Gangs in the United States
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Gangs have received a significant amount of media attention in recent years. Fear of gang violence is prevalent throughout the United States. Communities, urban, rural, and suburban, are faced with finding solutions to gang activity. Street gangs are active in 94 percent of this country's major cities (Violence, 1994, p. 3). Thirty-five percent of these cities reported the number of gang members at between 100 and 500; an additional 42 percent reported gang membership at more than 500 members. There are at least 800 "gang cities" in the United States, and almost 10,000 different gangs, comprised of half a million gang members, are represented, (Klein, 1995, p. 217). The definition of a street gang can change from location to location and from one period to another. Different types of gangs exist, each with its own characteristics. Membership in gangs is growing. The causes of the increase in gang membership, the cycles of activity, and the definition of a gang member all need to be understood before solutions can be formulated and tested. The first recognized definition of what a gang is was given by Frederick Thrasher in 1927 as "a group that forms spontaneously and without any special attachment to existing parts of society" (Ballinger, 1995, p. 5). His definition was based on the fact that he believed that individuals formed themselves into gangs because they provide for a common group ident
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ve grown up together and were playmates when younger. Gangs are structured around neighborhood loyalties and territories. The gang members are still in the same peer group as the youths who have not joined the gang, and can exert pressure to join.
The second way the gangs recruit is more active. The gangs can use intimidation and violence. Any youth between the ages of 10 and 25, living in gang-controlled territory is susceptible (Hutchison, & Kyle, 1993, p. 119). At the first confrontation between the individual and the gang, if the individual claims not to have a gang affiliation, then the gang will suggest he think about joining the gang. At the second encounter, the gang will likely suggest that the individual belongs to a rival gang. Harassment and intimidation will begin, eventually becoming violent.
In the suburbs, the threats of intimidation are usually not as extreme as in the inner city. Gang membership is still based on interpersonal and family ties in each community (Monti, 1993, p. 243). Members of the suburban gangs tend to be more mobile, and, if they choose to earn money in an illegal activity, the activity is usually drug dealing.
Initiation
Joining a gang can be as simple as declaring membe
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Approximate Word count = 2850
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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