WHAT
ARE YOUTH GANGS AND WHY ARE THEY A MAJOR CONCERN?
Youth gangs have emerged as a major
problem throughout the United States and Maryland is no exception. According
to the National Youth Gang Survey, gangs are present in every major city and
in an increasing number of rural and suburban districts.
The negative and violent impact youth
gangs have on our communities and families demand that the public, educators,
and parents take an active role in combating gangs. Studies in Rochester, NY,
and Orange County, CA, suggest that two thirds of all serious and violent chronic
juvenile offenders are gang members. Other research shows that youth who are
active in gangs continue a pattern of violence, drug use, and trafficking well
after they leave the gang. Active participation in a gang negatively impacts
doing well in school, getting a job, and developing positive social contacts
with family and the community.
What is a youth
gang? A youth gang is a group of three or more individuals typically
between the ages of 12 and 24 who engage in delinquent or criminal activity
for the benefit of its members and/or to further the reputation of the gang.
The gang shares a common identity and view themselves as members of a cohesive
group. It is important to gang members that others view them as a gang, as well.
The common gang identity may be one or more of the following:
- The gang has a name
that separates the group from others.
- Members share common
symbols such as style of clothing, graffiti, and hand signs.
- Members regularly come
together as a group and may claim a specific geographic location.
Misconceptions
about youth gangs. There are several significant misconceptions about
youth gangs. Some assume that gangs and drug trafficking organizations (DTOs)
are synonymous. While youth gangs often participate in the local distribution
of drugs, they typically lack the strong organizational structure of a major
drug trafficking organization. DTOs are most often controlled by adults and
may use youth gangs to further their ends.
A second misconception is that the
serious youth gang problem only involves those gangs that share the identity
of a national gang such as MS-13, Latin Kings, Bloods and Crips. This is false.
Most youth gangs have a local basis. A local youth gang may use the name, symbols,
and dress style of a nationally identified gang but their behavior and criminal
activities typically have local roots. Many neighborhood youth gangs may have
no symbols and identity that link them to a national gang. In Baltimore City,
for example, most gangs are local neighborhood gangs with no national affiliation.
Nevertheless, these gangs still have a major negative impact on communities
due to their drug dealing, robberies, and assaults.
Third, while committing delinquent
or criminal acts is an essential element of youth gangs, these activities are
only a small part of the daily lives of gang members who more typically just
hang out and do not engage in violent activities. Serious and violent acts are
less frequent and are more often a response to perceived threats or insults,
often by competing gangs.
WHY
IS GRAFFITI A CONCERN?
Gangs
seek to establish their identity and control within a neighborhood or geographic
area. One way that gang members seek attention and spread intimidation within
a specific area is through the use of graffiti. Because gangs post warnings
or challenges to other gangs through graffiti, its presence may create a climate
of fear in a community and create conditions for conflict and violence between
gangs that are seeking control of the same area. You should contact the local
police department to make them aware of the graffiti and to learn if there is
a program to remove it.
WHY
DO YOUTH JOIN A GANG?
Typically, a young person decides
to join a gang because it fulfills needs that are not being met elsewhere. The
gang may provide a sense of belonging and friendship. For some who are not successful
at school or home, the gang may provide a sense of accomplishment. Their success
in delinquency, crime, or their social standing in the gang gives them status
and a sense of power. Immigrant youth who feel alienated in American culture
may find comfort and a sense of belonging within a gang. Some youth may see
the gang as a form of protection from other gangs or from an abusive home environment.
Some may experiment with gang activity as a way of adolescent rebellion while
seeking independence. Peer pressure or intimidation can also play a contributing
role in pushing youth to join a gang.
It may seem that many
children and teens have problems and concerns that could lead to gang involvement;
these are concerns that affect many adolescents. However, teens that are at
the greatest risk of becoming active, core members of a gang typically have
multiple risk factors.
RISK FACTORS FOR YOUTH JOINING GANGS
James Howell is one of the leading
researchers on juvenile delinquency and youth gangs. Based on his review of
the research in many studies, he identified risks in six areas: individual characteristics,
the family situation, school experiences, delinquent peer groups, community,
and cultural conditions. Parents or educators may read the following lists and
find one or two that fit your child or student. However, it is important to
remember that gang involvement usually develops when multiple risks are present.
