Exploring the Dynamics of Gang Formation in America

Gangs have become a persistent element within American society despite an overall decline in criminal activities. This research delves into the underlying reasons for gang formation by examining key theoretical frameworks like general strain theory and differential association theory. General strain theory suggests that societal pressures, such as economic hardship or domestic abuse, compel individuals toward crime as a coping mechanism. Conversely, differential association theory posits that criminal behavior is learned through interactions within one's community, particularly in neighborhoods where gangs are prevalent. These theories highlight the importance of socio-economic conditions and social environments in shaping gang dynamics. Efforts by both governmental and non-governmental organizations to address these issues have ranged from preventive measures to interventions designed to offer alternatives to at-risk youth. Despite challenges, strategies focused on improving living conditions and fostering positive community relationships hold promise for reducing gang involvement.

Running head: CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Criminal justice
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Concern and issue of gangs in America.......................................................................................................3
Ethical issues related to Gangs in America..................................................................................................4
Federal, state, and/or local Law associated with Gangs in America............................................................5
Programs and strategies for addressing issues related to gangs in America...............................................6
Theory Analysis............................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................8
References...................................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
The word “Gang” originated from a German word Gangr which means “Going , a
journey. In the USA Gangs can include various types of groups such as local street gangs,
national street gangs, motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, organized crime gangs and ethnic gangs.
Approximately 1.6 Million people belonged to a gang as of 2016. The figures also provided that
close to 35,000 gangs where actively present in the country during such period. Various
American gangs originated from urban areas and are still present in such areas. In various cased
gangs such as the national street gangs originated in cities like Philadelphia, New York City,
Miami, Los Angeles and Chicago. Such gangs latter shifted to other cities of the country.
The purpose of this paper is analyzing the gangs which are present in the USA. The paper
provides the issues which originate of out the presence of such gangs. The ethical principles
which are triggered in relation to the issues of the gangs are also discussed in the paper. The
paper analyzes the programs and strategies in relation to gangs as well as conducts a theory
review related to the indentified issues.
Concern and issue of gangs in America
Gangs are evidently not a newly developed phenomenon. There are several issue and
concerns which originate out of such gangs which needs to be addressed proactively to ensure
peace in the society. According to the department of justice alone in California there are about
200000 gang members. In addition to this report statistics provided by the Los Angeles District
Attorney's Office depict that there are around 135000 gang members in Los Angeles. These
statistics suggest that there has been an increase of 280 to 3005 increases in the number of gang

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members in Australia. According to National Gang Center, on 21st September 2017, a female
deputy district attorney had been beaten violently while she had been jogging in San Bernardino
by members of a gang which have been put on a murder trial by her. She had suffered critical
injuries and had been taken to the trauma center by the police. As stated by Brenneman (2011)
although the overall rate of violence in USA is declining there is a continued rise in the number
of gang violence incidents taking place across the country. The primary reason for such
continued rise in violence is the rise in the number of gang members across the country and there
is further no sign which depicts that the problem is going to be under control any soon. As stated
by James Howell an expert of the National Gang Center, one more reason for the increase in
gang violence is the disintegration of gangs in a number of smaller gangs. The concerns in
relation to gangs in the country are significantly rising which is making the citizens feel unsafe
on the streets as well as their homes.
Ethical issues related to Gangs in America
As stated by Seelke (2011) most of the gangs in America are comprised of the youth.
There are unique ethical dilemmas which are faced by therapists which treating a young gang
member. The source of such dilemmas results out of clinical problems which emerge inevitable
while treating young persons. Some of the clinical issues while treating such population result
out of trust problems as they have observed and experienced much violence and have generally
participate in criminal activities. The ethical problems which emerge subsequently while treating
the part of the population consists of ensuring confidentiality, compiling with the duty to protect
and warn, and imposing the personal values of an individual.

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As highlighted by Howell, (2011) social conditions are defined as an issue by the
government through making expenditure towards them. The statement has been true to a large
extent when it comes to gang violence. Densley (2013) provides that gang violence is not a kind
of problem which can be solved merely by throwing money at it. There are significant ethical
issues which arise out of the situation related to gangs. The primary issues is related to that of
integrity. Integrity is required not only to avoid being associated with the gang violence itself but
also to gain the trust of the members who needs to be treated. The issue of integrity is also
significant towards working alongside with the police and social agencies striving to eradicate
gang violence form the country. Another issue related to ethics which has a significant role to
pay towards the gang members is that of justice. While the primary motive is to ensure that the
members can be made to leave the gang life, it also needs to be noted that families who have
been harmed by such violence are provided with justice. Another ethical principle related to gang
violence is of responsibility and fidelity. Not only loyalty towards the members who are being
treated has to be maintained but also the responsibility to protect the members exists.
Federal, state, and/or local Law associated with Gangs in America
There have been several initiatives taken by the governments in relation to addressing the issues
and concerns related to gang violence in the country. A few of such legal measures include
section 456 of the Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2007 which have been introduced on
various occasions before in different forms. Another legislation is the Fighting Gangs and
Empowering Youth Act of 2007 section 990. These measures involve diverse methods of
addressing the situation such as creation of programs for the purpose of preventing any gang
recruitment. Some of the state legislation in relation to gang violence include Arkansas § 6-15-
1005 for the purpose of promoting equitable, accountable and safe public schools. California Ed

