Hispanic Youth in Gangs 1

Hispanic Adolescent Street Gang Involvement in Santa Cruz County

California State University Monterey Bay

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Sociology

Senior Capstone

Capstone Advisor: Dr. George Baldwin

By:

Hernan Ramirez Zavala

Spring 2018
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 2

Table of Contents

Abstract…………………………………………………………....Page 3

Introduction………………………………………………………..page 3-5

Literature Review…………………………………………………..page 5-8

Theory………………………………………………………………page 8-10

Methodology………………………………………………………..page 10-11

Findings……………………………………………………………...page 11-17

Results …………………………………………………………….....page 17-18

Conclusion……………………………………………………………page 18-19

Bibliography…………………………………………………………..page 20-21

Appendix A…………………………………………………………...page 21-22

 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 3

Abstract

In this capstone research project the researcher will report on what social science knows about

Hispanic adolescent street gangs in Santa Cruz County. The focus of the literature review is on

the causes that lead adolescents to participate in street gangs and the use of youth athletic

programs as an intervention tool with delinquent gang members. The researcher will incorporate

the Social Cognitive Theory of Albert Bandura in the interpretation and summary of the

literature. In this research the author explores its hypothesis that street gang affiliation will

increase if the communication between adolescents and parents or/and teachers continues

declining. A single question guides this research project. Why do Hispanic Adolescents become

involved in street gangs? This capstone project concludes with an interview with Gina Castaneda

a probation officer and director of the Aztecas Soccer Youth Academy. The interview covers

important data about the program such as: Origin, funding, evaluation of the program’s success,

statistics of participants involved in the program, and characteristics of the participants.

Introduction-

This research project is divided into four sections; literature review, theory, methods and

findings/results. This capstone identifies what a youth gang is; who a gang member is, what

constitutes gang activities, and it will define the social structure of Hispanic adolescents who

affiliate into street gang activities as well as the factors that continue to influence their decisions to
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 4

participate in street gangs. My hypothesis is that street gang affiliation will increase if the

communication between adolescents and parents or/and teachers continues declining. The

sources used for this social issue relate to Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory on the

relationship between adolescents and social influences. The research question is the reasons as to

“Why young Hispanic adolescents become involved with street gangs? In my methodology, I used

pre-existing scholarly articles and books from the CSUMB Library databases such as JSTOR,

EBSCO, and ERIC also Gina Castaneda a probation officer and director of the Aztecas Soccer

Program in the Santa Cruz County contributed with data for my research project. In this section,

Castaneda identifies the impact of the intervention program on the lives of gang members. Officer

Castaneda founder of the Aztecas soccer academy provided important data about the program. She

described how the program gets funds for equipment, the characteristics of the program

participants, how she selects mentors for the participants, and the reason she created the program.

In my findings, I identified that the social environment where individuals live plays an influential

role in determining the street gang affiliation of adolescents. In addition, lack of self-identity

directs adolescents to affiliate in street gangs. Moreover, the lack of parenting skills has also

contribute to this social phenomena; majority of times parents seemed to be afraid to control their

children when experiencing violent behavior. Furthermore, throughout my research project I

encountered unexpected findings, which consist that Hispanic adolescents believe that they must

be involved in street gangs in order to have a sense of belonging. In accordance with the social

science research, all literature found for this research project was conducted through observations

in this field of study. This capstone provides information that explains Hispanic males’ reasons to

become involve into youth street gangs. The purpose of this capstone is to inform the reader of the
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 5

main factors that contribute to youth gang affiliation and the impact of intervention programs for

youth delinquency in the county of Santa Cruz.

This capstone examines existing literature that explains Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive

theory and the concept of social learning (1986), which focuses on the learning that occurs within a

social context. It considers that individuals learn from one another, including all concepts of

learning that include: observational learning, imitation learning, and model learning.

