‘lieutenant’. The main role of this position is to maintain and supervise the transactions that are completed by the boss and underboss, particularly the finance matters. The last position of the hierarchy structure within the Sicilian Mafia are the ‘soldiers’, who are members that work for and aid the organization however, may not be considers true members. This stricture enables the mafia to strongly organize and commit crime with a professional manner. It operates similar to a corporate business, those with power instruct individuals below them to complete certain tasks.

One the major attributes of the mafia, can be considered as being highly organized and safe with their ventures. Over the years, the Sicilian Mafia has proven their success within Canada through their various criminal acts. Cosa Nostra was highly based on familism – the idea that the purpose of family carries an higher importance compared to the purpose of the community (Gambetta & Shapiro, 1994) . Members of the mafia honour the relationships they share with their relatives to the degree in which it can be a danger for them and those who surround them.

The Italian Mafia can be seen as a successful organized crime group compared to the other various crime groups. They formulated secret societies in which members of the mafia provided “much needed services to Italian immigrants, but also prayed upon them, primarily through extortion” (Schneider, 2017). Some of the services provided to immigrants included helping to bring over family members, finding jobs, providing money, and fostering social relationships. However, the individuals that founded these societies regularly abused their “positions of power and trust … and forced Italian immigrants to join their society and pay dues” (Schneider, 2017). These secret societies are the outcome of the barriers and challenges Italian immigrants and mafia members encountered after the Prohibition. In addition to these secret societies, another manifestation that began to grow in relation to the Italian Mafia was ‘The Black Hand’. The Black Hand mainly revolved around criminal activities such as the extortion of Italian immigrants. The extortion incorporates a Black Hander whom threatens victims through various forms of violence to extort money from one. Furthermore, these threats involved the kidnapping of a family member, harming a business, or to attack, injure, or kill a family member, or the sue of the Black Hand note. The Black Hand notes consisted with harsh written English in which members demand a certain amount of money.

The Italian Mafia used intelligent methods to execute their ventures and criminal acts. There have been various studies regarding the correlation of the structure and success of organized crime groups. These studies are evident through the discipline of Sociology; sociologists study the connections within organized crime groups and their intentions within society. Over the years, sociologists have developed numerous theories that underline the correlation of certain concepts and behavioural aspects of organized crime groups. These theories can be used to support the understanding in regards to the formation and success of the Mafia. Specifically, Merton’s strain theory highlights the theory in regards to the formation of the Italian Mafia and the enterprise theory which explains the level of success the Mafia encounters. To begin with, Merton’s strain theory sets fourth the idea that of the ‘American Dream’ and the theoretical framework for exampling crime rates. Italian immigrants began to form communities in which they hard the same experiences, values, and beliefs. One the main challenges they encountered can be seen as obtaining economic success. Due to societal goals, immigrants struggled to integrate themselves into society through legitimate means. Through Merton’s strain theory it becomes evident that individuals resort to illegitimate means in regards to obtaining economic status. These means are the result of the various barriers and the disjunction between culturally ascribed goals and the availability of legitimate means. After the prohibition, Italian immigrants joined together to overcome their barriers and attain the goals of economic success which resulted in the formation of the Sicilian Mafia in Canada.

The Italian Mafia’s success can be illustrated through the enterprise theory, “which explains that organized crime exists because the legitimate marketplace leaves unserved or unsatisfied … customers” (Lyman and Potter, 2007). Over the years, products such as alcohol and illicit drugs had high level of demand within the country. Organized crime groups – the Sicilian Mafia – took advantage of this demand towards their own economic benefit by formulating the black market. This theory also highlights the idea that the dynamics of the black market create the increase in illicit ventures. The result of the black market commenced the creation of enormous criminal enterprises to satisfy customers unreached by legitimate enterprises. This further proves the Italian Mafia used proper methods to maintain a success business within the country.

These theories provide some degree of information that explains the engagement of criminal behaviour and organization surrounding these organized crime group. By providing insight into the structure and functions of criminal enterprises, it allows members of society to have knowledge of illegitimate business.

There have been many encounters in which policy makers and law enforcement have had to act upon the Italian Mafia. After the prohibition, the level of criminal behaviour that the Mafia engaged in increased. Law enforcements identified the different families that were considered to be members of the Italian Mafia. However, individuals within the Mafia were highly professional in maintaining secrecy, which resulted in policy makers and law enforcements to seek arrests. It becomes evident that as laws began to change, certain drugs and alcohol became legalized the Mafia’s business decreased. The supply and demand for the black market slowly began to decrease which resulted in members departing from the Mafia. Individuals began to engage in legitimate means as they obtained economic success and met societal expectations.

