Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Jake J. Koppenhaver
Juvenile Delinquency
Professor Robar
Gangs. For those who have seen gang activity at work—the control over a neighborhood,
the aftermath of a shooting, the power over youth—the very word brings emotions ranging from
fear to anger. For those in society who are unaware of true gang nature the media has long
sensationalized this activity, and most feelings are based on this. Many think that gangs operate
solely in large, metropolitan areas, and even then only in the “slums,” but the truth is that gangs
exist all over the United States. Law enforcement keeps constant intelligence data on gang
activity in order to help deter and reduce gang activity, however like most elements of crime it is
a constant battle. It is also true that gangs are not only surviving but growing, with the current
applicants and future members being the youth of our communities. They offer everything a
youth needs: Companionship, family, monetary gain, and room for growth albeit in a different
way. Experts have held that gang membership thrives in areas which experience economic
hardship, and according to others this hardship may be what prompts youth to leave the family to
enter into gang life. How can we as a community help to deter gang membership? Exploring
alternative economic solutions—as well as solutions which cater to the specific type of youth
most at risk for gangs—is the best way to proactively deter gang membership growth and ensure
required. Gangs are not a recent trend. While they have existed in some verifiable form in the
United States since the 19th century (KnowGangs, 2007), the 1950’s showed the worst juvenile
delinquency statistics the world had seen. Major cities such as New York enacted curfews to help
curb this issue, however at the time not many studies had been performed to realize the
widespread activity and cause of such delinquency rates. Due to many offenders being placed in
jails, the corrections system began seeing a surge in large gangs forming inside prisons across the
Proactive Problem Solving: Gangs 3
country. The revolutionary nature of the 1960’s did little to help, although certain areas saw a
programs and increased political awareness, prompting legitimate social activities (Siegel &
Welsh, 2005). The Vietnam War also saw many members drafted from the streets which
decreased gang populations. The 1970’s saw a surge in gang activity, primarily in large areas
such as New York. In 1971 gangs such as the Savage Skulls and Black Assassins ruled the streets
of the South Bronx area, and by 1975 the New York Police Department reported 275 known
gangs with eleven thousands confirmed members (Ibid.). New York was not alone, other
metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles and Chicago reported similar gangs re-emergences. Soon
after, members of larger gangs began migrating to other areas to gain membership or take over
rival gangs. For example, the largest two gangs of Los Angeles, the famous Bloods and Crips,
saw membership emerge in Midwestern cities such as Columbus, Ohio. This expansion of gang
membership and activity has done very little to slow since the 1970’s and continues to this day,
strengthened by areas which gang activity thrives in, the gang “clusters” which comprise the
area, which become increasingly resistant to change and law enforcement actions.
Experts have determined various reasons why gangs re-emerged, however the biggest
reason may be seen in their hold on the illegal narcotics market. Many early gangs relied on
group loyalty, honor, and neighborhood protection to fuel their membership. Modern gangs on
the other hand are generally fueled by monetary gain through the quest for drug profits (Padilla,
1992). Street gangs, who were once often no more than a group of disorganized, destructive
juveniles looking for companionship and an escape from social issues now control much of the
drug trade, even replacing the larger organized crime families in many large cities. This quest for
illegal profit may show that the socio-economic climate of that period of time (which continues
in many ways to today) has given fuel to much of the modern gang activity we see. Recent
Proactive Problem Solving: Gangs 4
statistics show that gangs operate nationally independent of how safe people may feel in
suburban or rural areas. While metropolitan areas which are affected by rapid growth and social
climate change (which in essence is all of them) (Wilson, W.J., 1987) still hold the highest
numbers of gang activity, with 100% of cities with populations greater than 250,000 reporting
active groups, 85% of cities with populations between 100,000 and 229,000, and 65% of cities
with populations between 50,000 and 99,000, other areas are not unaffected according to Arlen
Egley, Jr. and Aline K. Major. At least 35% of suburban counties report active gangs, with 11%
reported in rural counties (2001 National Youth Gang Survey), with 20% of those surveyed from
these areas claiming to be migrants from larger cities. These lesser populated areas are linked to
changes in urban cities, as some redevelopments in urban areas force gangs to outlying suburban
and rural areas (although sometimes this is done to so expand market shares in various crimes)
where they continue their growth. Furthermore, other statistics have estimated that almost 25,000
gangs are active in the United States comprised of almost 730,000 individual members (Egley,
2002). Statistics toward youth only are even more disturbing: A metropolitan survey of 6,000 8th
graders found that 11% (approximately 660 youth) claim affiliation with a gang.