Literature Review

In the following literature review, the researcher presents a theory of gang formation

history of Hispanic Street gangs and a review of the most successful of diversion programs. As

the section closes, the researcher offers the reader a synthesis of the literature then applies that

synthesis to the intervention program of Aztec Youth Soccer Academy. This research is based

around the Social Cognitive theory of Albert Bandura. Through Bandura’s theory, the subject of

Hispanic adolescent street gang involvement, diversion program impacts, protection,

environmental influence, sense of belonging and poor parental guidance are observe in Santa

Cruz County. This section will discuss some issues and possible casual factors of what causes an

adolescent to affiliate with gangs. Young people join gangs for a variety of reasons. According to

Noboa and Calabrese, adolescents are promised that by joining a gang, they will enrich their life

expectations and gain respect and protection from the gang members. Street gangs offer “power

in a powerless world, status among peers, respect from adults, especially teachers, an opportunity

to be a part of a group where acceptance is given for fidelity to the gang code, security in the

term of protection from other gangs” (Calabrese, R., & Noboa, J. 1995 pg.226). Such promises

attract adolescents especially those with low self-esteem.

 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 6

Analisa Gagnon indicates that the majority of gang members adapt to some of their

experiences based on their perceptions of the actions perceived around them. Lifestyle/routine

activity theory claims, “a person’s characteristics and behaviors can determine their likelihood

for victimization through their increased interactions with motivated offenders and lack of

capable guardians making them suitable targets” (Gagnon, 2018). In the concept of

Intergenerational cycle of Violence, Gagnon claims “being exposed to violence whether

experienced or observed can affect attitudes towards those behaviors in the future” (Gagnon

2018). Furthermore, the “intergenerational cycle of violence” also suggests that offending may

be a result of past victimization experiences.

Researchers have reported that memberships in street gangs are often tied to cultural and

social processes. Thomas Winfree Jr, Frances P. Bernat and Finn-Ange Esbensen indicate that

Hispanics are more likely to going street gangs “when schools fail to meet their social,

emotional, and educational needs” (Winfree Jr., Bernat, and Esbensen, 2001). In addition,

researchers indicated that many Latino street gangs involved adolescents immigrants recently

move to the United States because those adolescents are in transition between two cultures.

Winfree Jr., Bernat, and Esbensen found that social isolation and stigmatization experiences by

Hispanic adolescents are key factors to street gang establishment. For Mexican Americans “the

gang is a rational response to the isolation and marginality that they feel” (Winfree Jr., Bernat,

and Esbensen, 2001).

Holly Ventura Miller, J.C. Barnes and Richard D. Hartley express that Hispanic street

gang membership is linked to the process of acculturation. Street gang membership among

Hispanic adolescents has been situated in a sociocultural context of ethnic identity and structural

isolation (Miller, Barnes, and Hartley, 2011). In addition, structural realities such as economic
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 7

deprivation, weak educational institutions, and limited employment opportunities have also been

implicated in facilitating Hispanic street gang membership (Miller, Barnes, and Hartley, 2011).

Researchers found that Hispanic adolescents who reported lower levels of acculturation were

more likely to be affiliated with a street gang. The relationship between gang membership and

acculturation is that members who believed to be less acculturated embrace an ethnic identity of

“choloization”. Choloization can be understood as a by-product of the acculturation process

where acculturated youth are more likely to be marginalized from mainstream society, resulting

in their conscious rejection of the conventional social order and in the creation of an alternative

social world (gang) (Miller, Barnes, and Hartley, 2011). For Mexican American adolescents

involved with street gangs, choloization serves as the primary machismo by which their ethnic

identity is embraced and displayed. (Miller, Barnes, and Hartley, 2011). Gang becomes a

symbol of defiance and belonging in the face of perceived marginalization. Furthermore,

researchers indicate how “economic, sociocultural, ecological, and sociopsychological

disadvantages (Marginalities) can affect individual’s acculturative process and one’s likelihood

of becoming assimilated into society’s dominant culture” (Miller, Barnes, and Hartley, p. 334,

2011).

