Lecture 11: Gang-Involved Youth Flashcards
True or false? Gangs are static.
False, they are in a constant state of flux.
Police-based estimates are ___.
Inflated.
Why are police-based estimates inflated?
There is no commonly accepted definition, and police have an interest in larger gangs and gang members, as they are tied to funding.
Which province has the highest total number of gangs?
Ontario.
Most youth gang members are which gender?
Male.
Most gang members are between the ages of…
16 and 18.
Which gender’s gang membership is growing?
Female.
Where do gang members exist?
All provinces and territories except PEI, Yukon, and Nunavut.
There is no gang activity in some provinces and territories because…
There is low economic activity and low population.
There is higher gang activity in ___ Canada.
Western.
The degree of organization of gangs is determined by:
- Structure and hierarchical nature.
- Connection to larger, more serious crime groups.
- Sophistication and permanence.
- Specific code of conduct and rules.
- Initiation processes.
- Integration, cohesion, and solidarity.
What is demonstrated by the 10 Mafiosi Commandments?
Groups that are good at abiding their own laws can better break conventional laws.
List the types of gangs in order from least to most sophisticated.
Street gangs, mid-level gangs, organized crime syndicates.
What increases along with level of sophistication in gangs?
Age, profits, longevity, intentionality of violence.
Street Gangs
- Involved in serious crimes/violence.
- Some stability, but membership is fluid.
- Claim areas/turf.
- Common name, symbols, colours, signs, graffiti, clothing.
- Rely on silent entry and exit rituals.
- Marginalized ethnic and racial minorities dominate membership.
- Experience of severe poverty.
- Drug/alcohol abuse.
___ is known as the street-gang capital.
Winnipeg.
Which city has the highest number of street gangs per capita?
Winnipeg/Manitoba.
Mid-Level Gangs
- Can be multi-ethnic or exclusively Aboriginal.
- May come from different socio-economic backgrounds.
- Made up of unstructured cells.
- Opportunistic involvement with other gangs – fluid.
- More disciplined.
Organized Crime Syndicates
- Teen involvement rare.
- Highly structured and hierarchical.
- Modelled after successful companies.
- Recognized, feared, respected.
- Exclusive membership, based on family, race, ethnicity.
- Complex enterprises with rules, by-laws, and constitutions.
- Use violence as a means to an end.
- Aim for material wealth.
- Maintains infiltration difficult.
Those that advertise that they are part of the gang are most likely…
Wannabes who are on the fringes.
The closer you get to the centre of gangs, the ___ the violence.
Less.
What are the primary activities of street gangs?
- Hanging out.
- Making profits from serious crime.
- Engaging in severe violence.
- Emphasis on honour, personal integrity, territoriality.
- Issues of self-esteem, gender identity, and self-protection.
How do members of street gangs hang out?
To find food, shelter, party, and be incarcerated.
What are distinguishing characteristics of street gangs?
- Hand signals/dress.
- Tattoos (emblems, gang identification).
How do street gangs recruit?
- Born in.
- Jumped in.
- Recruited.
- Sexed in.
- Form own gang.
Is initiation for girls different from boys?
Yes.
What are possible traits that lead to gang membership according to the EPS?
- Surrogate family.
- Breaking down of traditional family units.
- Identity problems.
- Gang family history.
- Lack of alternatives.
- Few recreational opportunities.
- Need money or poverty.
- Lack of educational opportunities.
- Use of intimidation or violence.
- Need for survival.
Female gang members experience ___ rates of victimization in childhood.
Higher.
What is often the role of female gang members?
Lookout for police, dealing drugs, working in sex trade.
Female gang members often have ___ satisfaction in all-female gangs.
High.
Female gang members have ___ experiences in mixed gangs.
Negative.
What do females do in male gangs?
- Girlfriends.
- Drug traffickers.
- Go-betweens.
All-female gangs were formed as a result of ___.
Sexism.
Contrast why males join gangs with why females join gangs.
- Males join for excitement and acceptance.
- Female join to cure loneliness, for warmth and affection, and to satisfy need to belong to a group.
Most female gang members are married/single.
Single.
What is the ethnicity of most female gang members?
Female.
How does the process of leaving a gang start?
Person deciding to get out.
True or false? Leaving the physical vicinity of the gang is important.
True.
Biopsychosocial Theory
Pathways into gangs are best understood through integration of biological, psychological, and social factors.
What is considered in biopsychosocial theory?
Physiological, psychological, family, school, peer, social variables as well as social inequalities such as poverty, gender, and race.
Two children are in the same situation growing up, making them vulnerable to join gangs. Are they equally likely to join gangs?
No, the risks and resiliency of children vary. Diverse outcomes are expected for young people in similar situations.
What biological or genetic factors contribute to gang involvement?
Developmental problems, learning disabilities, intellectual limitations, FASD, brain injuries, predisposition to mental health problems.
__% of a child’s antisocial behaviours may be related to genetic factors.
40.
What effect does family factors have on gang involvement?
Sharing meals, regular conversations reduce likelihood of children being in position to join gangs.
What type of peer group facilitates protection against gang involvement?
Pro-social role models.
How does the neighbourhood and community affect gang involvement?
Schooling, friends. Poor facilities and welfare become breeding grounds for gang involvement.
Collective Efficacy Theory
Refers to social cohesion among neighbours combined with their willingness to intervene on behalf of the common good.
Collective efficacy theory looks at why violence is…
Seemingly concentrated in some neighbourhoods and why is the composition important?
What is important in ensuring informal control?
Personal background.
What are the important personal background factors that ensure informal control?
- High SES.
- Home ownership.
- Age.
SES is comprised of…
Income, education, and occupation.
Reduction in collective efficacy is related to…
Neighbourhood concentrated disadvantage and immigrant concentration.
Reduction in collective efficacy is not related to…
Gender nor ethnicity.
What are the 3 aspects of neighbourhood satisfaction?
- Concentrated disadvantage.
- Immigrant concentration.
- Residential mobility.
Crime is the consequence of…
Structural disadvantage and limited collective efficacy.
True or false? Law and order is a good strategy for reducing crime. Justify if true, or give an alternate method if false.
False, informal networks among residents is more effective.
Definition of a criminal organization according to legislation:
3 or more persons in or outside Canada, excluding hose that band together for single offence. Material benefit is also necessary.
According to legislation, is it necessary for a gang member to be involved in a crime in order to charge them?
No, being a part of an organized criminal group in and of itself is a criminal offence.
True or false? Interventions in to gang members’ lives causes a reduction in gang activity.
False, interventions often do not work. Curriculum-based prevention programs are largely ineffective.
What strategies are ineffective in reducing gang activity?
- Curriculum-based prevention programs.
- Social workers.
- Incarceration.
What strategies are effective in reducing gang activity?
- Reducing risk.
- Creating awareness.
- Pro-social models.
- Attending to victims.
- Providing exit strategies.
Primary Prevention
Mitigating biological, personal, social, and environmental risk factors for entire child and your population; awareness and education.
Secondary Prevention
Reduce risk factors for individuals and groups identified as being at a greater risk of becoming gang members.
Tertiary Prevention
Rehabilitates or incapacitates gang members and recruits, addresses needs of victims, and provides exit strategies.
Comprehensive Gang Model
Irving Spergel’s model for developing effective community-wide responses to gangs, consisting of five core strategies.
5 core strategies in the comprehensive gang model:
- Community mobilization.
- Social intervention.
- Provision of academic, economic, and social opportunities.
- Gang suppression.
- Facilitating organizational change and development in community.
Programs that have the best outcomes…
Combine primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention in a multi-disciplinary and multi-systemic community approach.
