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Problems Faced by Gangs in America Essay
Gangs
Introduction
Gangs in America have formed the subject of a large number of research works, thereby becoming a growth sector (Sanchez-Jankowski, 2003). The definition of the term ‘gangs’ is: an ongoing informal or formal group, party, or alliance of at least three individuals whose primary activities include perpetrating at least one of the crimes listed below: 1) attacking using a lethal weapon, 2) murder, 3) burglary, 4) selling or holding in possession for production, selling, offering for sale, transporting, or offering to produce controlled substances, 5) arson, 6) shooting at any occupied automobile or inhabited house, 7) intimidating victims and witnesses, and 8) carrying out a grand robbery of a vehicle, vessel, or trailer, in addition to sharing a common sign, symbol, or name, whose members have separately or, as a group, previously or currently participated in some pattern of hang crime (California Department of Justice, 1993).
Classification of Gangs
Depending on structural elements like size, age, ethnicities, sex, criminality, lifespan, and territoriality, besides conditions of origin, evolution, goals, and modus operandi, the classifications described below exist:
1. Scavenger (short-lived) gangs. Such gangs, commonly constituted of 15 to 40 males, seldom accept female members. Ethnically-heterogeneous, the members of such a gang will largely be teenagers (between 13 and 18 years of age). Territoriality includes their neighborhood and secondary school. The offenses generally perpetrated by such gangs include fights with similar rival gangs in the neighborhood or outside of the school campus, bullying, blackmail, and other generally minor crimes around or within the school and neighborhood. While they do respect their leader, there is no explicit, consolidated structure or organization for the commission of their activities. Frequently, they engage in spur-of-the-moment reactions to attacks on the part of rival gangs…
…homicides, drug trade, human trafficking, arms trade, and other such offenses linked to organized criminal activities.
Problems
The issues that I faced when applying the above classification to data were related to gender perspective and a rights-based approach. About the latter, an intriguing point to consider is, the issue hasn’t been perceived or studied carefully. Various interpretations exist, indicating that teens and younger children with gang links seek “compensatory” rights to survive, participate, and protect themselves, the irony being that in several instances, this only ends up leading to a violation of their rights. In the present day, methodological issues continue plaguing several reports of female gang involvement, particularly so when it comes to female gangs. Considering that female gang numbers and scope aren’t so significant if one takes into account the overall issue of gangs. Unfortunately, little attention has been given to them within the context…
Sample Source(s) Used
References
California Department of Justice. (1993). Gangs 2000: A call to action. Sacramento, California: Department of Justice.
Department of Public Security. (2007). Definition and classification of gangs: Executive summary. Washington, DC: Organization of American States.
Sanchez-Jankowski, M. (2003). Gangs and social change. Theoretical Criminology, 7(2), 191-216. DOI: 10.1177/1362480603007002413.
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