In addition, Michael E. Buckle and David S. Walsh identify key factors of Hispanic

youth street gang affiliation. Lack of belongingness, low social support, individual attitudes

toward and beliefs about deviant behavior and gang membership, negative life experiences in the

home and school, poor parental management, parent-child conflict, affiliation with deviant peer

groups, low connectedness to school, neighborhood poverty, and social disorganization present

considerable overlapping risk factors of gang association (Buckle & Walsh 2013; Esbenson,

Peterson, Taylor, & Freng, 2009; Hong 2010). Furthermore, researchers believe that young gang
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 8

affiliation can be prevent by intervention programs. Educating youth gang members can present

unique challenges that serve as barriers to prosocial networks and conventional pursuits (Buckle

& Walsh 2013). Although not all young members find access to intervention programs because

“once labeled gang affiliated, they are often targeted for immediate school suspension,

expulsion, removal, and arrest for any misbehavior, real or perceived” (Buckle & Walsh, p. 54,

2013). Researchers suggest that mutual respect, caring, trust, and responsibility are essential

elements to prevent youth gang affiliation. Without those elements, street gang youths lack the

scaffolding to develop coping and life skills (Buckle & Walsh 2013).

Theory

The theory that is applicable to this capstone is Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive theory.

Bandura looked at individuals’ personality as three things that associate with one another: the

environment where they live, behavior they experience, and the person’s psychological

processes. Albert Bandura’s prominent concept of Social Learning focuses on the importance of

observational learning, imitation and modeling.

Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive theory is defined as “Human functioning is explained

in terms of a model of triadic reciprocally in which behavior, cognitive and other personal

factors, and environmental events operate as interacting determinants of each other” (Bandura, A

1986, p. 18). To meet this need, influence came from behavioral and social psychology. In

psychology, Bandura’s Social Cognitive theory expresses the importance of observation as well

as the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. Bandura (1986) suggested that

“Learning through action has thus been given major, if not exclusive, priority In actually,

virtually all learning phenomena, resulting from direct experience, can occur vicariously by
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 9

observing other people’s behavior and consequences for them” (Bandura, A, 1986, p.16). In

other words, individuals do not learn new behavior on their own by testing them to discover if

they succeed or fail but rather, they replicate behaviors from the actions of others. It all depends

on whether people are rewarded or punished for their behavior and the result of their behavior,

the individual observing chooses if to replicate the behavior modeled or not.

In his concept of social learning, Bandura (Salkind N.J 2006) focused less on society and

more on the observations individuals make of other individuals performing deviant acts. Bandura

believed that delinquency could be learned through behavior modeling, also known as

observational learning. According to Bandura (Salkind N.J 2006), this type of learning occurs in

four stages:

1). Attention- The more attentive the observer, the greater the learning,

2). Retention- Being able to remember what is observe,

3). Reproduction- recreating what has been observed,

4). Motivation- reason to model behavior (Salkind N.J 2006, p. 157).

Bandura suggested that influences such as similarity and consequences influence whether a

person would imitate a model. If an observer witnessed a model receiving positive

reinforcement, they were more likely to imitate such behavior. On the other hand, if they

witnessed a model receiving punishment for a behavior, they were less likely to imitate that

behavior. Bandura believed that children do not born violent, but they learn violent behavior. He

argued, “Children model behavior from others in their lives (most prominently family members)

and from the media” (Salkind N.J 2006, p. 157). Furthermore, Bandura claimed that criminal

behavior could be potentially avoided if aggressive behavior is detected early as individuals

develop their learning.

 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 10

Moreover, Borgatta and Montgomery (2000) expanded Albert Bandura’s theory by

explaining from previous research the factors that contribute to individuals’ aggressive behavior.

In their perspective “living in violent neighborhoods; deviant peers; lack of safe, supervised child

recreational areas; exposure to media violence; bad parenting; and lack of social support”

(Borgatta & Montgomery 2000, p. 71). They stated that frequent exposure to aggressive behavior

model is particularly efficient in forming aggressive people, whether the visual models are at

home, community or social media. Furthermore, Borgatta and Montgomery (2000) also argued

that low social interaction and low academic intelligence typically lead to a problem in the

school setting in which children tent to feel frustrated with teachers, parents, and peers. They

added that “social ostracism often forces children to spend more time with other social misfits

who also have highly aggressive behavior patterns” (Borgatta and Montgomery 2000, p. 71).

This factor may lead to future isolation and furtherer delay in intellectual development in the

child.

The additions provided by Albert Bandura, Borgatta, Montgomery, Salkind, Margolis and

DeRuyck expanded my understanding of the Social Cognitive theory and the concept of Social

Learning. The implications of their work show that by simply perceiving other individuals

behavior we learn rules or behavior for how the social world works around our environment.

