Chapter 9

Page 1: Title Page

• Juvenile Delinquency, Fourth Edition

• Chapter 9: Gangs and Delinquency

• Copyright © 2024, 2022, 2018 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Page 2: Street Gangs and Organized Crime (1 of 2)

• Urban street gangs have evolved over 30 years into small criminal empires.

• Equipped with military weapons (Uzis, AK-47s, M-16s) for various operations:

  • Narcotics

  • Auto theft

  • Prostitution

  • Gun running

  • Extortion

• Illegal drugs are central to gang operations:

  • Crack, fentanyl, PCP, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA (Ecstasy).

• Although adult-led, juveniles play crucial roles in daily gang activities.

Page 3: Street Gangs and Organized Crime (2 of 2)

• Increased business-like operations have led to partnerships with organized crime groups:

  • Mexican drug cartels

  • Asian criminal groups

  • Russian organized crime.

• Gangs utilize technology (computers, phones, Internet) to conduct and conceal operations.

• Youth gangs present a problem in urban, suburban, and rural areas across the U.S.

Page 4: Nature and Extent of Gang Activity

• 2012 National Gang Survey: Over 30,000 gangs and 850,000 gang members in the U.S.

• 2023 FBI data: Approximately 33,000 violent street, motorcycle, and prison gangs are active today.

• Gangs have evolved from transient groups to organized supergangs and violent drug-trafficking entities.

Page 5: Development of Gangs in the Twentieth and Early Twenty-First Centuries

Page 6: Figure 9–1

• Percentage of Law Enforcement Agency Reporting Gang Problems by Community Type, 1996-2012.

Page 7: Definitions of Gangs

• Gang: A group of youths bound by mutual interests, identifiable leadership, and collective goals, primarily involving illegal activity.

Page 8: Historical Contributions to Gang Understanding

• Frederick Thrasher (1927): Defined youth gangs; studied over a thousand in Chicago.

• Martín Sánchez Jankowski: Studied 37 gangs in NYC and LA; explored urban poverty and gang involvement.

• Walter B. Miller: Analyzed changes in gangs from the 1960s till 2004.

• Joan Moore: Researched female gangs in LA, highlighting their evolution and criminal involvement.

• James Diego Vigil: Explored gang members' self-identity in Chicago's barrios.

• James F. Short, Jr.: Focused on social process theories in gang dynamics.

• Irving Spergel: Known for gang prevention and intervention strategies.

• Finn-Aage Esbensen: Developed comprehensive youth gang definitions considering demographics and sense of identity.

Page 9: Profiles of Gang Members

• Key dimensions:

  • Age of membership

  • Size of the gang

  • Commitment to the gang

  • Attraction of the gang

Page 10: Table 9–1: Attraction of Gangs (1 of 3)

• Reasons for Gang Formation:

  • Social discrimination leads to longing for acceptance.

  • Lack of family structures fosters need for surrogate families.

  • Feelings of powerlessness drive desire for power.

  • Abuse and fear result in needing security.

  • Economic deprivation spurs search for financial means.

Page 11: Table 9–1: Attraction of Gangs (2 of 3)

• Additional reasons:

  • School failure pushes towards gangs as alternatives.

  • Low self-esteem seeking opportunities for enhancement.

  • Lack of rites of passage drives need for alternate adulthood pathways.

  • Boredom prompts association with gangs.

  • Pathological needs create environments for aggression expression.

  • Influence of migrating gang members impacts youth engagement.

Page 12: Table 9–1: Attraction of Gangs (3 of 3)

• Influences:

  • Media portrayals of gangs reinforce attraction.

  • Peer pressure and tradition strong impacts on youth engagement.

Page 13: Gangs in Schools (1 of 2)

• Schools serve as hotspots for gang violence.

• Violence varies based on community socio-economic conditions and gang traditions.

Page 14: Figure 9–2

• Percentage of Students Ages 12–18 Reporting Gang Presence at School, 2001-2015 by Urbanicity.

Page 15: Gangs in Schools (2 of 2)

• Gang violence methods include:

  • Gang-affiliated students more likely to carry firearms.

  • Recruiting tactics involve physical threats against non-members.

  • Regular conflicts arise due to multiple gangs in schools.

  • Rivalry between schools adds to violence issues.

Page 16: Gangs, Schools, and Drugs

• Gangs have shifted to drug dealing as an economic base.

• Selling techniques:

  • Signals from windows to non-students.

  • Selling in bathrooms, lunchrooms, parking lots.

• Younger children often serve as lookouts and later become couriers.

