The Role of Gangs in Juvenile Delinquency
Rachael Frazier
CJUS 310-B01: Juvenile Justice
Liberty University
Professor Godwin
June 17, 2024
Abstract
The involvement of young people in gang life leaves a significant mark on their deviant behavior
trajectories by affecting the frequency and severity of criminal activities. This study delves into
the link between being part of a gang and juvenile delinquency and sees environment,
psychology, and socio-economic factors as the most determinative. Research shows gang
members experience having an identity, safety, and belonging, and the lacking support from the
family and community. Notwithstanding, this connectedness is also a factor in exposure to illegal
activities such as peer pressure and drug misuse, thereby increasing the probability of young
offenders committing crimes both violent and non-violent. nt. Identifying how gang activity
produces juvenile crime makes immaterial the tasks of creating programs aimed at prevention
and intervention, which goes together with the root causes of social inequity, educational
deficiencies, and community disintegration, stretch beyond that into gang recruitment and
retention.
The Role of Gangs in Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile delinquency remains a ubiquitous and complicated issue in contemporary
society, impacting communities all over the world. Among the numerous elements that
contribute to this problem, the impact of gangs stands out as a key and complicated driver of
juvenile criminality. Gangs, with their structured group dynamics and frequent criminal
activities, attract many young people looking for identification, protection, and belonging. This
research investigates the complex link between gang affiliation and juvenile criminality, looking
at the socioeconomic, psychological, and environmental elements that drive adolescents into
gang involvement. Understanding the role of gangs in adolescent criminality is critical for
developing targeted policies and programs that can mitigate the impact of gangs on young lives
and foster safer communities.
This research paper examines the definition, traits, and types of gangs and their influence
on juvenile delinquency. It also analyzes the connection between gang membership and
delinquent behavior, identifies the effects of gang affiliation on young people, and talks about
preventative and intervention measures that try to lessen these effects.
Causes of Gang Involvement Among Youth
Poverty harms youth, their family, and, in many cases, the entire society. It initiates social
exclusions, causing issues in mental and physical health, education, social engagement, and
future employment (MST Services, 2018). Children raised in poverty frequently have learning
and developmental issues which persist throughout their adolescence. Proverbs 19:17 says,
“whoever is kind to the poor, lends to the Lord. and will be repaid in full” (NIV). Parents may
work many jobs to make ends meet, leaving them fatigued and unprepared to connect with their
children's everyday lives. Poverty-related stress and shame for not being involved can result in
undesirable effects such as child neglect and abuse (MST Services, 2018). Lack of education,
parental support, and poor living conditions can all impact a child's engagement in the juvenile
court system. To be accepted and earn attention, youngsters frequently join gangs and participate
in undesirable criminal conduct. Parents recognize that these acts are unacceptable but often lack
the means to end them (MST Services, 2018). Street gangs are most common in low-income,
ethnic minority communities, and they form because of social neglect, ostracism, economic
marginalization, and cultural suppression (Vigil, 2019). Street socialization is the process of
learning that blurs ethnic barriers because fear and vulnerability create a demand for gang
protection, companionship, loyalty, and resources. The street gang rules the lives of unattached
kids because other institutions have been destroyed, splintered, made brittle, and mostly
ineffectual. Nonetheless, each group has its own identity (Vigil, 2019). All these stresses take
their toll, robbing many people in minority groups of their coping abilities. Youth are consigned
to the outskirts of society in every imaginable area, including disadvantaged neighborhoods,
overloaded schools, and restricted career options. This status provides them with few traditional
alternatives or resources for improving their lives. Thus, marginalization in all forms leads to the
formation of street gangs and the recruitment of gang members (Vigil, 2019).
Family troubles and parenting challenges might raise the likelihood of children entering gangs.
Many gang members come from middle-class backgrounds with both biological parents.
However, many of these youngsters come from problematic backgrounds (Muller, 2013). They
turn to the gang for what their family is unwilling to provide. Individuals seek acceptance, love,
camaraderie, leadership, encouragement, recognition, respect, role models, rules, security, self-
esteem, structure, and a sense of belonging. Meeting children's emotional needs in families leads
to beneficial outcomes; alternatively, they may turn to gangs, which is often bad (Lingren, 1996).