Methodology:

In this section, of my research project, I will be reviewing the methodology used in order

to create the capstone paper. I will discuss the type of data collected and how the data

information was gathered. To have a better understanding of this social issue and the information

that is applicable to the methodology, I will provide the questions and answers to the issue. This
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 11

section describes the procedures used in the collection of the data. In my research project, I

utilized secondary sources and pre-existing sources about previews case studies about Hispanic

adolescent getting involve in street gang activities. In order to narrow down my research project I

used key words such as: Latino gangs, Hispanic adolescents, gang affiliation, middle school

gangs, violence in schools, youth gangs, rise of gangs, diversion programs in California, and

gang intervention programs in Santa Cruz County. I found many articles on gang affiliation

publications studies from the CSUMB library database, which included “JSTOR” a digital

library of academic journals, books, and primary sources as useful internet source, I found other

articles on Elite (EBSCO), Social Services Abstracts, and ERIC that contained information on

Hispanic Adolescents and successful Diversion Athletic Programs. Each of the articles that I read

provided me with enough information for my capstone project. The information obtained from

the databases were helpful in answering my question as to why Hispanic Adolescents get involve

in street gangs. There were few authors who have focused on this particular impact of Diversion

Athletic Programs in high-risk communities.

I obtained and collected my data by requesting information about the Aztecas Program by

conducting an interview with Regina Castaneda, Santa Cruz County Probation officer and

Founder and Head Coach of the Aztecas Soccer Youth Academy. Officer Castaneda is an expert

that provided information insights about the organization. The main purpose of the Aztecas

program is that it provides resources to Hispanic/Latino at-risk adolescents who are affected with

gang problems.
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 12

Findings:

The result of this study demonstrate that Hispanic adolescents get involved in street

gangs to fulfill developmentally appropriate needs that are lacking in the home, at school, or in

their communities. Peers give isolated youths a sense of acceptance and belonging. At the same

time, street gang influences become a social domain for youth who may be searching for an

identity. The majority of these youth street gangs appeared to have unique hairstyles, clothing

(colors) that represent their identity, as well as choices of language used. These external

appearances tell their fellow gang members where they belong to and who they identify proudly

sharing the values of their gang. In a study of gang membership in California secondary schools

conducted by Joey Nuñez Estrada Jr., Tamika D. Gilreath, Ron Avi Astir and Rami Benbenishty

found that central region tends to be highly populated by immigrant farm works and their

children may feel like they do not fit in with the dominant cultures and therefore turn to

replacement contracultuture of the gang to gain a sense of belonging (Nuñez, Gilreath, Astor and

Benbenishty 2016). In addition the researcher indicated that gang members tend to drop out

school because activities done in school are of minimal to no interest of them and schools lack

the resources to intervene successfully with gang members.

Moreover the authors Paul Thomas and Cliff Akiyama identified in their article “Youth

Gangs: Reason for Concern” the motivational factors of adolescent affiliation with street gangs.

The researchers indicated four important factors that motivate adolescents to affiliate to gangs.

Thomas and Akiyama discovered that protection, loyalty, socialization (acceptance by peers),

and power (making money, control over the environment) are important complements in

adolescents’ decisions to get involve with street gangs. The researchers explained that a sense of

belonging, a sense of family, a sense of safety, and a sense of identity is so emotionally powerful
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 13

that an adolescent will do anything to become accepted and respected by the gang, even if it

means using violence (Thomas & Akiyama, 2011). According to the most recent National Gang

Threat Assessment Report, there are approximately 1,140,344 members who are from about 30,

313 street gangs (National Gang Intelligence Center, 2011 & Nuñez, Gilreath, Astor &

Benbenishty 2016). Researchers also indicated that in the 2009 report of The National Gang

Threat Assessment stated that gang activity on school campuses has increased because middle

schools and high schools are viewed as prime locations for recruitment, drug distribution and

other criminal behavior. The finding of this study indicates that schools are a good place to focus

on the gang problem, as gang members exist in schools.

