The Social Problem Of Gangs - 948 Words

The Social Work Dictionary defines a social problem as â€Å"a condition among people leading to behaviors that violate some people’s values and norms and cause emotional or economic suffering†. The above definition accurately describes the social problem that gangs are, and their impact on a community. People who live in gang infested neighborhoods live daily with fears of losing their lives and the lives of loved ones. That fear, along with the fear that their family members will join the gang, or that they will be physically harmed in some way by the gang. They may exhibit many emotional, psychological and physical problems that people who don’t live in gang infested neighborhoods do not. Since before the 1940’s law enforcement and others have attempted to put a stop to gangs. These solutions usually hampered gang activity but didn’t eradicate it. Gangs evolve their practices over time to adjust to law enforcement tactics. Today gangs are involve d in sex trafficking rather than drug dealing. Sex trafficking is easier to hide, more profitable and has less legal ramifications. The problem of gangs persists and lives are still being lost today. Gangs are truly are an assault on whatever community they are in. They tear at the very fabric of family and community life. There have been many attempts to solve the problem of gangs, but most were not backed up by data or hard evidence and therefore they are difficult to assess. One factor as to why gangs cannot be stopped permanentlyShow MoreRelatedSocial Problems Associated with Street Gangs Essay1804 Words   |  8 PagesSocial Problems Associated with Street Gangs Gangs are becoming prevalent in today’s society and within our schools. More and more young people are turning to gangs in an attempt to escape their everyday lives and the future, which they perceive as dismal and bleak. They are initially attracted to the prestige and cash flow, which is glamorized by the street gang. Many gangs are actively involved in criminal misconduct, such as drug and gun trafficking, burglaries and homicides. However, streetRead MoreViolence Is An Everyday Act That We Have Seen In Society,1588 Words   |  7 Pagesact that we have seen in society, and in result has become a problem. Gang violence, on the other hand, has been a social problem of violence for decades in the United States. In particular, it has been a serious problem in California that is has been known to be the â€Å"gang capital† in the United States, and a problem in a local scale. According to â€Å"FBI.org† , there are over 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycl e gangs, and prison gangs(FBI, 2015). Consequently, this brings fear and intimidation towardRead MoreNot All Street Gangs Were Formed For Ill Doing1745 Words   |  7 PagesNot all street gangs were formed for ill doing. Many people might think down on the creation of gangs but it is a part of survival in their region. Street gangs, which pull peers into gangs for protection and social status, assemble to protect their neighborhood, family and friends from other street gangs thus causing rising crime rate and innocent people dying because of this. First off, there are a few definitions for gangs because authorities had a hard time explaining what a gang even is. â€Å"WalterRead MoreYouth Gang Membership : A Serious Problem Affecting Many Youths Essay1272 Words   |  6 PagesYouth Gang membership is a serious problem affecting many youths in America. Per the National Youth Gang Survey by the U.S. Justice Department puts the number of youths in gangs at only about 302,000. But a 2015 study by G. Gately found that there are more than 1 million youth gang members. Many youth gang members join around 12 and 13 years old, peaking at 14 years of age (Tara Young, 2014). This review will detail the main reasons youths enter gangs, outreach programs that are making a differenceRead MoreGang Violence And The United States1470 Words   |  6 PagesGangs have been a part of American culture in the United States since the early 19th century when immigrant youth organized themselves into street gangs as a means of urban and econo mic survival. Today, gang violence has reached an almost catastrophic level in the United States. Criminal street gangs have become one of the most serious crime problems in California. Gang violence accounts for one of the largest personal threats to public safety for nearly all the cities in this state. Salinas, CaliforniaRead MoreSocial Influences Of Female Gang Membership1474 Words   |  6 PagesWithin the last decades, gangs have become one of the fastest growing issues in the United States. When most people define gangs, females are not part of the definition. Most government officials and researchers do not see females a contributor to the fasting growth of gangs in the United States when in fact, the number of females associated with gangs is constantly increasing. Female gang membership in the United States is estimated to be between 10 and 35 percent of the gang population, with someRead MoreThe Problem Of Violence And Violence1702 Words   |  7 Pagesthe UK’s G overnment has reviewed the existence of gangs and the extent of violence caused by these gangs. An intensive prevention strategy has been put into place and has been running for a small number of years. Failing to evaluate the effectiveness of the project; the Home Office have spent over  £10 million on their ‘Ending Gang and Youth Violence’ programme (House of Commons, 2017). It is paramount that a unified definition of the term ‘gangs’ is understood by the Home Office and Police forcesRead MoreComprehensive Gang Model: Solving Our Gang Problem714 Words   |  3 Pagesreal gang epidemic in this country; even the nicest, most wealth off cities in America have been infiltrated by gangs. Gangs have been around for centuries, and they will continue to grow and pervade our country. The only way to address the gang problem in the city is to tackle it head on. The probability of effectively averting gang activity is larger if community initiatives are concent rated on risk factors and are data driven and research centered (Howell, 2012). To eliminate gangs and gang activityRead MoreGun Violence1218 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿The Gangs In Our Communities By: Adam Taylor What set do you claim? Isn’t that a question we all hear at some point in our school years and maybe sometimes even after. Well I remember being in elementary school and not having to worry about nothing but recess. Those were the days of no worries and no stress. Then came middle school and that’s when things begin to change. Middle school is more about who you hang out with and how you dress. That’s where most of it starts. At the level of middleRead MoreClassification of Gangs847 Words   |  4 PagesClassification of Gangs Introduction The problem of classifying gangs has interested both sociologists and law enforcement. For the purpose of law enforcement, a gang is generally defined as an organized group among the members of which there is well-designed communication. This paper evaluates classification schemes from current research for gangs. The objective is to discover the issues and problems in creating classifications for gangs including a definition which delineates what constitutes a gang and differentiates