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Gangs

Relationships with peers and friends are an important part of adolescence. By the time they reach the age of 14, teenagers begin to turn to peers and friends instead of family when they need social and emotional support. However, some risk their freedom and their lives to associate with peers who play in death's playground, where the rules are simple, honor and loyalty are the stakes, and the price—often death—is high. Who joins gangs? Why? And what, if anything, can prevent their proliferation? Social psychologists, as well as sociologists, criminologists, and law enforcement officers want to know. In this paper, I will try to uncover the answer to these questions.
A gang is a group of people whose members recognize themselves as a distinct entity and are recognized as such by their community. Their involvement in antisocial, rebellious, and illegal activities draws a negative response from the community and from law enforcement officials. Other characteristics of gangs include a recognized leader; formal membership with initiation requirements and rules for its members; its own territory, or turf; standard clothing or tattoos; private slang; and a group name. In a document published by Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the U.S. Department of Justice has divided gangs into several types. Territorial ("turf" or "hood") gangs are concerned with controlling a specific geographical area. Organized, or corporate, gangs are mainly involved in illegal activities such as drug dealing. Scavenger gangs are more loosely organized than the other two types and are identified primarily by common group behavior.
Since the 1980s, gang activities have become an increasing cause for concern in many areas of the United States. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people-perhaps upwards of a million-belong to thousands of gangs in major urban centers, suburbs, small cities, and even in rural areas. A study conducted at the University of Southern California found gang...