Since 2008, according to Probation Officer Regina Castaneda, over 70 percent of at-risk

Hispanic students in the south county of Santa Cruz and Pajaro Valley have made improvements,

such as reducing truancy and avoiding suspensions and/or expulsions in school by providing

some of the resources such as the Aztecas soccer program. The aim of the program is to provide

support to the community by helping at-risk Hispanic youth & their family by reclaiming their

lives of those who struggle with gangs, violence and poverty in Santa Cruz County and the

Pajaro Valley. By providing intervention and prevention programs like Aztecas that incorporates

soccer to get adolescents involve in a prosocial activity could facilitate the cycle of positive

behavior of adolescents to have a better opportunity in life. Castaneda decided to intervene

Hispanic youth gang affiliation through this sport because in Watsonville soccer is an immense

phenomenon for the community. The passion for “futbol” in the community has allowed

bringing the community together. There are approximately 50 adult teams, 2 soccer clubs, 2

outdoor soccer leagues, over 75 indoor teams and a soccer arena. The city of Watsonville has

two high schools (Pajaro Valley and Watsonville High) that are well known around the nation
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 14

for to their skills and competitiveness. In the community of Watsonville Soccer is not just a

sport, but an impressive and astounding passion from the heart. This sport brings passion,

commitment, loyalty, friendship, and family in the community. For this reason the Aztecas

began a one-week soccer camp for youth. The first camp was held in the summer of 2015 serving

70 local youth ages 6 years old though 14 years old. The demand for enrollment was such that

the following summer in 2016 the camp was expanded from one week to two weeks and in

2016,145 local youth participated.

The program’s objective is that participants develop the life skills such as family

engagement, employment and education to thrive on and off the programs with peers, with

family and with the community. The important services that Castaneda mentioned about the

Aztecas Soccer Academy is that the program provides the outlet and the hook through soccer to

get at-risk youth away from potential dangers that exist whether they are street gangs, drugs or

alcohol abuse and homelessness. Most importantly, the program informs adolescents about real

cases in order to help them become aware of the risks and dangers of gang affiliation. Also,

Aztecas believes that having a strong and proactive intervention is the key to helping adolescents

to get away from the gang culture and have positive alternative choices.

Gina Castaneda, founder and head coach of the Aztecas program provided me with

insights and percentages of the program since it started in 2008, showing how the program has

proven to help adolescents stay away from gangs. The questions that I addressed Castaneda

about the organization were the following:

*When did the programs start?

*Are you the founder of the program? If not, how long has the program been active?

*What are the sources of funds for the program?

 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 15

*How many kids do you serve a year?

*Have formal evaluation been done to the program?

*How do you know the program is successful? How do you define success?

*What are the characteristics of the participants? (Race, gender and age)

*Can you describe how the program works? (Outreach? Advertisement?)

*Do you keep statistics of participants in (practice? Games? How many drop out? How

many continue?

*How do you select the mentors? (Volunteer? Get pay?

*How do we know the program keep adolescents away from gangs?

*What has been the biggest factor/challenge for you to continue with the program?

According to Castaneda, founder of the Aztecas Soccer Academy since April of 2008 the

program is a free organization for at-risk Hispanic adolescents which 80 percent of their funding

come from the Santa Cruz probation department and the other 20 percent of their funding come

from grants and local donations. In 2015, Aztecas started another annual fundraiser, the Golden

Goals. In the two times it has been held, the program has raised over $10,000 and brings together

law enforcement, local schools, junior colleges and the business community to educate them on

the program but to also give them the opportunity to speak with Aztecas youth and hear about

barriers to success and accomplishments. Local community businesses such as Bay Federal

Credit Union, Cal Giant and Riter Farms also offer support to the Azteca’s as well as community

organizations such as the Freedom Lions Club, The Community Foundation and the Borina

Foundation.

With 13 years of experience as probation officer Castaneda stated that in 13 years has had

probably 5 high school graduates in probation and data shows that 80 to 85 percent of men in
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 16

custody in the county jails and prisons and more with women do not have a high school diploma.

