Understanding Juvenile Gangs

History of Gangs in America

  • American society has a historical presence of violent groups.
    • Examples include:
    • Boston Tea Party
    • Vigilante groups on the frontier
    • Prison gangs
  • Youth gangs also have historical roots:
    • In the 1600s, London was affected by gangs such as the Hectors, Bugles, and Dead Boys.
    • Often idealized in the popular culture of the 1950s (e.g., Happy Days, Grease, West Side Story).

Defining "Gang"

  • No universally accepted definition of a gang.
  • Erikson and Jensen: A gang consists of two or more youths engaged in delinquent behavior.
  • Walter Miller's Definition:
    • Derived from interviews with youth service workers in 24 cities.
    • Describes a youth gang as:
    • A self-formed association of peers with mutual interests.
    • Identifiable leadership with well-developed lines of authority.
    • Acts in concert to achieve specific goals, often involving illegal activities and territorial control.

Types of Gangs

  • Gangs categorized by:
    • Social class
    • Ethnic composition
    • Types of activities.
  • Cloward and Ohlin’s Typology:
    • Criminal gangs.
    • Conflict gangs.
    • Retreatist gangs.
  • Fagan’s Typology:
    • Social Gangs: Alcohol and drugs with minimal delinquency.
    • Party Gangs: Heavy drug use and vandalism.
    • Serious Delinquent Gangs: Focus on serious delinquency, avoiding drug use.

Complexity of Gangs

  • Yablonsky's Classification:
    • Institutionalized Gang: Large, important part of the criminal community (e.g., Latin Kings, Crips, Bloods).
    • Organized Club: Smaller, organized around delinquency with clear leadership and generational transmission.
    • Near Group (Local Gangs):
    • Most common:
      • Features:
      • Impermanence
      • Poorly defined leadership
      • Shifting membership
      • Limited cohesion
      • Expressive delinquency
    • Membership types: Leaders, Affiliators, Peripheral members.

Reasons for Joining a Gang

  • Motivations for youth to join gangs:
    • Need for security and protection.
    • Desire for love, friendship, and acceptance.
    • Surrogate family or family legacy.
    • Shelter, discipline, purpose.
    • Seeking status, respect, belonging.
    • Power, fear, and financial incentives (money/drugs).

Characteristics of Gang Members

  • Members distinguish themselves from the community and are recognized as separate entities.
  • Marked by:
    • Special vocabulary, clothing, signs, colors, graffiti, and gang names.
    • Pride in gang status.
    • Commitment to crime but often engage in non-criminal activities.
  • Gang demographics:
    • Majority aged between 18-24, showing a trend of aging among members.

Signs of Gang Involvement in Adolescents

  • Indicators of potential gang involvement:
    • Changes in attitude (disregard for school/sports).
    • Behavioral issues (getting into trouble).
    • New friendships unrecognized by parents.
    • Appearance changes (oversized clothing, specific colors).
    • Academic decline (sudden drop in grades).
    • Increased substance use (drugs/alcohol).
    • Displaying gang-related graffiti or tattoos.

Theories of Gang Formation

  • Early Theories: Suggest a natural inclination for gang formation among boys.
  • Anthropological View: Gangs fulfill essential tribal group needs.
  • Psychological View: Serve as an outlet for distressed youth.
  • Rational Choice View: Gangs offer opportunities for financial gain, protection, and social support.

Sociological Theories of Gang Formation

  • Frederick Thrasher (1927):
    • Gangs develop from play groups in lower-class areas due to:
    • Need for adventure and companionship.
    • Lack of legitimate opportunities, providing status through gang membership.
  • Social Disorganization Theory:
    • Gangs arise as a natural response to the challenges of living in disorganized inner-city environments.
    • Serve as status generators for boys lacking legitimate success routes.

Extent of Gang Membership in the United States

  • Historical gang statistics:
    • 1975: 55,000 gangs, 98,000 members (Walter Miller).
    • 1992: 4,881 gangs, 249,324 members.
    • 2000: 24,500 gangs, 772,500 members.
  • 2011 estimates by FBI:
    • 33,000 gangs, 1.4 million members.
    • Responsible for approximately 90% of violent crime in certain areas.
    • Growth attributed to improved reporting and increased gang activities even in smaller cities.

Importance of Gangs

  • Peer deviance serves as a strong predictor of delinquent behavior, providing a fertile environment for such behavior to develop.
  • Membership can disrupt desistance from crime, establishing intergenerational cycles of deviance.
  • The fusion of gangs with drugs/alcohol and firearms escalates violence.
  • The rise of new gang formations signals community distress, urging proactive responses to prevent escalation.