Overall, the Italian Mafia has been a huge impact within the criminal acts that have occurred in Canada. Their history, structure, and illicit activities make them unique compared the other organized crime groups that entered Canada. Italian immigrant experiences several barriers in which they resorted to engage in illegitimate means in obtained financial success. They engaged in activities that allowed them to have successful businesses that lead them further in society. This group shared a heavy importance on family bonds and honoured Omerta. They slowly evolved into becoming one of the largest organized crime groups within the country which eventually degraded over the years.

Gangs are growing at an alarming number in the America you can even go to small towns in United States of America and find some form of gang activity. “Over the past decade, annual estimates of the number of gang members have averaged around 770,000 nationally. The most recent estimate of approximately 850,000 gang members represents an 8.6 percent increase over the previous year” (‘Measuring the Extent of Gang Problems’, 2019). So why do youth join gangs? To have a sense of connection this gives them a sense or a new sense of who they are. Possibility are that they might not be comfortable with the person that they are or have become. Maybe there is another relative in the family that is associated with this organization. So, they embrace a change in lifestyle to become something that they are too gain acceptance. Peer pressure also is a motivating factor, even the need to protect their family. When becoming a product of your environment feels like it is the only option is to take the road most traveled. This results in participating in the local gang activity nowadays is a culture norm. Some risk factors that contribute to affiliating with gang membership. Breaking the law becomes part of your lifestyle.

Gang members tend to: have prior convictions as a juvenile (delinquency), possess an illegal firearm, traffic’s narcotics, and has an anti-social attitude. They desire for reward like status, identity, self-esteem, and protection. “Too little adult supervision, unstructured free time, particularly during after-school hours and on the weekends. A lack of positive roles models and exposure to media (television, movies, music) that glorifies gang violence. Sense of hopelessness about the future because of limited educational or financial opportunity” (“Gangs and Children”, 2019)

Which ethnicity is more like to engage in gang activity? Depicted in Hollywood most gangs are usually African-American, it would be fair to say that society agrees with Hollywood. What comes to mind is the colors red which refers to “Blood” gang and blue referring to “Crips” (National Youth Gang Survey Analysis, 2019). Law enforcement agencies report a greater percentage of Hispanic/Latino and African-American/black gang members compared with other race/ethnicity. The most recent figures provided by law enforcement are 46 percent Hispanic/Latino gang members, 35 percent African-American/black gang members, more than 11 percent white gang members, and 7 percent other race/ethnicity of gang members.

The violence committed by these gangs cause a great number of issues in are communities. The type of violence ranges from several things such as murder, sexual crimes, robbery, drug trafficking just to name to name a few: “A serious threat when you’re talking about homicides and the proportion, overall gangs are responsible for 16 percent of all homicides, but 25 percent in cities with a population of over 100,000” (Axelrod, 2015). Howell said: “About 85 percent of serious gang activity is concentrated in metropolitan areas in the United States.” When these youth join after being recruited, they are required to partake in a criminal lifestyle and to continue to show the loyal to the organization they must still carry out unlawful acts. Due to the alarming number of adolescences entering the gangs the organization realizes that they will prove that no matter the ask of them by any means necessary will “ride” for click. (Federal Data, “Youth.gov”, 2019) “The prevalence of youth under 18 in gangs is higher in smaller cities and rural communities where gang problems are less established, compared to larger cities”.

In conclusion, America faces a huge problem when it comes to the youth becoming members in the gangs. “Communities — not just classrooms — should be regarded as a valuable resource for reaching kids at risk of joining gangs” (‘Changing Course: Preventing Youth From Joining Gangs’, 2019). There are several ways to combat gang membership, but it takes adults caring. The youth must be active and involved in positive activities such as after school sports, clubs even employment opportunities. An active role of the parent in the youth lives makes a difference than they have some type of control over that the individual does. The problem has been identified now it’s time for adults to act by eliminating the number of youths going down the pass of a lifestyle that leads to death or prison because joining a gang.

“Most people join a gang because they feel disconnected, alone, alienated. They just want to belong, to feel valued, to have a purpose. Looking back, is there any surprise why I joined MS-13? My ma worked around the clock, I was alone a lot and everybody around me was from a gang”, – Gerardo Lopez, ex MS-13 member [1: TEDx Talks, 2018].