It is important to note certain current issues which affect gang activities, membership, and
juvenile delinquency in a unique way. Our modern age is full of technologies such as e-mails,
text messages, social networking web sites (such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, etc.), and
web hosting available to any person who wishes to quickly and easily make their own web site
for the world to see. Youth are not inept when it comes to using technology in their daily lives,
and gangs know this. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, as of 2005 81%
of teens ages 12-17 used the internet on a daily basis. Other surveys by the Project have indicated
that since 2005 teen online activity has gone up by nearly 50% (Lenhart, Madden, & Hitlin,
2005). It is no question that gangs would be foolish not to establish web presence and exploit this
Proactive Problem Solving: Gangs 5
teen internet interest. They aren’t foolish: Gangs routinely use web sites to post photos, videos,
and descriptions of crimes which they are involved in. Several profiles on the popular social
networking site used by teens, MySpace, claim to be held by gang members (Gutierrez, 2006).
While some detectives have not heard of many teens being recruited directly from internet
activities, it makes sense that connecting with gangs through this medium can certainly lead to
later initiation into the gang after connecting in person. Some parents may wonder why law
enforcement do not seek to shut down these web sites and profiles. Many are covered under the
Fourth Amendment, while many others provide police with valuable intelligence on gang
activities and even critical evidence in solving cases and identifying offenders.
Why do youth join gangs? Many people have strived to find the answer to this question.
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is often the same as to why any persons commits a
criminal act and involves a specific criminological theory to explain their decision. Is it
important to note that while general answers may be the same, youth are a special bunch as they
are still growing and developing. The decision to join a gang often falls into one of several basic
criminological theories, which can even be linked to one another in “stages” as it relates to
certain ideas. For the purpose of this paper the theories of social bond, social disorganization,
and rational choice will be discussed, along with proposed solutions based one each of these.
According to Travis Hirschi, “The bond of affection for conventional persons is a major
deterrent to crime (1972).” Social bond theory is based on this ideal and attempts to seek a
largely proactive solution to crime and delinquency. By catering to four main concepts, Hirschi
holds that youth are much more likely to be held to a level of accountability from various
institutions in their lives (such as parents, friends, teachers, etc.), and less likely to engage in
heart of many anti-gang programs currently in place. Attachment refers to the bond the youth has
Proactive Problem Solving: Gangs 6
with other social group members, often close family and friends. Those who lack these
attachments may feel “free to deviate.” When youths have little belief in values, or are not
exposed to solid, dominant morals, they tend to view laws with less regard. Without this belief in
living positively and morally juveniles may see their acting out in a criminal or gang-related
manner as normal and acceptable. Involvement is the level of participation a youth has in
conventional activities which reinforce these moral values and bonds with positive role models.
Commitment is an investment in these beliefs, that is, participating in activities which increase
the youth’s bond with their social surroundings, and forming a solid concept in their mind that
participating in negative activities (drinking and sex at young ages, gang activities and crime)
goes against that commitment. By enhancing each of these concepts in youth it seeks to help
Shaw and McKay (1972) began wide research into the theory of social disorganization as
it relates to crime. (For their purpose, social disorganization has been equated to areas with weak
community controls, thus leading to geographical areas with high crime and delinquency rates.)
The authors found in their research, after studying court actions, arrest statistics, and similar
criminal justice data, that which was present were not delinquent groups, but delinquent areas.
These areas were often seen as areas of transition, racial migration (often viewed as invasion by
those already present in this area), and lacking in re-development. Ultimately, these
phenomenons in an area led to increased amounts of crime and high rates of offending per
inhabitant, which in turn led to the strengthening of these traditions as means of success.
Through this strengthening it becomes more resistant to change and actions by law enforcement
to help control or eliminate crime. The targeting of youth in these areas to benefit from
community programs geared toward them and their families, often referred to as “at-risk youth,”
Proactive Problem Solving: Gangs 7
is vital in the war on gangs as these youth are more likely to be exposed to gang activity at a
Economists have their own theory on crime and juvenile delinquency. From the point of
view of costs and benefits, many decide to take part in illegal activity in order to attain monetary
gain or fulfill some other structured goal. According to The Reasoning Criminal (Cornish &
Clarke, 1986:1), found that (1) criminals attempt to benefit from the crimes they commit; (2) this
decision involves some measure of decision making in order to weigh the cost versus the benefit
of the action; and (3) there is a measure of rationality in these decisions which are made.
