Youth Gangs in America

YOUTH GANGS IN AMERICA

Introduction

Peers are often blamed for delinquency and substance abuse , but in reality the single most consistent characteristic of delinquents is lack of support and socialization by their families (Bachman , 1970 Antagonistic relationships between parents are often found to exist in families with antisocial children (Rutter , 1971 . When children do not have their needs met in their families , they often turn to their peers Adolescents become delinquent because they are socialized into it particularly by peers (Covington , 1982 . This looks into the evolvement of youth gangs

in America , why the youth join gangs and the intervention methods used

A gang is a group of people who form an allegiance for a common purpose and engage in unlawful or criminal activity (Jackson McBride , 1988 ,

br 20 . Gangs are of concern not only because of their antisocial activities , but also because of their increase (Goldstein , 199 . These gangs are usually male , though there are female gangs . Gang members identify themselves names such as via names , clothes , female signs . Gang members identify themselves via graffiti . It is not surprising therefore , that the problem of gangs is spreading through society like a plague . Daily news stories depict the tragedy of gang violence

Gangs have a certain kind of appeal . Social change , microsystems (family , school , community ) under stress and consequent lack of support for children tend to be associated with an increase in delinquency rates (National Research Council , 1993 . Many young people lack positive adult role models . The gap between the consumerism perpetuated by the media and reality may entice young people to turn to delinquency . Personality factors may contribute to the reasons some adolescents become delinquents . It is known that those who become delinquent are more likely to be defiant , ambivalent to authority , resentful , hostile impulsive and lacking in self-control (Serok Blu , 1982 .Those who get poor grades in school have been reported for classroom misconduct and have trouble getting along with other children and teachers have been shown to possess a greater tendency to become delinquents (Polk Schafer , 1972 . Therefore , the peer group may be the setting in which preexisting antisocial behavior due to family factors , social change personality characteristics , or being out of synch with the school is reinforced (Goldstein , 1991

Deviance is a matter of social definition - that it exists in the eye of the beholder and is not absolute - is clearly illustrated in the case of inner-city gangs . The term inner-city gang strikes fear in the minds of most middle class Americans . Gangs to them are by definition lawless and deviant , perpetrators of often brutal acts of violence against rival gangs and others who are targets of their hate . There are parts of virtually every major city in the United States where middle-class citizens dare not walk for fear of being attack by gangs . And yet , on the basis of a ten year study of gangs in New York , Boston , and Los Angeles , Martin Sanchez Jankowski (1991 ) argues that gangs are not always considered deviant...