Why Do Kids Get Into Gangs

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5/24/08 The legal system can do various things to stop teens and kids from getting into gangs by producing outreach programs, community centers and using ex-gang members as mentors. The government has put in a lot of work to try and help kids to stay away from the gang life and the streets. The only reason most kids are in gangs is for the feeling of belonging to a family and unity. Also, some members like the way they dress. Some of the kids have a lack of family structure and therefore the lack of guidance to help point them in the right direction when times get hard. Children as young as eleven are being drawn into organized criminal groups for protection and a sense of being cared for because of the lack of good role models…show more content…
If you really want to stop kids from getting into gangs, the parents just have to support their children and spend time with them to see how they’re doing. If children know they have someone who is going to support them and who cares for them, they may not have to go to the streets and rely on them to survive just to live another day. Like the saying “Every man has good woman behind them” if every kid had good family supporting them everyone’s lives would be much easier. As adults we should understand as we get older there are more responsibilities and things for us to do, but that doesn’t mean that parents don’t support us any more because we’re kids and we are still learning to become adults. (McHugh pg 166) Until we get to the age of not being treated like a child, we won’t need their guidance to make sure that we stay on the right path and are being the best people we can be. We have to hope that these programs and community centers and people can help lower the amount of kids joining any kind of gangs because to many of them die every year. If kids have support and limitations, they usually tend to do better and have an all round better life. If kids see that the support is there and someone is caring for them there really would be no reason for kids to be in…show more content…
It depends on how many kids are caught to get in the program. Well the program is every Saturday and eight hours long. Basically they do exercise and physical training for about two or three hours and then the kids break down, and talk with the people there about problems, and after that community service is done to show how they mess up the community. Usually it is from 2 to 3 months. Tagging, Gangs, Truancy, Stealing are the main ones that kids are in the program. Only about 1 out of 10 ends up back in the program or in another facility. Since 1991 more than 1,500 made it through. Also depend how many kids are caught a year. If out of 100 kids go through it 90 will make it throughout the whole year. 70% of the kids do better proven by courts, schools, and parents. Usually there in school doing positive things making goal and achieving in life which they usually not use too. If kids have support and limitations they usually tend to do better and have an all round better

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