Through three stages of decision making which results in the crime itself (structuring the choice
based on one’s own skills, weighing the pros and cons of involvement in the crime, and deciding
to commit the actual event), the authors find that certain factors may either encourage the
decision or curb the offender’s actions. Tapping into this rational choice theory involves the
criminal justice system taking a tough stance on gang and gang-related crime, enacting harsher
penalties for committing crimes based on gang activity, those which involve weapons, and seek
to benefit organized crime in any form. The balance of the pros and cons would be affected by
Many wonder how the above theories are connected to economic effects on juvenile
delinquency and gang activity. While on a basic level they may have little to do with financial
support of the youth and their family, once one looks deeper they will find out how these theories
are in fact related to economic situations. For example, according to the United States
Department of Labor, as of January, 2007, unemployment rates are nearly 50% lower compared
to just five years ago, however many Americans still do not have jobs. Take into account many
families with minimum wage or unsteady jobs, and one can see how in 2006 the United States
reported statistics of poverty levels of minors being nearly 22% of the population. With roughly
Proactive Problem Solving: Gangs 8
49.5 million elementary, junior high school, and high school students currently enrolled in the
country (Longley, 2005), that means approximately 1.1 million of them live in families below the
poverty line. These families often suffer from increased strain and tension inside the home, are
subjected to violence and at-risk behaviors such as drug abuse and alcoholism. This translates
into youths being exposed to delinquency through their social bonds as a result of social
disorganization, ultimately resorting to the decision to take part in crime and other illegitimate
forms of succeeding. Modern gangs, with monetary holds on illegal narcotics, and other crimes
such as robbery and extortion, offer youths the chance to gain what they view to be success.
So many problems: The issues surrounding what gangs offer youth, why they join,
personal motivations, group motivations, and other factors in growing gang populations is an
extremely complex matter. Many youth involved in gangs will likely become entwined in the
criminal justice system, some will change on their own, and some will not change in time. One
thing is for certain though, and that is that proactive measures must be taken for those who are
at-risk. Building upon these criminological theories which can help explain motivations for gang
activity, and helping to alleviate the social tension which drives youth toward gang activity
should be the number one priority in helping to deter at-risk youth from entering this lifestyle.
Community centers, job skills training programs, youth sports, are all examples of programs
which help build upon these theories. Programs similar to these have already shown success in
many areas and continue to succeed. In order for our youth to have the personal strength and
viable avenues for success these programs must be instituted, and are vital in our nation’s war on
gangs.
Proactive Problem Solving: Gangs 9
References
Cornish, Derek, & Clarke, Ronald. (1986). The reasoning criminal: Rational choice prospective
Egley, Arlen. (2002). National youth gang survey trends from 1996 to 2000. Washington DC:
Gutierrez, S. (2006, July 10). Street gangs using Internet for violent bragging rights. Seattle
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/277025_webgangs10.html.
http://www.knowgangs.com/gang_resources/menu.php.
Lenhart, A., Madden, M., & Hitlin, P. (2005). Teens and Technology: Youth are Leading the
Transition to a fully wired and mobile nation. Retrieved July 25, 2007, from
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/162/report_display.asp.
Longley, R. (2005). U.S. School enrollment exceeds baby-boomer days. About.com. Retrieved
Padilla, Felix. (1992). The gang as an American enterprise. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers
University Press.
Shaw, Clifford R., & McKay, Henry D. (1972). Juvenile delinquency and urban areas: A study
Siegel, L. J., & Welsh, B. C. (2005). Juvenile delinquency: The core (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA:
Thomson Wadsworth.
Proactive Problem Solving: Gangs 10
Wilson, Julius Wilson. (1987). The truly disadvantaged. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago
Press.
Winfree Jr, L., & Abadinsky, H. (2003). Understanding crime: Theory and practice (2nd ed.).
Author Note
This writing is focused on proactive measures to take to help deter youth from joining
any of the many gangs which populate our country. While many are already involved in the gang
life, many more are waiting in the wings, and will be apart of it even if they do not know this yet.
Also, many older members of gangs, higher ranking members, and “lifers,” are sadly not going
to change. While this may seem to be a negative assessment, it is reality. While we may help
deter gang membership, gangs are already an established group in society and will continue to be