Gerardo’s case is certainly not an isolated one. It is estimated that since the turn of the 21st century, gang membership has been on the rise. When talking about gangs, the logical place to start is with the question: what is a gang? This is, of course, a contested topic but the U.S. Department of Justice defines a gang as “an association of three or more individuals… whose members collectively identify themselves by adopting a group identity which they use to create an atmosphere of fear or intimidation frequently…. [whose] purpose, in part, is to engage in criminal activity….”. Once we have understood the definition of a gang, the next logical step is to ask why young people become members. There is much debate about the various factors that cause young people to choose this path but for the purposes of this essay, I will focus on how issues of identity and belonging can lead young people, specifically Latinos, to join gangs. Many people build their identity during their adolescence and their experiences during that period have a profound impact on their future sense of identity. But what specifically is identity? Hogg and Abrams (1988) define identity as “people’s concepts of who they are, of what sort of people they are, and how they relate to others”, whereas James D. Fearon (1999) dives deeper and defines it as: “A set of attributes, beliefs, desires, or principles of action that a person thinks distinguish her in socially relevant ways and that (a) the person takes special pride in; (b) the person takes no special pride in, but which so orient her behavior that she would be at a loss about how to act and what to do without them; or (c) the person feels she could not change even if she wanted to” [2: Egley Jr, Howell and Harris, 2014], [3: U.S. Department of Justice, 2015].

Belonging is one of the most important factors of adolescence. To understand the impact that belonging can have on a young person, it is important to understand the meaning of it. Whilst also a contested topic, Goodenew & Grady (1993) defined the sense of belonging as “the extent to which individuals feel personally accepted, respected, included and supported” within their social environment. Based on these definitions of identity and belonging, it is clear to see how and why issues of these types can cause young people to make poor choices. In this essay, I will explore some of the main yet varying arguments concerning the role that issues of identity and belonging play in the process of young Latinos in America joining gangs.

As previously mentioned, adolescence is an important period in the construction of identity and an individual’s situation and experiences in adolescence impact their future identity. Therefore, elements such as childhood, living situation and schooling become of vital importance when constructing identities. Issues within these elements can lead to difficulty in forming an individual identity. In terms of Latinos, many are raised by immigrant parents who may be recent arrivals and may not have integrated into American society yet, even if their child was born in the U.S. Many migrants work in low-paid or unskilled jobs in order to survive and live in areas that are poor or segregated from the rest of society with other migrants. This can create various problems which impact the development of a Latino’s identity. Initial problems arise during childhood and the values bestowed upon young Latinos whilst growing up.

The children of migrant parents are torn between two cultures. The culture instilled in them by their parents, i.e. Latino culture, and the culture of their recipient or native country, i.e. America. Whilst, in part, a stereotype, machismo is an important part of Latino culture. Young boys are supposed to grow up to be the man of the house and the provider for the family. This is learned at a younger age when there is no father figure in the household. During childhood, and particularly early adolescence, “males and females (and important adults in their lives) are often especially vigilant to ensure gender role conformity”. Young Latinos need to be seen as someone in charge of both themselves and their futures, someone in control, someone tough. The gang is the perfect environment to identify as this, allowing them to earn money, respect and power [4: ACT for Youth Upstate Center of Excellence, 2002].

This is fueled further by the living situation of many young Latinos. As previously mentioned, many live in poor or segregated areas with other migrants, otherwise known as barrios. These barrios often ‘feature concentrations of alienated, disaffected, and often angry young people; few-if-any adult role models who portray economic or professional success; …and few recreational facilities designed to serve the needs of youths’. This means that there is no-one around for young Latinos to reinforce a positive identity, no-one to demonstrate that fully integrating into American society is possible and no-one to show that social mobility is achievable. There are little-to-no positive ways for young people to spend their time other than to hang around on the streets, where they are given a bad name by the public and law enforcement. This lack of role models and recreational facilities, in turn, causes young Latinos to form their identities around the norms of those around them, i.e. uneducated, poor, working-class citizens that are alienated from society [5: Biddel, 2014, p.33].

The limitation of the barrio continues by impacting the education of its young residents. In the U.S., “neighborhood quality and school quality are strongly linked…, which means that these youth attend schools of poor quality with less skilled teachers and fewer advanced programs”. Their educational experience is plagued with problems, making it difficult for them to see how it is possible for them to finish high school, never mind aiming for higher and attending university. Even those receiving good grades are kept at a lower level because of a lack of advanced programs in these schools [6: Zambrana, 2011, p.115.].

Latino youth in barrios are surrounded by adults and other youth who have not advanced in society, have not been accepted by society and who all follow similar norms or have similar attitudes, beliefs and desires. They have few if any role models to show them how to advance and therefore they follow the examples set for them during the construction of identity and fall victim to their circumstances. They use the gang as an opportunity to prove their masculinity and as a way to identify with those around them, causing the barrio to become a breeding ground for this toxic behavior.

