Gang Membership Prevention in American Society
Evangelin Samuel
Professor Karl Stowe
Introduction to Sociology
26 November 2019
Gang Membership Prevention in American Society
Gang membership has been a problem that Americans have been combating since the mid-20[th] century. It is seen in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and reports of gangs have risen in the last few years. Despite the apparent linear growth in the number and size of gangs across the United States, including the criminal behavior and violence they give rise to, very little is known about the dynamics that fuels a gang and the ways to prevent or decrease their growth. Currently no consensus exists on how gangs form, and very few prevention programs ...
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that lead up to the mid-1990s (W.B. Miller, 2001). Whereas in the 1970s, only 19 states reported youth gang problems, now all 50 states and the District of Columbia are in a war against gang activity. Gang problems reported by law enforcement in the National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS) peaked in the mid-1990s, followed by a sharp decline (Egley, Howell, and Major, 2004). However, an overall 15-percent increase in youth gang problems have been reported in the NYGS. Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs, by James C. Howell, researched this decline from 2002 to 2008, and found that all sections of the U.S. population have reported an increase in gang-related issues: suburban counties had an increase of 22%, rural counties increased by16%, smaller cities 15%, and larger cities 13% (Egley, Howell, and Moore, 2010). Students have reported a very similar trend in gang activity going on in schools. In the mid-1990s, 28 percent of a national sample of students reported that ...
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of Youth Who Are Gang Members
Kansas City, MO
10.1
Las Cruces, NM
11.0
Milwaukee, WI
15.4
Omaha, NE
11.4
Philadelphia, PA
7.7
Pheonix, AZ
12.6
Providence, RI
6.0
Torrance, CA
6.3
Will County, IL
3.8
Overall
9.1
Source: Ebensen et al., 2010, table 5.1.
During adolescence, peer groups and social networks form, which can either positively or negatively influence a youth's life. Instead of immediately joining serious, violent gangs, some youth become involved in less delinquent groups, called "starter gangs." Children and adolescents form starter gangs to introduce themselves to gang culture (i.e., distinctive attitudes, slang, ...
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"Gang Membership Prevention in American Society." Essayworld.com. October 25, 2020. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gang-Membership-Prevention-in-American-Society/107491.
"Gang Membership Prevention in American Society." Essayworld.com. October 25, 2020. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gang-Membership-Prevention-in-American-Society/107491.
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