Essay about What Are Gangs and Who Are Their Memebers

What is a gang? What is the difference between a gang and a peer group? How can a gang member be defined? These are three very common and difficult questions to answer within all disciplines. The most common discipline to address gangs, their members, and their activities is criminal justice which includes local, state, and federal law enforcement. The problem arises when these three jurisdictions and many others attempt to agree on one definition of a gang, which has proven to be a daunting task. For the purpose of coming to a general agreement for classifying a group as a gang and an individual as a gang member, while avoiding as many discrepancies as possible, James C. Howell has presented a chapter, Defining Gangs and Gang Members, in†¦show more content†¦The next researcher to purpose a definition was Thrasher (1927/2000). Thrasher’s (1927/2000) definition provided more insight on the behaviors and activities that define a gang. The definition mentioned behaviors such as meetings, presenting themselves in a group format, as well as designating specific turf as their own. What was most important and shed the most light on gang was that Thrasher (1927/2000) proposed the idea that gangs form in response to conflict (as cited in Howell, 2012). This conflict could be with other groups of different racial/ethnic background, problems with other children at school, or over neighborhood territories. Whatever the conflict may be, it stems the growth and formation of gangs. Many other definitions followed and began to describe and define the activity of the gangs. The definitions discussed recognition among the gang and by others, criminal activity, symbols and names, and degree of organization. Federal law began to purpose their definitions which were based on criminal activity. They identified the size of the group as a criterion, amount of criminal activity, types of criminal activity, and the gang member. Although the definitions of gangs were ju st arising and the agreement between jurisdictions may not have been clear, there were certainly a few characteristics among gangs that were, and still are, noticeably common. The firstShow MoreRelatedPolice Officers Charged With The Death Of Eric Garner969 Words   |  4 Pages#BlackLivesMatter movement is sexually assaulted the day after a massive protest following the Grand Jury decisision not to indict the police officers charged with the death of Eric Garner. The case takes a twist when it is discovered that the leader who was assaulted is actually Fin Tutuola s son Ken s boyfriend. In Act 1 of our A plot, Detectives Stabler and Benson enter the precinct notably late. They inform their captain that they were held up because a protest had broken out in the streetsRead More West Side Story Essay1120 Words   |  5 Pagesthe presence of the two gangs – the Jets and the Sharks. We are also able to say in which time period the actions take place. As an indicator we are using the dance at the gym in Act I,Scene 4, where Tony and Maria first meet. At this dance everyone is dancing the jitterbug just as the jive. Both were popular during the 1940`s and 1950`s. We should also mention that it is summer. Otherwise typical autumn or winter weather would have been mentioned and/or the gangs possibly would not setRead MoreMexican Drug Cartels1588 Words   |  7 Pagesand U.S. authorities have uncovered multiple tunnels from Mexico to the U.S. which link the two together. The tunnels are used to transport and smuggle these items from Mexico into the U.S. where cartel leaders and generals distribute them to their gangs throughout the country. Also contributing to the issue along our over 2,000 mile long border with Mexico between the United States and Mexico there are well over 7,000 gun dealers on the U.S. side. As we see the drugs moving north, most of the gunsRead MoreRole of African Elites in Dismantling Decolonization5146 Words   |  21 Pagesdevelopment. Walter Rodney s How Europe Underdeveloped Africa analyzes the colonial relations of production -- and the economic and political contradictions -- that produced Africa s underdevelopment and continue to plague Africa today. Rodney, who describes colonialism as a one-armed bandit, claims that colonialism, more than anything else, underdeveloped Africa. According to him, colonialism laid the roots of neocolonialism in Africa by creating Africa s economic dependency on the international