Week 3 Response

Each response needs to be 250 words with one reference each.

Response 1 Roulidis

Gang members are groups of people that are part of a group or subculture.  Gangs are associated with violence in 50 states and the District of Columbia.  Many members start off as youth 12-17 and the members increased by 2007.  In NYC the gang members were 32% Black, 11% White and 50% Latino and a 2-1 ratio of male to female.  The attraction to join a gang is for protection, fun, respect, money or a personal interest.  There are many risk factors associated with youth joining gangs; antisocial behavior, alcohol and drug use, mental health problems, victimization and negative life events. Community risks include higher criminal activity or illegal behaviors, and firearms and drug use.  (DOJ, 2010)

 

Middle class is associated with an economic group of families and include the type of profession associated with this class of people.  Delinquency is considered conduct of youth engaging in minor crimes or behavior.  Middle class delinquency is the idea of youth who are financially secure and educated behaving badly or unlawfully. 

 

I believe that the youth that come from more affluent homes have access to cars, money, drugs, alcohol and other opportunity to behave illegally.  The middle class have the funds to buy expensive drugs (cocaine) while the gangs buy the cheaper drugs (PCP, meth, crack).   The behavior is illegal but the middle class or more affluent class of people might get pardoned more than the gang members.    The parents of the youth of the middle class look to hide the offender’s behavior.  There are different reasons for each type of criminal, rebellion vs emotionally disturbed.  (NCJRS, 1979)

 

The theorical idea of the middle-class delinquency to the typical gang member might be the type of crimes committed.  The middle class might commit white collar crimes including mortgage fraud, theft, securities fraud, embezzling, tax evasion, Ponzi schemes, insider trading compared to street crime activity including tagging or defacing property, selling drugs, car-jacking, violent crimes, property crimes, and illegal firearms use.  

 

I believe that money is the major factor, opportunity and motive play a role pertaining to middle class delinquency and its relation to gangs.  

Response 2 Saga

Subcultures can be described as a group with different values than the rest of society (Thompson K, 2019). They exist within larger societies and not as a separate entity (American Public University, 2020). Subcultures can exist within a professional setting such as law enforcement as well as in a criminal environment. Researchers believe that deviance exists from entire groups breaking away from society to impose their deviant values into their lifestyle (Thompson K, 2019).        

There are various reasons an individual associated with the lower and middle class may join a gang or turn to deviant behavior. One reason is family structure. Poor parenting can lead children to branch out into criminal activities such as selling drugs, stealing, or even joining a gang. Criminal behavior is acceptable within their subculture to those children and not seen as anti-social behavior (American Public University, 2020). Children within an impoverished subculture see individuals who are benefitting from criminal activity. The individuals/children within a low social, economic class see criminal gang members wearing expensive jewelry, driving nice cars, and flaunting their money. That type of activity can entice individuals/children within a poor community. They may begin to desire that lifestyle, leading them to join a criminal subculture for financial gain. They may see this form of unlawful activity as the only way to gain status within their subculture and the only way they may be able to attain significant prosperity (American Public University, 2020).  

Another reason an individual may join a gang may be due to peer influences. Peer influence is a significant factor that leads to countless juveniles join gangs. Kids can be pressured by friends and family members to join a gang and participate in criminal activity. Children within these settings can feel like an outsider if they refuse to join a gang. They can also be physically attacked if they opt-out of joining a gang, which leads them to join a gang for protection (American Public University, 2020). Some children within criminal subcultures may also be peer pressured by their parents being a part of a gang. They may feel as though they have to join the same gang as their parents to feel like part of the family. Children that live within an environment with parents who are active gang members are usually introduced to criminal activity at a young age. This, in turn, makes them believe that illegal activity is normal. 

Children living in an environment that is disorganized and lacks social control are more susceptible to criminal activity. In such an environment, criminals are usually a daily part of the child’s life, mimicking their behavior. Gangs are prevalent and easily accessible to children within the middle- and lower-class environment. Unfortunately, some children may never have a chance at leading a normal productive life due to the environment they are introduced into. While various reasons can lead an individual to middle-class delinquency, it is my opinion that the two main actors that lead to middle-class delinquency are poor family structure and peer influence.