Page 17: Figure 9-3

• Three Gang Recruitment Strategies:

  1. Fraternity type - Presentation as 'in' organization.

  2. Obligation type - Pressure to join as a duty.

  3. Coercive type - Direct threats to individuals or family for joining.

Page 18: Gang Recruitment and Initiation Rites (1 of 2)

• Recruitment is targeted at younger members, vulnerable in junior high.

• Common initiation methods include:

  • "Blessed in"

  • "Jumped in" (fight with members)

  • Female initiation often requires sexual service.

Page 19: Gang Recruitment and Initiation Rites (2 of 2)

• New members may need to:

  • Participate in illegal acts.

  • Assist in drug trafficking.

  • Engage in violent acts such as shootings.

  • Commit gang-assigned murders.

Page 20: Law-Violating Behaviors and Gang Activities

• Core members engage in more serious delinquency than fringe members.

• National Youth Gang Survey identified:

  • Drug-related factors

  • Intergang conflict as top contributors to local violence.

• Technology increasingly utilized for criminal activity.

• Trend towards gangs becoming organized crime groups.

Page 21: Figure 9-4

• Factors Influencing Local Gang Violence:

  1. Gang member migration from outside the U.S.

  2. Internal migration.

  3. Intra- and intergang conflict.

  4. Drug-related factors.

Page 22: Gangs in Small Communities (1 of 2)

• Since the 1990s, gang presence has been notable in various community types.

• Emerging gangs: Youth gangs formed in the late 1980s-1990s, evolving continuously.

• Development linked to:

  • Drug-trafficking gangs recruiting locals for crack cocaine sales.

Page 23: Gangs in Small Communities (2 of 2)

• Other factors for gang formation in small communities:

  • Independent drug-trafficking networks sprouting from local youths.

  • Urban gang members relocating establishing local chapters.

  • Locally developed gang structures where external intervention is minimal.

• Development stages of emerging gangs affect their activity levels.

Page 24: Figure 9-5

• Stages of Gang Development:

  1. Implementation

  2. Expansion and conflict

  3. Organization and consolidation

  4. Gang intimidation and community reaction

  5. Expansion of drug markets

  6. Gang takeover

  7. Community deterioration

Page 25: Racial and Ethnic Gangs (1 of 2)

• Types of racial and ethnic gangs:

  • Hispanic/Latino

  • Black

  • Asian

  • Caucasian

  • Native American

• Nearly 50% of gang members are Hispanic/Latino.

Page 26: Figure 9-6

• Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members, 1996-2012

  • Graph illustrating demographic trends over time.

Page 27: Racial and Ethnic Gangs (2 of 2)

• Types of Racial and Ethnic Gangs:

  • Hispanic/Latino gangs

  • Black gangs

  • Asian gangs

  • Caucasian gangs

  • Native American gangs

Page 28: Figure 9-7

• Common Gang Hand Signs

Page 29: Female Delinquent Gangs

• Studies recognize female gangs with notable violence.

• Adolescent females often aligned with male gangs.

• Loyalty to gangs parallels or surpasses family loyalty.

• Female gang engagement is linked to delinquency and substance abuse.

Page 30: Table 9–2

• Types of Gangs:

  • Urban Gangs: Predominantly adult members involved in illegal activities.

  • Emerging Gangs: Juvenile focus, law-violating behavior in smaller communities.

  • Racial and Ethnic Gangs: Varying demographics, illegal activities reflective of ethnic backgrounds.

  • Female Delinquent Gangs: Mostly urban, helping male counterparts with various activities.

Page 31: Table 9–3: Theories of Why Juveniles Join Gangs (1 of 2)

• Normal Part of Growing Up:

  • Joining gangs is part of adolescent experience.

• Strain Theory:

  • Gangs are sought to achieve otherwise unobtainable success.

Page 32: Table 9–3: Theories of Why Juveniles Join Gangs (2 of 2)

• Social Disorganization:

  • Gangs emerge from urban slum conditions.

• Underclass Theory:

  • Exclusion from labor markets pushes youth towards gangs for economic opportunities.

Page 33: Delinquency Across the Life Course: Gang Membership

• Gang membership viewed as a trajectory influenced by:

  • Childhood risk factors

  • Family dynamics

  • Adolescent influences.

Page 34: Prevention and Control of Youth Gangs (1 of 3)

• Five intervention strategies identified:

  • Community organization and networking

  • Social intervention

  • Opportunity provision

  • Suppression

  • Organizational development.

Page 35: Prevention and Control of Youth Gangs (2 of 3)

• Essential components for effective gang prevention include:

  • Community responsibility in implementation.

  • Recognition of structural hopelessness.

  • Emphasis on early prevention (first six years of school).

Page 36: Prevention and Control of Youth Gangs (3 of 3)

• Coordinated effort across multiple intervention strategies needed.

• Sufficient funding necessary for model implementation.

Page 37: Copyright Notice

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