FINAL DISCUSSION BOARD
Jean2979
Chapter9Lecture.pptxDeviant Social Associations
(GANGS)
Chapter 9
What is a Gang?
While oft romanticized by Hollywood, a gang is not:
- A car club
- A fraternity
- A social organization
- A group of people with similar interests
A gang, by definition, is a criminal organization
That means the primary purpose of the association
is the perpetration of criminal activity
Facts about American Youth Gangs
American youth gangs, like much organized crime in the world, are primarily based on ethnicity
There are approximately 40 million children in the US between the ages of 8 and 18
There are approximately 800,000 children in the US affiliated with an active gang set
That means that 5% (one in 20) children in the US have an active gang affiliation
Juvenile gangs commit more than 1,000 homicides a year. That is approximately 10% of all homicides in the US each
Why do we care?
While juvenile gang members make up only .6% of the US population, they commit:
10% of all homicides
22% of all assaults
18% of all property crimes
Have a high school matriculation rate of 4%
Make up 64% of the adult prison population, after they reach the age of 18.
Why gangs form
Regardless of a child’s ethnic or social-economic background, studies on youth of all ages have concluded the following:
- From the age of 0-8, the most important influence on a child is their parent or guardian
- Between the ages of 8-14, children seek a stable peer group, which temporarily becomes their primary influence
- Between the ages of 14 and 18, children revert are drawn to a combination of peer and parental influences.
Peer Status
How a child fits into their peer structure between 8 and 14 years of age, has a marked impact on potential criminal gang activity
Children with negative peer influences are likely to have delinquent tendencies
Controversial Status Youth is a term used to refer to children that are intensely liked or disliked by society and a group. They are far more likely to be a source of anti-social and deviant behavior.
Some ideas about gang activity
Is there a blueprint for a person who will join a gang? Unfortunately, no. However, we DO know some common traits of gang members:
- Gang members were exposed to negative peer influence at a young age
- Gang members traditionally are the product of single parent households
- Male gang members traditionally enter puberty at a much young age than non-gang members
- Gang members have very conflicted relationships with romantic interests
Basic Theories
Do kids that are anti-social gravitate towards gangs? OR, do anti-social peers create gang members? There are five competing theories:
Alienation – Anti-social children seek out like-minded individuals to affiliate with
Peer Influence – Delinquent negative influences cause law-abiding youth to join gangs
Deviant peers do not cause kids to go bad, but amplify children already with this disposition
Conspirators – Children from households with poor social bonds seek gangs for recognition
Outsiders – Children with emotional or behavioral problems at a young age, manifest into further negative labels.
Some common traits of a gang
So what makes a gang? Well, there are some basic traits that are common to gangs:
1) They have their own language
2) They have a hierarchy of leadership
3) They perpetuate a means of financial gain
through an underground economy
4) They have specific rites, symbols, and codes of
conduct
5) They are based on racial divisions
6) They are geographic in center, though many times
global in reach.
7) They primarily are based in urban areas, male, and center on
youth participation between the ages of 9 and 17
8) They are gender based, and frequently exploit women
Once in a gang…
Once a child joins a gang, there is a documented and marked increase in the violence of the child. There are three theories as to why violence goes up when membership takes place:
1) Selection Hypothesis – Violent children gravitate towards other violent children, who reinforce their behavior
2) Facilitation Hypothesis - Violence increases because there exists a structured support for violence by peers
3) Enhancement Hypothesis – Selection and facilitation work together, to develop criminal skills
The Theories
As expected, there are several competing social and psychological theories as to why juveniles join gangs. These are theories we have previously discussed.
Anthropology
This view holds that gang memberships is akin to a tribal process of learned rituals and behaviors. It is both a rite of passage, and a means of socialization.
Supporting this theory is the fact that nearly 70% of all gang members are the product of one or more parents who are gang members.
Also supporting this theory is the fact that gang activity does not just appear in new areas, but is brought in by existing members.
More theories
Social Disorganization
The sociological approach to gang membership is rooted in the premise that gangs traditionally form in areas of lower class economic neighborhoods.
Gang membership is seen as a means of achieving status, where traditional means of success are denied to some children due to their economic and educational limitations.
Gangs are seen as a natural factor in lower-class lifestyle. Studies point to the presence of gangs in nearly every ethnic class of society, where poverty has traditionally existed.
More…
Anomie Theory
This view holds that gang membership is both culturally and individually based.
On the cultural level, societies that are in a state of chaos or upheaval are more likely to produce gangs
On the individual level, gangs appeal to juveniles that are alienated from mainstream society, and embrace the upheaval as a means of social advancement.
Almost there
Psychological View
This theory is based on the viewpoint that children who develop personality defects and emotional limitations early in life (or are born with them) are predisposed to gang membership.
Studies have shown that children who embrace these labels of alienation early in life, are more likely to look for self-esteem in factors outside of themselves
Gang membership is a natural product of the by-product of dysfunctional families, emotional scarring, and other developmental issues that are temporarily “fixed” in a group setting.
Last one
Rational Choice View
This view holds that a gang is merely an organization with benefits and hindrances
Children join gangs rationally, because it suits a need for them in life. Gang membership is a means to an end, and not as complicated as the social psychological theories. Some of those needs may include:
1) Access to financial gain
2) Access to narcotics
3) An ability to commit justified violence
4) A calculated need for security
So we have a problem
While the problems of gangs are widespread, the approach to dealing with them is far from unified. There are several approaches:
The heavy-handed legal approach
This method utilizes law enforcement and laws as a means to dissuade gang membership. Some methods include:
- Prohibiting the use of gang graffiti or symbols
- Forbidding gang affiliation or association
- Severe fines and punishment for affiliation
More interventions
The Facilitation Approach
This method seeks to use law enforcement as a tool in dealing with gangs. Police are tasked with developing a street level intelligence gathering mechanism to understand gang involvement
Once intelligence is gathered, police use the data to solve crimes, dissuade membership, prevent inter-gang violence, and assist community resources
The premise of this approach is that gangs cannot be prevented, but managed.
Last one
Spergel Method
This method is the most widely used and adopted method in the US for dealing with gangs. It empl0ys a 5 pronged approach:
Strengthen community bonds through mobilization
Provide opportunity for gang members who wish to leave the organization
Use social workers to attempt to reach potential youth offenders and direct them elsewhere
Surpress gang membership through negative labeling and harsh criminal penalties
Identification and dismemberment of the organization structure of gangs. Very much akin to the way the global war on terror is being waged.
Evaluation
So which theory is correct? It is unclear. We do have some data from the application of these approaches:
When punishment is dramatically increased, there is evidence of an increase in gang cohesion
Hollywood and media endorsements of gang membership do increase membership (movies and music are the prime examples)
Police acting as the an intelligence gathering body does develop tremendously useful data on the statistics of gang membership
Police acting as a mediator between gangs and the community has not been shown to decrease criminal gang activity in any meaningful way.
