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Understanding Youth Gangs

Understanding Youth Gangs

When you look back through history, gangs have been around for centuries. In the English language, a gang can be defined as “a group of persons associated for some criminal or other antisocial purpose”. Therefore, legendary figures such as Jesse James, or Robin Hood would be considered gang members. Yes, gangs have been around for a long time, but had never been a serious problem in our functioning society until recent decades. This is because up until recent decades, confused and misguided youth nation-wide were not joining or creating gangs. Since 1970, there has been an 800% increase in U.S. cities reporting gang problems (Johnson). According to the U.S. National Department of Justice, in 1998 the average age of a gang member was 17 years old. This number has only dropped since. In a recent article in the National Post, children as young as 12, some younger, are being recruited to join gangs: children, with little understanding and reasoning, are joining street gangs in their cities. Originally this was seen as a problem in lower-class neighbourhoods; but more and more youths across North America are joining gangs, from the lower-class kids to adolescents living in the suburbs. Many concerned citizens wonder why these children join gangs, what’s the allure? Many blame the media, especially rap music, which glorifies the thug life. This in fact is only partially true. Some of the main contributing factors that push teens towards gangs are the need for acceptance, the security and safety that is associated with being in a gang, as well as the status or “street credit”. These factors weigh heavy on a youth’s decision to join a gang; and once they are in, it is nearly impossible to get out.

From an early age, there is a need for acceptance. It starts with acceptance in the home, with the family. Then when a child goes off to school, the biggest fear is, “what if I don’t make any friends?”. For adolescent teens, it can be very...