GANG PREVENTION
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Gangs are expanding, evolving and posing an increasing threat to U.S. communities nationwide. many gangs are sophisticated criminal networks with members who are violent, distribute wholesale quantities of drugs, and develop and maintain close working relationships with members and associates of transnational criminal organizations. Gangs are becoming more violent while engaging in less typical and lower-risk crime, such as prostitution and white-collar crime. Gangs are more organized, sophisticated, adaptable and opportunistic, exploiting new and advanced technology as a means to recruit, communicate discreetly, target their rivals, and perpetuate their criminal activity.
There were approximately 1.4 million active street, prison, and O.G. gang members comprising more than 33,000 gangs in the United states in 2011. An increase from 1.0 million in the assessment prior to 2011, which was an increase from the assessment prior to that and the one prior to that. Gang membership has been on the rise since the numbers have been reported - some can be attributed to better law enforcement training and identification - some can be attributed to better documentation and political acceptance but a large portion of that increase is believed to be in a growth in membership. |
Gang membership increased most significantly in the Northeast and southeast regions, although the West and Great lakes regions boast the highest number of gang members. Neighbor- hood-based gangs, hybrid gang members, and national-level gangs such as the Sureños are rapidly expanding in many jurisdictions. many communities are also experiencing an increase in ethnic-based gangs such as African, Asian, Caribbean, and Eurasian gangs. Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions and up to 90 percent in several others
A common public perception is that most youth are coerced into joining a gang. Quite to the contrary, most who join want to belong to a gang. Gangs are often at the center of appealing social action— parties, hanging out, music, drugs, and opportunities to socialize with members of the opposite sex. The gang may be appealing because it meets a person's social needs.
There are many reasons why we think that people join a gang but in survey after survey we find that young people reported the following reasons for joining a gang, in the order of descending importance (Esbensen, Deschenes, and Winfree, 1999):
A common public perception is that most youth are coerced into joining a gang. Quite to the contrary, most who join want to belong to a gang. Gangs are often at the center of appealing social action— parties, hanging out, music, drugs, and opportunities to socialize with members of the opposite sex. The gang may be appealing because it meets a person's social needs.
There are many reasons why we think that people join a gang but in survey after survey we find that young people reported the following reasons for joining a gang, in the order of descending importance (Esbensen, Deschenes, and Winfree, 1999):
- For Protection.
- For Fun.
- For Respect.
- For Money.
- Peer Pressure.
- Family Generational Influence.
