Taylor Nordmeyer Prof. L Gertsma ENGL 1101 27 November 2012 Gang Control It’s no question that we have a major gang problem in the United States. More needs to be done to eliminate gangs, because they increase the drug flow, the crime rate, and intimidate citizens of their communities. Not all gangs are dangerous, but the ones that are, need to be contained because of their cruel behavior and their harsh crimes. Gangs become more powerful through these factors. Eliminating or controlling the drugs being distributed by gangs then their power will diminish.
(Introduction to Criminology, pg. 175) This writer wanted to emphasis that some gangs are more involved in social structure than the individual differences. Some of these gangs that he researched are from the low-income families and he describes it, as defiant individualism is people that become involved with money-producing economic activities whether it is legal or not. This theory of is linked into seven attributes like intense competitiveness, mistrust, self-reliance, emotional detachment, a survival instinct, a social Darwinist world-view, and a defiant attitude. An example of defiant individualism are gangs that are capable of producing benefits for their members and other people in society, they as well work in their rank, and regulating leadership.
Nevertheless, not always do people get influenced negatively into turning to gangs and making bad choices. Thinking about the gangster environment and about the people that have lived or live in such surroundings you may think that it’s not as bad as it looks or sounds like, but in most cases the people get dragged into situations that force them into joining gangs for protection; people have been impacted by the environment that they live in. They make their own choices, often leading them through several traumatizing events that might make them change. I believe that with a good education our youth will notice all the pointless violence and wasted futures that have been around; the more education one gets not only does it enrich the person who is devoting their life for education but it also enriches their families, communities, neighborhood’s future as well as it does for them. Environment has a lot to do with the choices that people make but thanks to knowledge people decide the path they want to take.
In this situation, social structure is the most logical explanation for the behavior of the inmates and the remaining criminal behavior. It is believed many of the individuals had hard struggles before entering the prison, hence the need to rely on gang interactions. The Pelican Bay State Prison was an environment to prove yourself to other gang members and represent the gang. You had to acquire strength, determination, and overall a violent nature. Many fights broke out in that prison, and most prisoners left with more strength and potential to continue in gang violence upon release from the prison.
My personal believe from the African American perspective is that some people may have grown up around a life of crime where parents are gang members or they may think it is cool to be in gangs or being in a gang provides protection. Protection from what? Not exactly sure, but being in a gang gives many a false sense of belonging. Just like African Americans, Latinos are also known for joining gangs. For many, to fit in or be accepted in their “hood” could mean living a life of crime because that is the only way they know to survive.
Why juveniles join gangs? By: Moni Williams Abstract Juveniles sometimes have trouble finding who they are where they belong in the world. Juveniles join gangs for a number of reasons. All juveniles have their own reasons for joining a gang. Juveniles look for people and groups of people who same their same morals and values of life.
Let me first be clear that to these persons the gang is not believed to be such. The A.L.K.Q.N models itself as a quasi-grass roots organization and a voice of the 3rd world oppressed world, in short it is modeled after the black panthers, young lords and near Marxist beliefs. This is not to say that many do not utilize the nation as a gang and a gateway into illicit business and associations. However in the beginning of each new prospective member’s rise the gang paints a pretty picture of the group they’re about to devote time and money to, not to mention sacrifice blood, sweat and tears for. This is the common consensus, and it also seems to be the shared experience of my target group, both male and female.
Some of the tactics they employ include starvation, beatings, rape, and gang rape. Also, the traffickers are not the only ones to perpetrate violence. Reading ahead, I noticed we will be learning about Power and Social Justice and this subject fits in perfectly because there is no answer to why people hurt one another. Our previous assignments focused on issues in society such as the one in Enrique’s Journey and Loaves and Fishes and George Orwell’s 1984. Most humans have fear in speaking against something that is unjust and a violation of our dignity because it gives power to the higher authority to control.
The inevitability of crime -Functionalists see too much crime as destabilising society; they also see crime as inevitable and universal. They believe that every society has some level of crime and deviance and a crime-free society is a contradiction in terms -Durkheim- views”crime is normal...an integral part of all healthy societies” -Two reasons crime& deviance are found in all societies: *Not everyone is equally socialised into shared norms and values, so some will be prone to deviate. *In complex modern societies, different groups develop their own subculture with distinctive norms and values so what the members of the subculture regard as normal, mainstream culture may see as deviant. -Durkheim’s –In modern society there is a tendency towards anomie (normlessness) whereby the rules governing behaviour become weaker and less clear-cut ,because modern societies have complex division of crime on of labour ,leading to individuals becoming different from each other, -This diversity means that shared culture or collective conscience is weakened, resulting in higher levels of crime and deviance, e.g. Durkheim sees anomie as a major cause of suicide in modern societies.
The United States has an ample youth faction, and because of most of the youth living in poverty they look up to false role models and gangs. They seek a sense of belonging and meaning in their lives. Hagedorn and Malec both emphasize that the youth has this feeling and how identity formation is a major factor in joining a gang. Danny Malec wrote a Review on Latin Gangs and their transformation of gang violence in the United States. Malec believes that gangs are not all bad, that they are not just about committing violent and illegal crimes.