- Individual characteristics.
Studies show that boys with chronic histories of physical aggression are at
risk of gang involvement. Early involvement in delinquency, alcohol/drug use,
and mental health problems are also indicators of potential risk. Illegal
gun ownership is a strong predictor that a youth could become involved with
gangs.
- Family situation.
Youth exposed to broken homes, family poverty, and/or child abuse are at risk
of gang involvement. Parents who don’t supervise and monitor their children’s
activities put their children at risk for delinquent or gang activity.
- School experiences.
Low achievement in elementary school contributes to low aspiration and a declining
commitment to further schooling. The lack of early success in school can lead
to negative labeling by teachers. These factors can lead some children to
look elsewhere for belonging and success, including joining a gang.
- Delinquent Peer
Group. Associating with peers who are either delinquent or aggressive
is a strong predictor of gang involvement. Involvement with these types of
peers increases the likelihood of gang involvement.
- Community conditions.
Poverty, high drug use, prevalence of drug distribution, and crime create
conditions favorable to gang involvement. Communities that lack social services
and recreational opportunities for youth are especially at risk.
- Cultural conditions.
Communities with a large immigrant population are at risk if those youth feel
alienated from either the local culture and/or the culture of their parents.
If a child faces multiple risks in
several of these areas, they are at significant risk of gang involvement. It
is critical that the general community, schools, and parents recognize the role
they can play in preventing gang involvement.
WARNING
SIGNS OF GANG INVOLVEMENT
Most youth who become gang members
go through progressive stages of gang involvement. Many will initially experiment
with gang life by hanging out with gang members or participating in some gang
activity. This experimental stage might be partly youthful rebellion but can
lead to actual gang membership. This early stage is referred to by some as the
“wannabe” phase. Through time, some “wannabes” become
formal gang members. After becoming a gang member, a youth might spend some
time bridging their old school and family life with their new gang involvement.
Eventually, hard core gang members increasingly focus their life on gang activity.
Much of the time may be “hanging out” with other gang members, but
eventually crime and violence play a larger part in their lives.
Since there are stages
of gang involvement, parents and educators have opportunities to intervene to
stop the progression toward “hard core” gang involvement.
What warning signs should concern you?
- Changes within
your son, daughter, or student’s friends
- Is their peer group
involved with delinquent behavior, alcohol or drug use, or may explicitly
be members of a gang?
- Do they use certain
symbols to identify themselves as a group?
- Do they all
wear the same color clothing or a similar logo or hand signs to communicate
with one another?
- Do they have
distinctive tattoos?
- Do they use
the same graffiti on school notebooks, on their hands, or in their
room?
- Be aware of
changes in behavior
- Does your son/daughter/student
have unexplained money or possessions that might be the product of criminal
activity?
- Do you see evidence
of drug use? This might include changes in their behavior or appearance
or efforts to obtain larger amounts of money.
- Is there evidence
that they have physical injuries, such as bruises or burn marks that might
be related to an initiation into a gang or a gang assault?
- For parents,
be aware of how your son or daughter is doing at school.
- Low achievement
or lack of interest in school can contribute to an adolescent becoming
attracted to gangs.
- Monitor your child’s
grades; are they doing their homework?
- Make sure they are
attending school and seem to be involved with school.
- It is important
to emphasize that most children with problems at school do not go on to
become involved in gangs, but if there are school problems combined with
concerns about their friends and behavior toward you, it is best to seek
help.
Parents and educators,
take action if you know or suspect that your child or student is involved in
a gang. Gang involvement is directly related to crime, often violent
crime. Research shows that gang involvement often has a long-term negative impact
on adolescents’ lives. Regardless of whether the child admits gang involvement
or you strongly suspect it, seek help to get them out of gang involvement. Your
first source of assistance would be your child’s school counselor or pupil
personnel worker.
WHAT
A PARENT SHOULD DO TO KEEP THEIR CHILD OUT OF A GANG
One of the best ways to
prevent your child from becoming involved with gangs is to remain active in
their lives. Maintain open communication with your son or daughter so that you
know who their friends are and how they spend their time. Any parent of a teenager
will agree that this can be easier said than done. As adolescents develop their
independence, they can become angry at what they perceive as too much parental
involvement. Stay the course; be as involved as you can and show them your love
and concern.
