ool. Fourth, individuals usually join a gang in their late teens, debunking the myth that younger kids are influenced to join by older gang members. Jankowski then delineates the real reasons for joining a gang: material incentives, recreation, refuge, and rebellion.
Much like any other organization, gangs attract and keep members based on their ability to deliver services to their members. Jankowski identifies three methods of recruitment: fraternity, obligation, and coercive.
Fraternity recruitment begins with an initial meeting in which prospective members are told about the benefitsùdrugs, parties, and women, to name a few (Jankowski 48). While the individual checks out the gang, the gang checks out the individual, especially if he is not known to the leadership. Prospective gang members are assessed for their courage and commitment, and also scrutinized for any connections to law enforcement so as to keep informants out. Gangs that utilize fraternity recruitment enjoy legitimacy within the community and limit their membership. Such gangs often are prosperous; hence, they have little desire to admit too many new members and dilute that economic share.
Obligation recruitment involves a call to duty. The pitch centers on the individualÆs obligation to the community. This method is usually employed by long-time neighborhood gangs, groups that have provided protection to a community for many years, among other functions. That protection has earned them the support of the community, especially its older members. Recruiters also emphasize that the gang provides jobs and prestige. Conversely, failure to join will prompt a loss of respect for that person in the community. This method of recruitment is used mostly by Irish and Chicano gangs (Jankowski 53-54).
Coercive recruitment arises in situations where the gang needs to increase membership quickly, usually as a result of expansion into new territory...