CHAPTER EIGHT

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CHAPTER EIGHT

• PEERS AND DELINQUENCY JUVENILE GANGS AND GROUPS

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Peer Relations

• Adolescencepeers more important
• Connection between antisocial peers and
  delinquency
• Control theory
• Structural and learning theory
• Mutually supporting

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History of Gangs

• Frederick Thrasher
• 1927 study of 1300 Chicago gangs
• Why do juveniles develop groups?
• How do they turn into gangs?
• What did Thrasher conclude?

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Gangs in the 1950s and 1960s

• Satisfied a need
• Substitute for unattainable rewards
• Seemed to disappear in 60s
• Successful community based programs
• Police gang control units
• What happened in the mid 1960s?

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What Happened in the 1970s?

• Reemerged
• Why?
• Drug profits
• Organized business
• Economic times
• Changes in the family

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What Did the 1980s Bring?

• Gangs more violent
• Public concerned
• Small towns and rural areas
• Diversity in composition
• Dangerous weapons
• Gangs and drug trafficking

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Gang Expansion

• From 1972 to 1980 gang membership doubled
• 200024,500 gangs with 772,500 members
• California has the most, followed by Texas

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What is a Gang?

• A self-formed association of peers, bound
  together by mutual interests, with identifiable
  leadership, well defined lines of authority who
  act in concert to achieve a specific purpose
  which generally includes illegal activity and
  control over a particular territory, facility or
  type of enterprise.

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Types of Gangs

• Social gang
• Party gang
• Serious delinquent gang
• Organized gang

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Characteristics of Gang Members

• Age
• 8 to 55
• Why are gang members aging?

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Characteristics of Gang Member (contd)
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Racial and Ethnic

• Asian gangsvictimize own ethnic group
• Anglo gangs
• Most often alienated middle-class youths

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Gender and Gangs

• Traditionally auxiliary unit
• Role
• Look out
• Carrying guns or drugs
• Girlfriend of male gang members
• Almost 40 of gang members now female
• Autonomous female gangs

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Reasons for Joining a Gang

• Associate with peers
• Money
• Protection
• Involved by 10, member by 12
• By age 13 half have
• Fired a gun
• Gotten a gang tattoo
• Been arrested
• Seen someone killed or seriously injured

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Gang Migration

• Most in urban areas
• 15,000 in small cities, suburbs and rural areas
• WHY?
• Massive movement from cities
• Make up of cities
• Some homegrown gangs in small towns
• Franchises

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Gang Communication

• Clothing
• Team logos
• How do schools combat gang attire?
• Graffiti
• Whats the purpose?
• How can it lead to violence?
• Police graffiti interpreters

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Response to Gangs

• Mesa, Az. Project
• Task force
• Work with youth in gangs or at high risk

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Controlling Gang Activity

• Law enforcement
• Sweeps
• Surveillance
• Aggressive patrol
• Intelligence gathering
• Follow-up investigation
• Gang Resistance Education Training
• In school
• Resolve conflict and understand impact

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Prosecution of Gangs

• Difficulties
• Cooperation
• Intimidation
• Credibility
• Specific laws
• Gang participation
• Gang recruitment
• Gangs and weapons
• Drive-by shootings
• Graffiti
• Public nuisance

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Public Nuisance

• Arizona example
• Whole gangs be declared a nuisance
• Court order requiring them to abide by
  restrictions
• No weapons
• No fighting
• No graffiti
• No gang paraphernalia
• No association with gang members
• If violate, arrest

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New York Gang Law

• Misdemeanor to make graffiti or possess graffiti
  instruments
• Gang assault 1st and 2nd degree
• An assault when aided by 2 or more people
• Level of the offense is higher

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PEERS AND DELINQUENCY JUVENILE GANGS AND GROUPS

• END CHAPTER EIGHT