After the Aztecas program started participants had had success not only graduation from high

school but success with participants enrolling in a junior colleges or universities. Most of the

youth that participant in the program come from families that are low-income. 100 percent of the

youth are young Latino males between the ages of 13 to 19 years old. The program receives new

kids every month. Some of the youth leave the program because their probation case becomes

successful or drop out from the program. Officer Castaneda added that data from the last 3 years

shows that in 2015 they had 8 students that graduated from high school, in 2016 they had 12 high

school graduates and in 2017 they had 11 participants that obtained their high school diploma.

Statics show that the high school graduation rates among at-risk Hispanic adolescents in Santa

Cruz County and Pajaro Valley had improved after the Aztecas Soccer Program was established.

Another important improvements mentioned is that in the time period that the kids are

participating in Aztecas teens do not pick up new probation violations, they see increase in

school attendance and better grades because the program provides tutorial for at-risk youth that

are falling in their classes. All tutors and peers are volunteers from junior colleges or universities

that believe that the program can make a difference in the community. Castaneda believes that by

older peers and adults, Aztecas’ participants learn sportsmanship, conflict resolution, and anger

management on and off the field. Deputy Officer Castaneda points out that Aztecas are actively

engaged in intense soccer practices and games during (high-crime) evenings and weekends year-

round so they get “tired” and go home to rest instead of spending time in street gangs. Aztecas

youths and families participate in many events of gang interventions, health classes, and field

trips. Furthermore the Aztecas mentors and coaches promote transitions to college, vocational
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 17

training, and jobs, also they participate with Aztecas in service activities that “give back” to the

community. The program tries to help youth find a summer job where they can gain new skills.

According to Officer Castaneda’s experience as probation officer and most important

growing up around gang activities and violence in Watsonville and Pajaro Valley, Hispanic male

adolescents between the ages of 13-20 years old who is an active Norteño (northern) or Sureño

(southern) gang member, has an extensive criminal history, and lives in bad neighborhoods that

involves crime activity. Castaneda further indicated how gang affiliation is an ongoing cycle

over past the 15-20 years in the community. Furthermore, she explained how in the early 90’s

only four gangs existed and as today there are over 20 active gangs in which crime has increase

with gang violence. Castaneda pointed out that throughout the years, in south Santa Cruz County

and Pajaro Valley population growth has changed with migrant workers settling and working in

the agricultural and how future generation have also settled. According to Officer Castaneda,

some of the factors that contribute Hispanic/Latino adolescents to get involved with street gangs

have been indicated by poverty, violence at home and lack of supportive adults in which both

immigrant parents work or being a single parent, all have been factors that contribute to teens

joining street gangs. In fact, I also asked Castaneda why teens join gangs and which are the signs

of adolescents’ street gang affiliation. Officer stated that “adolescent join gangs for a reason and

sometimes you have to understand why they join gangs, many of the times when adolescents

struggle in life, such as not succeeding in school or not having a father figure to look up when

making decisions, they become easy targets for gang members to recruitment”. Some of the

indicators that Castaneda mentioned about the early warnings signs of youth gang affiliation

included the following: change of attitudes and lack respect towards parents, clothing colors,
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 18

tattoos, language, speeding too much time out of the house with other gang members and

committing some type of minimal crimes.

Results:

The Aztecas soccer program has been offering their services to Hispanic/Latino at-risk

adolescents for ten years and they have assisted more than 150 adolescents in the Santa Cruz

County and Pajaro Valley. According to the Santa Cruz County Probation Officer and Founder

of the program Gina Castaneda presented the following statistics of the Aztecas program:

 11 participants have gone to college.

 25 have obtained full-time jobs.

 85 percent have completed a high school diploma.

 75 percent of the kids have not return to probation or jail.

 15 soccer championships.

Officer Castaneda also pointed out that during her collaboration with the Watsonville Police

Department high crime hours occur between 12pm-8pm. A Watsonville Police Department

report indicated that in 2015 140 juvenile crimes happened, in 2016 103 juvenile crimes

happened and in 2017 115 juvenile crimes occurred. The juvenile crimes for the past three years

were reported between 12pm-8pm.

Conclusion:

The primary purpose of this capstone was to identify why Hispanic Adolescents become

involved in street gangs. By investigating this social issue, the researcher utilized theory of

Albert Bandura about Social Learning that helped to understand the process of the social learning
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 19

and its influences. I feel confident that the literature and all data I was able to find supports my

capstone question, which examines factors that contributed to Hispanic adolescent street gang

affiliation. However, it is vital that more research be done to focus on gang affiliation in small

communities due to the lack information in which some of the studies focused only in big cities.