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Code § 51264 provides guidelines for the purpose of including in-service training program
towards gang violence as prevention of drug and alcohol abuse. Louisiana § 15:1424 set out
provisions in relation to setting up of advisory boards related to Gang prevention and Juvenile
Delinquency. Minnesota § 145.958 for preventing youth violence in the state, Missouri §
161.650 for the establishment of adopting and identifying violence prevention programs and
districts for the purpose of administration and state boards for the purpose of adopting programs
for preventing violence. In California the legislature, governor and attorney general have made a
corporation towards designing a wide array of laws towards addressing gang violence in relation
to communities all over the state. This partnership had resulted in the enactment of California
Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act which primarily focuses towards criminal
gangs organizations.
Programs and strategies for addressing issues related to gangs in America
There have been several programs and initiatives which have been taken by the
government as well as various Non government organizations towards addressing the situation of
Gangs in America. This section of the paper describes and discusses strategies and programs
initiated for addressing gang problems in America. The Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) have initiated a coordinated and comprehensive response to the
gang situation in America. The OJJDP uses a combination of strategies which have been long
supported by them which includes training, evaluation technical assistance, demonstration
programs and research to combat gang problems. Funded and community bases evaluated
programs have been developed by OJJDP which have the objective of coordinating enforcement,
intervention and coordination of strategies. A national gang center had been initiated by the
organization which takes a coordinated approach in relation to preventing gang crimes and

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limiting gang involvement. The NGC is a efficient entity which provides appropriate responses
to the concerns of practitioners, public and the researchers.
There are a variety of strategies which are used by the criminal justice agencies for the
purpose of tackling criminal activities related to gangs. These include prevention, intervention,
suppression and assessment. Preventions mean programs, activities and services which have
been initiated to prevent people taking part in gangs. The strategy of intervention is used to draw
individuals who are closely associated with gangs out of them. This can be done by offering
community service opportunity, law enforcement and coordination. Suppression involves
activities like parole, probation, prosecution and law enforcement. The process of assessment
involves finding out the extent of the problem. The process involves three steps, identifying
people for data collection, collecting and analyzing data and finally preparing reports of the final
findings (Glaser, 2017).
Theory Analysis
This section of the paper analyzes the problems related to gangs in America based in
different theories. The primary theories which have been chose by the paper to discuss the
problem are the general strain theory and the differential association theory. The theories have
been used to provide an over view that why are people joining gangs. According to Robert
Agnew the developer of the general strain theory there are for strains which result in a criminal
activity (McShane, 2013). The society see strains as unjust. Strains are high in magnitude, strains
are related to low level of social control and pressure and incentives are created by strains
towards engaging in criminal activities. Thus according to the principles of the theory people
join gangs because of strain. It has been provided by Thrasher F. M. (2013) that one of the

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primary reason why people join gangs is to seek protection from domestic abuse. Thus the
prevention of people from joining gangs can be initiated by providing better living conditions
and protection to those who are vulnerable to abuse and strains. For implanting such measures
these individuals have to be identified initially.
As provided by Edwin Sutherland in his differential association theory criminal behavior
is motivated in individuals through interactions with other while learning attitudes, techniques
and values (Bruinsma, 2014). The theory emphasizes on how individuals learn to become
criminal but not why they chose to become criminals. Thus as per the principles provided by the
theory the neighborhood is a significant influence through which individuals learn to be a part of
a gang through interaction with gang member. As the gangs are present in the neighborhood
interaction with such people take place and the individuals are influenced to join gangs.
Conclusion
While the rate of overall criminal activities in America are declining there has been a
constant rise in the number of gangs in the country which is resulting in criminal activities. There
are various reasons which have been indentified in relation to why and how people join gangs.
These are mainly due to abuse, need of protection strains, customs and neighborhood influence.
There have been various programs and strategies taken by both government and non government
organizations to address the program. These include prevention, assessment, suppression and
intervention. As stated by Greg Boyle “even gang members imagine a future which does not
include gangs”. The strategies if properly implemented can address the problem effectively.

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References
Brenneman, R. (2011). Homies and hermanos: God and gangs in Central America. Oxford
University Press.
Bruinsma, G., 2014. Differential Association Theory. In Encyclopedia of Criminology and
Criminal Justice (pp. 1065-1075). Springer New York.
Densley, J. A. (2013). How gangs work. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Glaser, B. (2017). Discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Routledge.
Holmes, R. M., Tewksbury, R., & Higgins, G. (2011). Introduction to gangs in America. CRC
Press.
Hong, J. S. (2010). Understanding Vietnamese youth gangs in America: An ecological systems
analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 15(4), 253-260.
Howell, J. C. (2011). Understanding and combating gangs in America.
Maxson, C. (2011). Street gangs. Crime and public policy, 158-182.
McShane, M. ed., 2013. An Introduction to Criminological Theory. Routledge.
Rodgers, D., & Baird, A. (2014). Understanding gangs in contemporary Latin America.
Seelke, C. R. (2011). Gangs in central America. Current Politics and Economics of South and
Central America, 4(1), 67.
Thrasher, F. M. (2013). The gang: A study of 1,313 gangs in Chicago. University of Chicago
Press.