The Gang Violence Problem

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Final Project: The Gang Violence Problem Final Project: The Gang Violence Problem Gangs are found across the globe these days and almost everywhere they are associated with various crimes. While this happens in all types of neighborhoods, inner cities seem to be the most effected. Violence is a part of many gang activities and a good number of them demand that a new initiative to the gang must commit a violent crime to prove them worthy of membership. Michael Carlie (2002) explains that initiation ceremonies may include killing a police officer, being bumped or jumped in (One example of this ritual: Gang members form two lines, the initiative has to walk down between them while the gang members beat and kick him or her without showing sign of pain.), commit a drive by shooting or another type of murder. Defacing buildings or other property with graffiti to mark their territory, burglar or in some instances murder, are all part of regular gang activity. Gang warfare may erupt when two competing gangs fight each other for territory. Drive-by-shootings can result in many innocent bystanders being hit and little children are often victims of this. Many people are afraid to walk down their streets these days and parents whose kids join gangs often do not know how to handle this situation or how to help them out of this lifestyle. Many of the young teenagers joining a gang end up in prison destroying their futures. As many gangs perform violent crimes that affect a lot of people, it is important to understand the causes of why they form, why kids are eager to join them and what can be done to prevent them from doing this. The functionalist perspective is a good angle to look at this problem and shows how the breakdowns of various social institutions are leading to gangs and why kids join them. This perspective holds that problems of social institutions

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