However, it is not only our immediate surroundings which shape the way in which we form our identity. The concept of interpellation perfectly describes how society affects identity construction. Interpellation, in simple terms, means that we are defined by the way in which we are perceived. We may have an identity and a sense of who we are but we also behave in response to how we are seen by others. This means that the stereotypes and preconceptions about Latinos in America play a role in the formation of their individual identities, fueling the problems caused by their immediate surroundings and personal circumstances [7: Althusser, Jameson & Brewster, 2001].

An example of this is society’s view of the barrio. Migrant communities in America are somewhat banished to these poor barrios, but poverty is seen as a consequence of an individuals’ or an individual communities’ own ‘”stupidity”, “laziness”, “irresponsibility”, “criminality” or other supposed character defects. Society tells residents of the barrio that it is their fault that they do not have enough money, access to adequate schooling or opportunities to advance when, in reality, this is not the case. Latinos feel as though they have to adopt the same identity as those around them as the stereotypes affecting their social identity also affect the way in which they are given the opportunity to advance. Certain stereotypes like all Latinos are immigrants or that none of them speak English or have migrated to America to get handouts from the government “affect the discriminatory way in which public policies are designed and implemented to decrease their access to public resources”. Society systematically denies Latinos the opportunity to advance, resigning them to a life in the barrio, and in the case of many young people, a life of crime in a gang [8: Biddel, 2014, p.37.] [9: Zambrana, 2011, p.6].

It is not only other members of society that interpellate this community; the media plays a fundamental role in creating a stereotypical identity of Latinos. The media only presents negative aspects such as gang membership and poor racialized immigration status rather than representing the achievements of Latinos such as entrepreneurship and college graduations. Young people already believe that there is little opportunity for advancement due to their social location and their treatment within society as criminals and good for nothings and the media only reinforces these stereotypes. In the minds of some Latinos, if they are already being stereotyped as gang members, why shouldn’t they just become one?

All of these stereotypes that impact young people’s construction of identity also heavily impact on their sense of belonging to American society as both individuals and as members of the Latino community. Regardless of race or ethnicity, young people want to fit in with their immediate surroundings and community. They try hard to make friends and they adapt easily to the people they are around – shaping elements of their identity around the people they spend the most time with. This, of course, applies to Latinos, yet this need to belong is heightened as they are already aware of their differences from the rest of society. This incessant need to belong is usually associated with girls and women, however, these same feelings exist in both boys and men. The reasoning behind this need to belong was demonstrated by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory which poses that everyone has a hierarchy of basic needs that, in order to reach positive results, must be met. One of these basic needs is “belonging and love”, which involves a need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among social groups. He also claims that fulfilling these basic needs is the biggest motivation and if these are not met, a person tries to fulfill them in any way possible, no matter the consequences. Using this theory, it can be said that some young Latinos have no other choice but to join a gang if they are unable to find a friendship group to which they can belong and which offers them the same level of support as they believe the gang would. The gang is seen as a place for them to develop close friendships with like-minded people. Niobe Way (2004) expands on this by stating that “teenage boys yearn for close and loyal friends and struggle to find and maintain these close ties. Latino boys consider a close friend someone who will protect them, show concern, and help them from getting into trouble”. This ties in with another main attraction of the gang, which is joining for protection, but it also shows the attractive sense of belonging that a gang can give to a young Latino – a friendship group who will accept, respect, include and support them [10: Maslow, 1943.].

Having a group to belong to and identify with is of vital importance for Latinos, particularly those born outside of the U.S, as it gives them a support network and helps them to feel less isolated and alienated. Even something as simple as wearing a gang’s colors or using a gang’s signs enables young people to feel as though they have someone to protect and support them. They are now a part of something bigger than just their small circle. They now belong to a group who are acknowledged by a whole community and by society, be it feared or respected, and feel as though they always have someone to have their back and watch out for them. As Vigil explains, ‘”the family-like functions and new cultural customs” of gangs foster “friendship and mutual trust” and ”… learning to back each other up during times of trouble cement the bonds between youths in a gang, a type of fictive kinship network”. Being in a gang enables these young Latinos to create a society, no matter how small, in which they are accepted, respected, included and supported [11: Wolseth, 2009, p.66].

