Adolescence

Gangs: Protecting Today’s Youth - Part One

Deterring youth gang involvement.

Posted February 28, 2015

Source: Elvert Barnes/Flickr Creative Commons

Gangs are a problem plaguing our nation. While trends show a steady decrease from the past, gangs are still prevalent in many communities throughout the U.S. Unfortunately, many gangs lure susceptible youth into their ranks leading them down a path of criminal activity, drugs and ultimately destruction. As a society what can we do to help deter these vulnerable youth from becoming involved in gang activity? To answer this question, and many more, I turned to an expert in gang involvement and detective for an urban police department. Due to the nature of his job, he requested that his identity remain anonymous. Join us as we delve into this two part series Gangs: Protecting Today's Youth.

Q1 - How big is the gang problem in America?

Too big! Gangs have spread from coast to coast and border to border. What law enforcement is seeing today in the American culture is the rapid growth of criminal organizations that are actively recruiting juveniles. Also, a more recent trend with some gangs is the recruitment and promotion of females within the rank structure. Females are trying to earn their rank in the same manner as their male counterparts by shooting, robbing, selling narcotics, etc. Recruiting new members, male or female, is the living force of any criminal organization, which in turn has affected the violent crime rate among juveniles.

Source: Tom Brandt/Flickr Creative Commons

Q2 - Which kids are at the greatest risk for gang involvement?

There are several types of kids who are at risk. Any kid who has a broken relationship with his/her guardian is at risk. Once the line of communication is broken, the child is susceptible to criminal activity. Guardians have to keep the lines of communication open with the juvenile, and the juvenile has to know that the guardian loves and will protect him/her. Gangs replace the family network for kids and provide them with money, emotional support, and security.

Many of the gang initiations or “jump in” rituals in which the kid is beaten for a certain amount of time by a specific number of members ends with the gang hugging the new member. Some gang members have expressed to me that they had never been hugged by anyone in their family or told “I love you” by anyone, and that at the end of their “jump in,” the gang hugs were overpowering. These kids get drawn in by the family atmosphere and believe that the gang will always be there for them.

Kids who have shown an affinity towards violence are also at risk. Some kids are prone to a predatory mindset and become enamored with a gang that will reward them for assaulting other gangs or citizens. They may seek out the most violent gang in their area, and try to get recruited. These kids may or may not have a strong connection with their guardians. For them, it is about being the dominant figure in a fight.

Some kids are drawn to gangs because they see them as cool. This sounds crazy to the average guardian who works and has a stake in conformity, but to some kids, the gang lifestyle is glamorous. Images and artists can influence kids into mimicking what they see in music videos. I have seen elementary school-aged kids trying to imitate gang hand signs, and I have been in homes where videos showing rappers throwing up gang signs are being watched by small children. I think it seeps into culture and slowly becomes acceptable.

I have also encountered kids who have a mother and father and a nice home, and they still join a gang and commit felonies. Some kids just want to be part of something that everyone else admires. Also, unfortunately, the children of undocumented citizens are being targeted for recruitment as well. So the influx in the Hispanic community in the southern states has also been fertile ground for Latin Kings, Sureno Gangs, and Nortino Gangs.

Source: Ano Lobb/Flickr Creative Commons

Q3 - What attracts youth to gangs?

Gangs have become so mainstream now with the advent of modern story-based video games with gang members as characters. Our current generation is inundated with music videos, social media, internet, gangsta rap, movies glorifying criminals, violent video games glorifying criminals, and communities glorifying criminals. I am not blaming a video game for a kid putting a gun in his waist band and a flag (bandana) in his pocket and going out and robbing and/or shooting a person. I do believe, however, that we are slowly allowing this behavior to become acceptable instead of abhorrent.

Kids also seem to believe that clothing and social status are important. Kids make poor long-term decisions, so the attraction is immediate. For lack of a better term, gangs have become the epitome of cool for many circles of American youth. Kids can become interested in gangs and only see what they want to see.

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