Parenting and family development prepare a child for his or her early life experiences and
circumstances. Strong families are a crucial component in preventing gang membership.
Effective parenting and robust family functioning, including monitoring and regular discipline,
protect against a wide range of antisocial and problem behaviors, including participation with
delinquent peers and the subsequent risk of gang membership and violence (Muller, 2013). On
the other hand, poor family functioning raises the chance of various negative consequences,
including hostility, violence, and gang involvement (National Institute of Justice, 2013). Youth
who are most likely to be involved in significant gang violence exhibit aggressive behavior at an
early age, often as early as kindergarten. Youth who start down the path of aggressiveness and
violence early on—those who are rebellious and violent in childhood—are more likely to come
from households with various difficulties that severely disrupt the parent-child interaction.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not
depart from it” (NIV).
These families struggle with parenting issues, such as harsh and inconsistent punishment, a lack
of parental love and support, and even abuse or neglect. Over time, the parent-child connection
may worsen, leading to increased antagonism and strife (National Institute of Justice, 2013).
Sense of Belonging
Friendships, romantic bonds, family, social or interest groups, church groups, and other parts of
the human experience can all help to fulfill this desire. Maslow related the need to belong to the
need to be loved, which he defined as a need for companionship and belonging in both groups
and one-on-one settings. He also states that people would "strive with great intensity to achieve
this goal." Joining a gang, by definition, is being a member of a cohesive group with a shared
identity, which can satisfy the desire for love and belonging, particularly in young people
(Betterhelp, 2024). Psychologists feel that friends and peers have a significant impact on young
people's decisions. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good
character (NIV). Aside from peers, numerous other things influence an adolescent's behavior. As
a result, you cannot measure the degree to which criminal activity is associated with a delinquent
peer. Personal, familial, and societal variables all play a vital part in developing a teenager.
Having excellent friends may help a child's self-esteem, confidence, morale, moral ideals, and
civic awareness (Lenzi et al., 2014). On the other hand, poor company might be more harmful to
the youngster. Some classmates intentionally pressure the youngster to engage in illegal activity
(Reeta, 2015). Previous studies have shown that delinquent kids influence non-delinquent youth
to engage in delinquent behavior. This provides a sense of fulfillment and strength to delinquents
(Reeta, 2015). Gangs are a common and hazardous representation of delinquent peer groups.
Gangs are frequently involved in violent crime, and gang membership may have major
implications for individuals who participate. Peers typically have a substantial impact on
teenagers who participate in gangs. Gangs offer a sense of belonging and identity that may
appeal to young people looking for acceptance and approval from their peers. Gangs frequently
engage in criminal behavior, and youth participating in gangs regard illegal behavior as normal
or even desired (Wilks, 2023).
Many adolescents are drawn to gangs due to social, economic, and cultural influences.
Adolescents who feel marginalized join gangs to form social bonds that provide them with a
sense of identity. Gangs can help certain young people deal with social adjustment issues,
notably the difficulties of puberty (Lenzi et al., 2014). In certain places, young people are
actively recruited or pressured into joining gangs. They have no option. A handful are born into
gangs because of community customs and their parents' previous (and ongoing) gang
participation or criminal behavior (Juvenile Justice Bulletin, n.d.).
Consequences of Gang Membership for Juveniles. “Gang involvement is a risk factor for
negative outcomes,” Cesar said. “It makes you more likely to be a victim and it makes you more
likely to be an offender” (Perez et al., 2020). Entry into the juvenile justice system will only
prolong and/or deepen a child’s gang involvement, it intensifies their affiliation (Perez et al.,
2020). Gang members commit more delinquent and criminal activities than non-gang members.
While gang members commit more crimes than nonmembers, not all are tied to the gang. gang
members participate in "cafeteria style" delinquency. That is, individual members seldom
specialize in a certain type of criminality (Perez et al., 2020). However, gang-related criminality
is often more violent than non-gang-related delinquency. The breadth and character of gang-
related crimes and delinquency have varied throughout time, communities, and gangs (Juvenile
and Youth Gangs - Gangs and Crime, 2024). Gang killings are more likely to involve minority
guys, automobiles, be in public settings, involve firearms, and contain many participants. Gang
killings often involve offenders and victims who have no prior personal ties. Gang homicide
offenders and victims are much younger than those engaged in nongang homicides, although
they are older than the average youth gang member (Juvenile and Youth Gangs - Gangs and
Crime, 2024).