- Be aware
if your child is at risk of becoming involved in a gang or whether they display
the warning signs of gang involvement. The first step in helping your child
is to identify whether gang involvement is a potential or existing problem
in their life.
- Communication
is essential. Share your concerns about possible gang involvement
with your child. In many cases, especially early in the process of becoming
a part of gang life, an adolescent can be redirected to more positive social
networks. Adolescence is a difficult time for most teenagers and is especially
hard for those facing multiple risks.
- Talk with your
child to share your concerns and show them your love
and support. At the same time, ask questions about their friends and activities
and try to set reasonable guidelines to limit their contact with delinquent
youth or gang members.
- Discuss
the dangers posed by gangs as a pathway to delinquency and crime
and the negative impacts on school, family and future jobs prospects.
If your child feels pressure to join a gang, be clear that it is much
easier to say no to becoming involved with a gang than it is to leave
the gang.
- Discuss
alternative activities, including more involvement with school
and extra curricular activities. Encourage them to pursue other interests
in sports, after school jobs, or other community activities.
- Seek support
from professionals. If your child is in school, the school counselor
or pupil personnel worker can be excellent resources in identifying programs
available through the school system or through youth services in your community.
They may not be aware of gang-specific prevention and treatment programs,
but they will be aware of programs that can address some of the underlying
problems that contribute to gang involvement. Many programs support youth
who are at risk for delinquency. These programs can have multiple objectives,
including:
- Strategies to help
someone become more successful academically.
- Strategies to help
a youth develop more effective problem solving techniques so they don’t
need to resort to violence or seek help from gangs.
- Techniques to help
families communicate more effectively and help parents develop more effective
parenting skills.
- Opportunities for
youth to have alternative ways to spend their free time including after
school programs and recreational and job development programs.
WHAT
EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS SHOULD DO TO HELP YOUTH STAY OUT OF GANGS
Gangs are a relatively
recent problem in much of the State of Maryland. While no jurisdiction in Maryland
has implemented a comprehensive program to both prevent youth from joining gangs
and intervening to assist youth already in a gang, there are effective programs
throughout the State to assist youth at-risk for delinquent behavior. Nationally
there are relatively few programs targeted specifically to prevent gang involvement
or to intervene to help a youth get out of a gang. However, after considering
the factors that put youth at-risk of gang involvement, these same factors are
addressed in a variety of delinquency prevention/intervention programs.
James Howell is one of
the leading researchers on juvenile delinquency and youth gangs. Based on his
review of the research in many studies, he identified risks in five areas: individual
characteristics, the family situation, school experiences, delinquent peer groups,
community and cultural conditions. These risk factors were described in the
section on “RISK FACTORS FOR YOUTH JOINING GANGS”.
There are several excellent
websites that assist community leaders in developing a response to gang problems.
These sites are either developed or funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Programs.
- The best single tool
to assist in assessing a community’s gang problem and planning strategies
to deal with it can be found at http://www.iir.com/nygc/tool/
. This site includes a wealth of information, one of the most useful sections
summarizes the evaluation of programs designed to address gang and delinquency
prevention/intervention programs http://www.iir.com/nygc/tool/planning_and_implementation_programs.cfm
. The user of this site is asked to identify the targeted age and it then
lists programs for that age group. The reader can then click on the program
and it provides a summary of the evaluation of each program and the risk factors
that it targets. For example, programs are identified that develop
- Strategies to help
a child become more successful academically.
- Strategies to help
a youth develop more effective problem solving techniques so they don’t
need to resort to violence or seek help from gangs.
- Techniques to help
families communicate more effectively and help parents develop more effective
parenting skills.
- Opportunities for
youth to have alternative ways to spend their free time including after
school programs and recreational and job development programs.
- Another OJJDP funded
site provides a wide array of resources for assessing and developing strategies
to deal with gang problems. The site http://www.iir.com/nygc/acgp/default.htm
has a large volume of reference resources and it probably more useful for
administrators or law enforcement personnel who are responsible for developing
a comprehensive strategy.
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