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Background
There were approximately 29, 900 gangs in the US by the year 2011, and 29, 001 in the previous year (Egley & Howell, 2013). In terms of membership, there were about 756,000 gang members in 2010, and 782, 499 in 2011. The number of homicides that these gangs committed decreased by about 200 cases from 2010 to 2011. In 2011, the number of jurisdictions that reported gang activities dropped by 31. 6 %.
Many people join gangs because of some push and pull factors (Arciaga, 2007). Push factors force individuals into gangs, while pull factors attract new members into gangs. They include; individual weaknesses, rejection by families, suspension from schools, and peer influence.
Distinctive Characteristics of Gang Members
Gangs have certain characteristics that identify members. These characteristics include; dress code, communication gestures, slang, tattoos, colors, haircuts, and graffiti (Arciaga, Sakamoto & Jones, 2010). Every gang has characteristics that differentiate it from other gangs. A gang interprets attempts by other people to speak, dress, shave, and make graffiti-like them as acts of disrespect. Every gang must, therefore, strive to come up with its unique features.
Methodology
This report uses data from the research that other scholars have done. It analyzes different materials and synthesizes them into a comprehensive report. Most of the materials this report uses analyze different causes of gang membership, and gang statistics; age, gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors.
Findings
Most likely gang members
Youths from single-parent families, poor-performing students, and students who lack discipline in school are more likely to join gangs than youths who do not fall into these categories. Statistics from the National Gang Center (NGC) also show that African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to join gangs than other ethnic groups. Law enforcement authorities reported that Hispanics and Latinos constituted 46%, African- Americans 35%, whites approximately 11%, and other races 7% of all gang members. From this data, the most dominant races are Hispanics/Latinos and Black Americans (Arciaga, 2007).
Justification
Research shows that children who grow up with one parent are more likely to join gangs than those with both parents. Single parents do not have enough time to guide and discipline their children. They also do not know what their children do when they are away. Other factors such as failing exams can also force individuals to leave school and join gangs. Equally, students may drop out of school if their school principals suspend them every time. These mistreatments demoralize them, causing them to hate school (Arciaga, 2007).
More African-Americans and Hispanics join gangs because of their poor living standards. These two groups of Americans, mostly occupy parts of the country that have inadequate facilities and high levels of unemployment. Therefore, they join gangs with the hope of making money (Egley & Howell, 2013).
The effect of age on gang membership
According to the NGC report, members of most gangs are 18 years and above. In 2011, approximately 35% of gang members were juveniles while the remaining 65% were above 18 years. Researchers also found that in large cities, gangs have more adults than in smaller cities and rural areas. The study showed that the composition of gangs in major cities was at 32% for juveniles and 68%for adults by 2011. In suburban counties, 36% of gang members were juveniles while 64% were adults. In small cities, 48% were juveniles and 52%adults. In rural counties, 58% were children and 42% were adults (Egley & Howell, 2013).
Justification
Age as a determiner of gang membership depends on the geographical location of the gang. Many groups in large towns have more adults than groups in small cities and remote areas. Larger cities usually have gangs that have existed for a long time. They only recruit young members to join the founders of the gang. In small cities and rural areas, most gangs are new, and, therefore, have many young members (Egley & Howell, 2013).
Gender and gang membership
Many gangs have more male members than female members. However, researchers noted a slight increase in the number of women joining gangs. In 2011, the National Gang Center reported that the composition of women in gangs was 8%. This percentage had been constant since 1998. Gangs in regions that are far from large cities had more female members than gangs in large cities. Demographic information from NGC shows that by 2009, close to 49% of gangs in the countryside had female members and only 26% of the gangs in large cities had women among their members (Egley & Howell, 2013).
Justification
Most gang members are usually male. Police reports attribute this condition to the traditional roles of both men and women in society. The police also noted that very many women are joining gangs. Their reports indicate that this condition has developed because of changes in social roles. Both men and women are ready to do anything in society.
Expectations of gangs on their members
Police reports show that different gangs have different expectations for their members. Most of them expect their members to go through an initiation ritual while others do not initiate their members in such manners. The manner of initiation varies from one group to another. Some groups expect members to kill, rob, or drive cars at high speed to become members. They may also expect them to do such things as their main responsibilities, even after initiation, and remain loyal to the gang (Arciaga, Sakamoto, & Jones, 2010).
Benefits and dangers of gang membership
The major benefit youths get upon joining gangs is security. Members of a gang always have protection from rival gangs and other adversaries (Gilman, Hill, & Hawkins, 2014). Members of a gang usually take an oath to protect each other from any danger. Apart from protection, gang members get support from their gang-mates whenever they want to take revenge against the people who offend them (Arciaga, Sakamoto, & Jones, 2010).
Research indicates that the dangers of joining gangs are more overwhelming than the benefits. They include violence that may lead to injuries and deaths. Gang members are always at war with each other. Apart from wars with other gangs, the police are always looking for gang members. Sometimes, they even exchange gunshots, which can also be fatal.
Conclusion
This report discusses major issues surrounding gang formation. Specifically, it looks at; factors that influence the composition of gangs, benefits, and dangers of joining gangs, characteristics of gang members, expectations of gangs from individual members, the relationship between age, gender, ethnicity, and gang membership, and the most likely groups to join gangs. All these factors fall into two categories; push and pull.
Recommendations
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The government should develop programs that teach parents how to manage their families. Solving family problems will reduce the number of juveniles joining gangs.
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Schools should properly handle students and pupils who perform poorly. Teachers should not announce their failure to everybody.
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There should be an equitable distribution of resources. When every region has all the necessary resources, there will be no need for joining gangs.
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The availability of resources will help reduce the level of unemployment.
References
Arciaga, M. (2007). Multidisciplinary gang intervention teams. National Gang Center Bulletin, 3. Web.
Arciaga, M., Sakamoto, W., & Jones, E. (2010). Responding to national gangs in the school setting. National Gang Center Bulletin, 5. Web.
Egley, A., & Howell, J. (2013). Highlights of the 2011 national youth gang survey. Juvenile Justice Fact Sheet, 1-4. Web.
Gilman, A., Hill, K., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Long-term consequences of adolescent gang membership for adult functioning. American Journal of Public Health, 104 (5), 2-7. Web.
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