When gang-affiliated youngsters are incarcerated, they are exposed to lifelong hazards, such as
"future offending", adult incarceration, substance abuse, financial insecurity, and negative
behavioral and mental health outcomes in adulthood (Gilman et al., 2014). Long-term gang
members have higher rates of unstable employment, school dropout, early pregnancy, and
adolescent motherhood. Female gang members were more likely to face unexpected or difficult
changes, such as insecure work, adolescent pregnancy, and early parenting. Both male and
female ex-gang members were more likely to record adult arrests. Romans 6:23 says, For the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (NIV).
Gang involvement is associated with early transitions into adulthood, which predicted disturbed
family ties and economic instability, which eventually led to criminal activity by the age of 30
(Gilman et al., 2014).
Strategies for Prevention and Intervention. To prevent adolescents from joining gangs,
communities must deploy several techniques and services, including addressing increased risk
factors for joining a gang, and reducing juvenile disputes (Youth.Gov, 2019). Improving
community-level youth supervision, providing teacher training on how to manage disruptive
students, providing students with interpersonal skills training to help resolve conflicts, providing
a youth recreation center and service referrals, and providing gang awareness training to school
personnel, parents, and students (Youth.Gov, 2019). A combination of prevention, intervention,
and suppression techniques is critical for success in every community. Prevention initiatives
target at-risk adolescents and can lower the number of youths who join gangs. Intervention
programs and initiatives give punishments and resources to younger adolescents actively
involved in gangs to divert them away from them (Kwan, 2020). Law enforcement suppression
techniques and intensive assistance are designed to target and rehabilitate the most violent and
older, criminally active gang members (Youth.Gov, 2019).
This family-centered strategy reflects a fresh direction in a long-running effort to redirect young
people away from gangs. The premise underlying it is that focusing on a single disturbed
youngster is insufficient (Newton, 2012). Children are surrounded by schools and
neighborhoods, but their families are their most important source of support and hence the
individuals to assist them. Parenting skill improvement programs can enhance parent-child
interactions (Newton, 2012).
Improving parent-child relationships can lower the probability of childhood behavior
disorders and antisocial conduct (Laudencia et al., 1997). The U.S. Department of Justice's
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) launched an effort called
Effective Parenting Strategies for Families of High-Risk Youth. The effort focuses on "family
strengthening programs," which include interventions for both parents and caregivers of children
(Laudencia et al., 1997). The parenting project attempts to increase families' abilities to raise
children by including the entire family. These programs cater to the community's requirements,
addressing both dysfunctional and well-functioning families (Laudencia et al., 1997).
In Summary. The engagement of young people in gangs is a complicated issue that is
impacted by a range of family and socioeconomic circumstances (Cuentas, 2018) asserts that
poverty and a lack of employment possibilities are major factors in young people's decision to
join a gang. In areas where the economy is struggling, gangs frequently show up as obvious
choices for both purpose and financial security. Family dysfunction and dynamics also play a
significant role in this problem. Children who come from families where there has been abuse,
neglect, or insufficient supervision are more prone to go to gangs for the support and acceptance
they need. To successfully address these root issues and prevent juvenile engagement in gangs,
comprehensive methods must be put into place. This entails expanding financial options,
strengthening family support networks, and offering constructive substitutes like leisure and
educational activities. Society can reduce the appeal of gang membership and promote healthier
developmental pathways for young people by addressing these underlying factors and creating a
safer and more supportive environment for them. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son, that who so ever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life” (NIV). God knew this life would not be easy. Jesus preached the gospel when He
was on the world. He preached that we would not die if we confessed our sins, trust in Him, and
receive baptism in both the water and the Spirit. We will receive forgiveness. That is made
possible by Jesus's sacrifice. Plenty of difficulties and unknowns. He was aware that we would
fail and make errors. So, He sent His Son to live among us, Jesus Christ. Jesus had a faultless
and blameless life. He imparted His gospel and demonstrated for us what a moral life was. He
offered his own life voluntarily to atone for our transgressions. He is our kind Redeemer and
Savior.
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