Youth Gangs Flashcards
How do researchers define youth gangs?
Varied definitions ranging from broad to very specific
Criminologist favour specific definitions
Give an example of a broad definition of youth gangs
A group of youths or young adults in your jurisdiction that you or other responsible persons in your agency or community are willing to identify or classify as a gang.” (USA, National Gang Intelligence Centre
~ Definition might be used by police, organizations, etc.
~ Subjective definition - open to interpretation
Give an example of a specific definition of youth gangs
- Ownership of a name
- Wearing of colours or other group symbol
- Control of territory
- Communal criminal activity - committing crime w/ other people
- Identifiable leadership - hierarchy system
- A certain number of members - 3 or more; numbers capped to a certain # to keep hierarchy in place
According to Wortley, there are 4 level of organized crime. Describe each level.
May be a long answer question
- Level 1 - Fluid friendship groups with sporadic criminal activity; Short lived and not that violent; “Wanna be” gangs (Gordon).
- Level 2 - Existed for more that a year. Little specialization of criminal activities. Lack of formal leadership.
○ Know each other - could be friends or relatives
○ No sporadic criminal activity; criminal activity planned
○ usually for income generation
○ More violent than level 1 - intimidation, defence, etc. - Level 3 - Leadership and hierarchical structure and have existed for at least 1 year
○Control a particular type of criminal activity in a defined territory (drug dealing) and violent
○Colours and a name.
○ E.g. Bloods & Crips - Level 4 - Long, stable history and can span more that 1 generation
○Sophisticated organizational structure
○Often work with lower level gangs
○ Violent, make considerable sums of money (Mafia in Italy and Narco in Mexico)
○ Not typically in youth
How is data on youth gangs collected?
- Most often data from police - comes from FBI
- Sometimes data from school and street surveys are used
○ Can ask youth or those who work in schools (e.g. principal)
○ Have to be specific when asking - cant simply ask if there is a gang presence in school
○ Must define what a gang is & ask for an answer based on the specific definition
Describe youth gangs in the context of the past.
○ Much less organized and criminal than today - less gun violence
○ Gangs were younger people; done for both criminal & non-criminal reason (e.g. protection, friendships)
○ Usually in socially disorganized neighbourhood - high unemployment, poverty, high levels of migration in & out
○ Youth don’t join gangs because of psychological factors - not usually due to mental health issues
○ Often-times for psychological or social reasons, at least at first (Social Disorganization Theory)
What are risk-factors for joining a gang?
Social disorganization - high poverty; residential mobility
Gang Presence in the community - tend to know someone in a gang & become involved through that
Criminal Family - 2nd generation of youth have similar to background to parents
Poor School performance
Unstable Homes
Criminal peers
Gangs provide a perceived solution to problems that young people face
□ E.g. someone may not have the means to attain a high paying job after high school therefore may join gang to make ends meet & make decent money
According to research conducted by Hagedorn, how has deindustrialization contributed to increased gang rates?
- Decline of industry:
○ E.g. Detroit is de-industrialized
○ De-industrialized - decline in manufacturing (e.g. auto industry)
○ Manufacturing shifted to other states or other countries w/ weaker labour laws
○ Jobs became scarce & less options for high-paying jobs
○ Back then, youth could get high paying jobs in factories without any higher forms of education. They could find work straight out of high school - Minority youth have tough time finding decent jobs in labour market
- Young people remain gang members longer
- Risk factors & economic conditions lead to gang membership according to Hagedorn
Venkatesh looked at gang activity in a Chicago housing project. Describe the characteristics of the complex.
○ African American Public Housing Project
○ Lack of community, no social capital, lack of government support
○ Complex was isolate
- unstructured families, few legitimate jobs; not much hope in educational system
- Most money comes from 2 sources: welfare cheques and selling drug
- Working for a gang is a rational choice taking into consideration these constraints
○ Weighing options: join gang? Welfare? Or minimum wage job?
According to Venkatesh, what is the function of gangs within a socially disorganized housing project?
Gangs fulfilled a role that wasn’t being fulfilled by civil society or the government
E.g function as bankers; employers; police; social needs (driving elderly to medical appointments and voters to polling stations).
○ Higher level gang members often had post-secondary education
What are three societal reactions to gangs?
1) Prevention
○ How to prevent youth from getting involved?
○ Look at opportunities & environment
2) Intervention (draw away from the gang with education; job training)
○ Attempting to intervene by encouraging youth the leave gang through incentives
3) Suppression
○ Most common in North America
○ Going into areas w/ high gang presence
○ Mass arrests, raids, look for guns or drugs, searching houses
○ Negative effects on community police relations
What is the most common substance used by youth?
alcohol
tobacco use greatly declined; increase in e-cigarettes
