Program and Policy Analysis

Running Head : Program and Policy Analysis

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Introduction

A gang is a group formed by a number of people , who share a same identity either through formation , or organization . According to Charles (2003 , the word gang is often associated with a negative connotation . Gang activities are wide and vary from typical organized groups that involve themselves in crimes , to a general class of certain behavior that carry out a collective action intended to attain social solidarity or cohesion , especially in cults , gangs , political

parties or unions

Studies have shown that , various approaches have been applied by the government , the society , law enforcers , and even the experts in an attempt to fight with the social problems caused by various gang groups The effort is also intended to prevent formation of gangs , to rehabilitate the gangs and punish those who engage themselves in criminal activities within the gang groups . It has been stated that gang groups differ due to different experiences in culture which include drugs , territory and nightlife

Various Approaches to Gangs

The gang culture approach . According to Shaw McKay (2004 , this approach looks at the cultural experiences of the young people as the key factor which leads to the formation of gang groups . Young people and especially the blacks have felt discriminated by the media and other social groups hence they have a tendency to form gangs by feeling hated and stereotyped . Other factors such as the way in which policies of the local governments are set up , deprivation and racism have contributed to the rise of gangs . The supporters of this approach try to prevent such factors that contribute to formation of gangs , so as to reduce the number of young people joining various gang groups

The aggressive approach is applied by the harsh and conservative governments , who believe that force must be used in to deal with criminals in the society . Miller (2000 ) posited that , such governments believe in the application of harsh laws which include the use of guns to fight criminals in the society . These governments employ a Zero-tolerance principle on criminal actions . The main aim and objective of this group is to bring criminal acts in the society to the end by doing away with any gangs that may be causing such evil in the society . The belief of the aggressive governments is that , harsh measures will instill fear to the youth and discourage them from joining gangs

The liberal approach on the other hand opposes the application and the passing of harsh laws in dealing with gangs . The liberal approach is of the view that , softer laws should be applied with the aim of rehabilitating the gang members and making them better people to live in the society . This approach advocates for the formation of rehabilitation institutions , where various criminals are kept for purposes of rehabilitation other than just applying the punishment measures

The sociological approach of deviance starts by describing and explaining gangs . This approach believes that , it...