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There are many reasons why young people become involved with gangs. Young people may want to join gangs: for protection from others — gangs, groups or peers for safety in numbers to be accepted to feel part of a 'family' for a sense of identity for respect because siblings or other family members are involved for status amongst peers and others because gangs are common in the area due to fear of intimidation or threats from others due to peer pressure due to a lack of family or emotional support due to cultural identity because they lack positive role models because they're bored because they think it's attractive and cool for financial gain and other rewards Drill music Drill music first came from Brixton, south London in and has since become a lot more popular with older and younger people.
How can we make this page easier to use? They may worry about giving up protection or money that they receive because of their child's gang involvement. Parents may have to deal with the legal consequences of their child's past behavior. However it is important to be involved to protect your child from drugs, violence and criminal activity. If you suspect your child is involved in gang activity, look to agencies in your community for help. You can involve your child in other activities and limit unstructured time.
Many communities have local gang prevention task forces. Police departments have Juvenile Officers who are willing to meet with parents to with early gang intervention.
Juvenile Officers are familiar with gang behaviors and repeat offenders, and can tell you if your child is on dangerous path. A trained mental health professional can help parents evaluate and treat mental health problems that may have contributed to gang involvement. Your support will help us continue to produce and distribute Facts for Families , as well as other vital mental health information, free of charge.
Parents need to teach children how to share, compromise and take turns, how to listen to what others have to say, and how to be a group member. Since the gang may be the most active organization in the neighborhood, parents must provide the opportunity for participation in youth organizations and athletic teams in order for children to practice group skills. If organizations do not exist in the neighborhood, parents must be willing to get involved to manage them.
Also, set a good example for your children when you participate in group settings. Children may feel that they do not have a sense of purpose in life and seek gang activities to reinforce their self-esteem.
Parents must strengthen children's sense of purpose by setting expectations for their personal behavior. Expect your children to have respect for others, to obey authority, to be honest and to do one's best. Help children set realistic goals so they feel a sense of accomplishment. Challenge your children to expand their interests. Work with the school to determine what opportunities are available for children.
Keep communications open with school authorities and teachers. Children may join a gang to retaliate for personal injury or damage to friends or family. Parents must develop a support group in the community that can deal with children's sorrow or frustration. If necessary there are agencies and school employees who are capable of helping children to deal with these feelings of anger.
The primary age group of gang members ranges generally from 13 to 21 years. Interviews of gang members indicate that joining a gang is seldom understood by the gang members themselves, but can vary from brotherhood to self-preservation as listed below. Gang members cannot achieve an identity in their environment, so they gain it in the gang culture.
They often visualize themselves as warriors against the outside world, protecting their neighborhood. Joining a gang in a community with several gangs offers considerable protection from violence and attack from rival gangs. Studies indicate that a tight family structure is lacking in the home environment. Gang activity offers that closeness, that sense of family that is often lacking in the home. Membership can become very dangerous at this level of "recruitment. No ethnic group or geographical location is excluded.
Unlike gangs in the past, we are seeing mixed ethnic and socio-economic groups making up gangs. There is an on-going struggle for territorial control and the lucrative drug market among gangs in our community. School personnel, parents and community members need to be aware of these dynamics in their schools, homes, and in the community at large.
There are a variety of personal reasons for young people joining gangs. These include: the excitement of gang activity, the need to belong, peer pressure, attention, financial benefit, family tradition, and a lack of realization of the hazards involved. This also is a way students with poor self-concept increase their self-esteem. These young people seek to attain recognition for their activities, whether criminal or not. Gangs supply that extra pat-on-the-back that they might not receive at home or at school.
Parents need to be aware of what's going on in their child's life. If young people cannot communicate their concerns and problems to someone significant at home or at school, they could make a negative decision to join a gang, which would affect them for the rest of their lives. Characteristics in gang behavior can range from a poor general attitude to clear-cut personality disorders that can at times parallel the criminal mind.
Caution is wise when thinking one can place all gangs into one behavioral category. Outside the turf, the gang member may seem likable, open and friendly.
This can often result in sudden non-cooperation, or worse, violent retaliation. Appearance can be very deceiving. But, a gang member can also display poor internalizing skills, be chronically angry, resentful of authority, and can be an accomplished liar.
The more violent gang member can be callused, remorseless, lack realistic long-term goals, be prone to easy boredom and have poor impulse control. Today in many mature, modern criminal street gangs violence is often a means to an end. Material profit, through drug trafficking and other criminal activities, is the prime objective. Studies in modern gang behavior indicate that violent gangs have a strong capacity to deal with fear and are therefore not easily intimidated by authority. They have cut fear off.
They experience excitement at every stage of a crime, are concrete thinkers, have little interest in responsible performance or a display of ownership.
They consider themselves basically decent human beings, and therefore justified in what they do. Each gang member wants to be in charge, but often has poor leadership skills, is chronically angry and defensive, cannot be structured or do tasks for a protracted period of time.
Gangs pressure kids into gangs by using the following methods:. Graffiti is a clear marking of territorial boundaries which serves as a warning and challenge to rival gangs. It is also used to communicate messages between gangs. Youth hanging out around public parks, high schools, fast food stands, convenience stores and other hang outs for teenagers.
Frequent use of public phone booths by people who actually receive calls there. Increase in crime - Gang related acts such as vandalism, assaults, burglaries, robberies, and even random drive-by shootings. Become aware of what's going on in your neighborhood and community.
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