Gang Violence Research Paper

1556 Words7 Pages
Gangs are formed everywhere and for many different reasons. This meaning of the word gang may be broad. This is a definition of the word gang from the United States Department of Justice. “An association of three or more individuals; Whose members collectively identify themselves by adopting a group identity, which they use to create an atmosphere of fear or intimidation, frequently by employing one or more of the following: a common name, slogan, identifying sign, symbol, tattoo or other physical marking, style or color of clothing, hairstyle, hand sign, or graffiti; Whose purpose in part is to engage in criminal activity and which uses violence or intimidation to further its criminal objectives” ( United States Department of Justice and…show more content…
Youths that join gangs feel the need to be higher above other people and the gang gives them that sensation. It gives them a feeling of belonging and that there is a place for them in the gang and that the other gang members need each other. “Gangs can provide lucrative economic opportunities, status, and prestige--especially for youths that do not believe they have employment opportunities, or who have no job skills” (Friedrichs). A lot of the members of gangs are already immigrants who came to the United States for better opportunities, but because of lack of English and education they end up without work and no money, which leads to finding illegal ways of finding money, for example, drugs, sex, deaths, and other criminal related activities. Gangs give some of the members a feeling of some sort of…show more content…
“During these civil conflicts, many people fled to the United States. It was in Los Angeles that the two major gangs in Central America started: 18th Street (M-18) and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13)” (Reisman). “Central American countries have some of the highest homicide rates in the world. Honduras, for example, “has a murder rate of 154 per 100,000—higher even than Colombia’s…where the murder rate is just 70 per 100,000” (Arana). Some people say that the people associated with gangs should be deported back to where they are originally from, but the gangs are using it as an

More about Gang Violence Research Paper

Open Document