As for my hypothesis, it was indicated from database articles and community sources that

Hispanic adolescents are not guided due to lack of parent supervision. In addition the Aztecas

intervention program provided me with information about the program that works towards

reducing gang issues in Santa Cruz County and Pajaro Valley. I discover that interventions

programs like Aztecas helps the community to provide support for adolescents at-risk and their

families to prevent the youth to not get involve with street gangs. Prevention programs like

Aztecas can provide essential tools for both adolescents and parents, which can present

alternative choices for the adolescents to change their lifestyle and improve their future. The

Aztecas soccer program helps youth engage in a healthy activities that keeps them off the streets,

provides mentors as coaches and mentors as players that play side by side with them on the field

and who model appropriate behaviors that teach at risk youth healthy anger management skills,

which helps reduce violence and other harmful behaviors.

Many of the current gang prevention programs in the communities work to bandage the

gang problem without having no or very little long-term benefits. They merely try to contain or

cover up the problems without addressing the root issues, such as reducing youth involvement in

gang or breaking the cycle of gang violence. Proactive programs that direct youth toward

responsible and productive lifestyles are needed in cities around the United States. Preventing

children and adolescents from joining gang may be the most cost-effective way toward solving

community problems.
 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 20

The founder of the Azteca Program Castaneda has inspired many people with her great

contribution to the community. Her dedication has allowed many youth that come from low

incomes family and are at risk of failing in life managed to find a solution. The Azteca Program

is non-profit organization that obtains money from special grants and local donations. The

Program has created many relationships with other organizations to establish a great foundation

to keep the program functioning. The Success for the Aztecas program is determined by

participants’ commitment to put their life together with the resources that the program provides

for them. Breaking the boundaries of rival gangs is extremely impossible without the appropriate

tools. The program has established organization where the community has respect towards the

program and high percentage of the Hispanic adolescents whom have received the Aztecas tools

have been successful in life. Many of them obtain full-time jobs and other enroll into college to

pursue a career. Although they are still categorized as gang members, they are no longer active.

Community leaders need to bring together various community members and social

service agencies, as well as law enforcement agencies, to work in collaboration to address

concerns related to gangs. Resources are needed for the development of effective diversion

programs that work to reduce the numbers of adolescents involved in street gangs.

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 Hispanic Youth in Gangs 21

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Miller H.V., Barnes J.C., & Harley R.D. (2011). Reconsidering Hispanic Gang Membership and

Acculturation in a Multivariate Context. Crime & Delinquency. Vol.57 (3), pp. 331-355

Regina Castaneda, T. (n.d.). Aztecas youth soccer academy. 1-10. Retrieved April 02, 2017.

from http://www.aztecasyouthsocceracademy.org/about-the-founder/

Salkind, N.J., Margolis, L., DeRuyck K., & Rasmussen K. (Eds.). (2006). Encyclopedia of

Human Development. Vol 1. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc

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Winfree Jr. T., Bernat F. P., & Esbensen F. (2001). Hipanic and Anglo gang membership in two

southwestern cities. The Social Science Journal. Vol. 38(1), pp. 105-117

Appendix A

Interview Questions for Gina Castaneda a Probation officer in Santa Cruz County and director of

the Aztecas Soccer Intervention Program:

1. When did the program started? How long has it been active?

2. Are you the founder of the program? If not, how long have you been in the program?

3. What are the sources of funds for the program?

4. Is there a program proposal?

5. How many kids do you serve a year?

6. Have formal evaluation have done at the program?

7. How do you know the program is successful? How do you define success?

8. What are the characteristics of the participants? (Race, gender, and age)

9. Can you describe for me how the program works? (Outreach and advertisement)

10. Do you keep statistics of participants in practice? In games? How many drop out? How

many continue?

11. How do you select the mentors? (Volunteer? Get pay?)

12. How do we know the program keep youth away from gang?

13. What has been the biggest factor/challenge for you to continue with the program?
Hispanic Youth in Gangs 23