Gangs Have Become More Sophisticated - Thesis Example

Individuals who join gangs presume that they are of no use to their families and perceive themselves to be useless. The pull factor of the gangs is that they act as a family unit and have a maintained system of ranking. (Egley, Cheryl, Miller, & Klein, 2005). This paper will look at reasons for gang formation, the people who are attracted to the gangs, and reasons for their attraction to gangs.

Becoming involved in a gang and participating in its activities develops over time. The process of joining gangs is facilitated by the individual and life path and social and familial encounters of a young individual. Several studies show that risk factors linked with individual participation in a gang and its related activities appear before a young person joins a gang. For instance, young people who are the most behaviorally and socially unstable during their childhood are the most likely to become gang members and maintain their position in gangs for a long (O'Deane, 2010). If there are no adequate measures to deal with gang membership and associated events, early disturbing life activities and consequent criminal involvement will increase the line toward continued criminal behavior.

In addition, it seems that not only joining gangs but also long period membership in gangs is linked with an increased risk of criminal behavior. Identifying a risk factor associated with young people's involvement in gangs helps to establish how and where to concentrate efforts on prevention. It is evident that the more risky aspects a young person encounters, the more he or she will become a member of a gang. Research also highlights that the existence of risk factors in many categories enhances the chances of a person engaging in gang activities. Also, it is essential to investigate gang culture, lifestyle, and cohesion. In some areas, the rise in gang crimes and violence may be attributed to drug and alcohol abuse, lack of education, rising youth population, poverty, a sense of exclusion, and poor parenting skills (O'Deane, 2010).

Gangs form and survive because of young people in several cultures, families, or environments whose desires are not met and the gangs fill the space. A gang is also a highly efficient system of support where every gang member can corporate with one another. For the young members, gangs make available indispensable resources required to survive. Also, gangs form when people are socially discriminated against, when there is no family presence and in the absence of senior role models, and also when an individual is overpowered or powerless. In addition to this, young individuals form gangs when they lack security, when they become delinquents, when they are abused, when they feel they lack self-worth, and when they fail in school (Webb, 1990). A gang is also formed to offer a means for the youth to convey their aggression and anger.

Young people, mainly teenagers or slightly older individuals are attracted to gangs for several reasons. They include attention, family tradition, and protection, lack of knowledge of the involved dangers, financial benefit, and peer pressure. In most instances, the youth are not persuaded against being involved in gang activities by their parents. Frequently, parents are not aware that their kids are involved in gang-related events. The youth are attracted to gangs because they admire the power and respect attached to the gangs. A gang is also engaged in activities that generate large amounts of money. This attracts the youth because they want to become rich in a quick way (Hagedorn, 2008).
Peers who are already members of gangs inform their counterparts of the benefits of joining gangs. This appeals to them and makes them join gangs (Taylor, 2011). In some instances, young people are attracted to become gang members because they are brought up in areas where gangs are perceived to be a way of life. More often than not, young people experience these factors in their existence and believe that becoming gang members is the only way of overcoming their problems and acquiring success and status.