As mentioned previously, the concept of interpellation explains how society’s stereotypes of Latinos impact their identity construction but it also extends to their sense of acceptance by and belonging to society. Latinos in today’s America are far from being accepted for who they are. Society frequently demonstrates to them that they do not belong – even to those who are U.S. citizens and grew up in the same country, educated by the same system and lead similar lifestyles. Latinos are frequently seen as foreigners or illegals and even those who are legal residents of the United States do not have the same rights as citizens and this, in turn, has deep consequences for their “economic, social, and political opportunities”. Unfortunately, in the United States, “citizenship and residential status define membership and belonging” to society. Since all Latinos are stereotyped as illegal immigrants, they are not seen as members of society and have to constantly validate their right as residents or citizens to be in the country, further distancing them from the feeling of belonging [12: Gracia & De Greiff, 2000, p.11], [13: Gutiérrez Nájera, 2010, p.76].

This alienation from society is furthered by the existence of a large culture of institutional racism in America. Institutional racism is the “systematic denial of a group of people to the power, privilege, and prestige that is available within an existing society. The effects of institutional racism include issues of access to power (social and economic), resources, as well as affiliation”. I have previously looked at how this type of treatment affects Latinos’ identity construction and perception of belonging. However, institutional racism is not something that is in effect simply in the streets and neighborhoods of cities. It extends to the highest level in the United States – the government. It is common knowledge that the current President has many problems with the influx of Latinos arriving in the U.S. He has explicitly expressed his desire to build a wall on the Mexican border to combat illegal immigration and has taken drastic measures to disrupt the movement of these migrants such as the family separation policy, treating them as less than human [14: Spergel, 1995, p.161].

Trump is not only trying to build walls around his country; he is building walls within his nation: those between Latinos and other members of society. The most powerful person in the most powerful land is systematically telling society not to accept these people and that they do not belong. He openly stated in his State of the Union address that: “for decades, open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to pour into our most vulnerable communities. They have allowed millions of low-wage workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest Americans. Most tragically, they have caused the loss of innocent lives”. He also openly criticized and called out members of the brutal Latino Mala Salvatrucha gang, more commonly known as MS-13. Four young members of this gang in Brentwood, New York, were charged with the murder of two of their classmates, Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, in 2016 and in his address, Trump stated that “many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as unaccompanied alien minors – and wound up in Kayla and Nisa’s high school”. By saying this, he generalizes all immigrants as gang members, stating that they are all dangerous, problematic and we should stop allowing them into the country. Society is simply following the example set for them by their President [15: Trump, 2018].

This problem is made worse by the fact that there is little to no-one in these high positions of power who are able to show young Latinos that this is not their reality – or that their reality can change. The young people who live in barrios do not have role models in their neighborhood, neither do they have role models in the rest of society. Latinos’ denial to power is evident in the make-up of the current government. Out of 50 Governors, only 2 are Latino. Out of 100 Senators, only 4 are Latino and finally out of 435 members of the House of Representatives, only 40 are Latino. Young Latinos are systematically being told time and again that, because of their background and ethnicity, they are not good enough to belong to the U.S. and that there is no room for them to grow. They have little-to-no role models to base themselves off and few people in high positions of power to stick up for them and tell them that they are valued members of society who deserve every right as residents and citizens. Is it any wonder that many resign themselves to their fate and turn to a life of crime in which they can gain power, respect, a shared identity and a sense of belonging to something bigger than just themselves?

In conclusion, it is clear to see how issues of identity and belonging encourage or push young Latinos towards joining a gang. Problems arising in childhood through their living situations, schooling and a clash of cultures cause young Latinos to identify with others around them, many of whom are already members of a gang or alienated from society in such a way that they are unable to show young people the opportunities that could be available to them. The stereotypes forced upon young Latinos cause them to feel more alienated and to see themselves the way that society sees them – as criminals and good for nothings. Joining a gang allows them to live up to the identity placed on them by society. This isolation causes them to seek out social groups to which they are allowed to belong. Once again, the gang provides a perfect opportunity for young Latinos to feel a part of something since society won’t allow them to integrate and belong. In the gang, young Latinos can build what they perceive to be solid friendships with like-minded people who will not judge them at every turn. In the gang, young Latinos can gain power, respect and they can become someone – something that society does not allow them to do. Finally, systematic alienation from the highest level pushes young Latinos further towards a life of crime.

Whilst identity and belonging are only two of the aspects making gang life attractive for young people, many of the other aspects, such as family trouble or the need for protection, strongly link in with an individual’s sense of identity and belonging. In my opinion, young Latinos will continue to join gangs until America accepts that they are a part of society and not just permanent foreigners. Young Latinos will continue to identify with gangs as, for many, it is all they know. More needs to be done to break the cycle and show that they are equal in all parts of society, be it education, politics or just simply as citizens or I fear that the gang epidemic will grow to uncontrollable levels.

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