Currently, there has been a surge rise of juvenile incarceration that is usually traced to increased gang membership. Criminal justice officials and scholars are constantly trying to understand and counteract the effects of gang membership. In addition, street gang membership facilitates increased violence and aggressive behaviors among peers. Problems attributed to street gangs pose a threat in the development of any society. The cardinal emphasis is on examining how the gangs form and broadening of the discipline methods used by the criminal justice system.
History of Gangs and Gang Membership
Emergence of gangs is traced to the population migration patterns into the United States. Immigrants who arrived were predominantly from England. The immigrants populated New York Midwest and Northeast regions. The third wave of immigrants who arrived between 1890 and 1930 was the largest number, and led to social disorganization. In the 1930s and 1940s, a surge of Latino and Black populations in New York led to emergence of serious gang activity (Bichler et al., 2019). The Latino and African Americans accounted for more than two thirds of the population in New York. Overpopulation led to poor housing conditions and development of slum problems which in turn led to the development of gangs. Street gangs formed from social disorganization in the Midwest developed over three stages. The first stage was immediately after the American Revolution, followed by a second revolution in 1820s due to continuous immigration (Bichler et al., 2019). However, in the South, gangs developed as a result of the Mexican culture and immigrations worked to fuel their growth.
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The Crips is a gang in Southern California along the Coastal regions and it was founded in 1969, Los Angeles California. The co-founders were Stanley Williams and Raymond Washington. It was initially a single alliance between two gangs, which was autonomous. However, the gang is currently a network of sets run individually and frequently engaging in warfare with each other. According to history majority of the gang members were of African American descent. Members of the gang often wore blue clothes but the practice is reducing because of law enforcement and police officers hunting them down. The Crips has a large membership of between 30,000-35,000 members. They are a violent gang committing murders, dealing drugs, robberies, assault, fraud, auto-theft, burglary and other criminal activities.
Stanley Williams and Raymond Lee both had their own gangs and decided to partner and work together. The members originated from the east and west of South Central Los Angeles and were under age children mostly 17 year olds (Howell, 2015). Several factors led to the formation of the gang including unemployment and poverty, post -World War II crisis, and racism. The formation of street clubs strictly for young black African Americans, with their exclusion from the Black Power Movement and Boy Scouts led to the emergence of the gang. Nine years later, 45 Crips gangs formed and located to Los Angeles (Ridgeway et al., 2019). In 1978, the gang was greatly involved in producing marijuana, PCP and amphetamines. Williams was later arrested consequently leading to leadership wrangles in the gang and other internal conflicts. The war between Eight Tray Gangster Crips and Neighborhood Crisps made the other gangs choose sides while other members sought to sever ties with the gang completely (The East Coast Crisps and Hoover Crips).
Lack of their main leaders left the gang in turmoil. The gang was constantly warring among themselves or their greatest rivals the Bloods (Ridgeway et al., 2019). However, when crack cocaine reached the streets, the gang was involved in the distribution. The large profits incurred led to gang establishment in other states and cities. The gang membership eventually grew by 1980.
Importance of Symbols, Graffiti, Recruitment and Tactics in Gangs
The main practices of the gang were use of graffiti, substitutions and omission of certain letters of the alphabet (Bichler et al., 2019). An example of letters “CK” which mean “Crip Killer” and the symbolic associations made them call each other “Cuzz”. While in prison, the members would speak Swahili to maintain privacy or cut off guards and members of rival gangs from the conversation.
Gang members often use graffiti to develop a sense of glorification and intimidation. Moreover, graffiti are used to mark territories and boundaries, prove their allegiance, advertise their power or status to their rival gangs or equally challenge them. Gangs used graffiti as a tool of showing the target rival groups within a neighborhood. Thus, rival gangs may perceive anyone from the neighborhood as a potential threat. As a result, innocent citizens may be involved in the violence especially drive-by shootings. The Crips often omitted letter “b” in blood to show “disrespect” because it was associated with their rival gang the Bloods (Howell, 2015). According to Williams wearing blue clothing and bandana was a way of paying tribute to their founding member (Buddha). It was viewed as a coordinated mode of dressing. Buddha was gunned down thus, the dominant blue color among the Crips (Howell, 2015). In addition, being associated with the blue color was a signature look for the gang members and the members showed their loyalty and tribute to a ‘fallen’ member.
Gangs recruit members associated with their target groups but there has been a shift in the trend over the years. They are becoming more adaptable and using smarter methods in recruiting members. Gangs develop from the ground upwards and the larger the gang becomes; the more sophisticated recruitment becomes. Primarily, gangs are profit-oriented therefore members who are recruited must be in support of the idea. The Crips majorly recruited underage children to help in supply of the illegal drugs and expand the gang. Different gangs have different needs. Therefore, depending on the direction of the expansion curve of the gang recruitment is based on criminal demographics to support integration and expansion. Recruiting new members ensures overall expansion of the gang.
Criminal Enterprise and Organized Crimes in Gangs
Organized criminal gangs can run both legal and illegal enterprises to cover up their activities. The main aim of organized crime is material or financial gain while control and power come in as secondary motives. Organized criminal gangs can be defined as groups, which conduct illegal activities in order to gain financial benefits either directly or indirectly. Most of the organized groups have an ethnic base, with a significant contribution in legitimate businesses and unions or even public offices. Serious criminal offences are conducted under cover of legal entities. Moreover, organized criminal enterprises form and thrive just like other business enterprises yet they are dealing with illegal products and service provision (Ridgeway et al., 2019). The enterprise model of organized crime argues that economic considerations are key in formation of gangs and their success greatly depends on it. In addition, gangs relate closely when it comes to economic relations in contrast to personal relationships. On the account that organized crime requires critical and systematic planning for a successful execution.
Methods Used by Law Enforcement to Control Gangs
The law enforcement applies different anti-gang strategies to help maintain and control gang activities. Prevention of crimes related to gangs includes use of programs or community services and activities to prevent people from joining the gangs. The target group of prevention programs are young people. Situational prevention method lays emphasis on the causes of the crime, as compared to dispositional characters of the offenders (Pyrooz et al., 2019). Prevention programs also aim at correcting both opportunistic and environmental factors, which may influence decision-making for the offender.
Secondly, intervention methods may be employed in some instances. Intervention aims at correcting members who are closely involved with the gang. Unlike prevention method, here law enforcement coordinates with the community or faith-based organizations such as churches at grass root levels for interventions. The interventions include civic education, community service activities and training members for various job opportunities. However, those involved are held accountable for their actions but intervention prepares them for an alternative lifestyle afterwards.
Gang crime enforcement commonly known as suppression is a wide range of criminal justice activities; law enforcement, probation, parole and the prosecution. These criminal justice activities direct their resources to limit and ensure the members are responsible and accountable for their criminal activities. The tactics used in suppression range are varied. Gang members are prosecuted through the vertical prosecution (Pyrooz et al., 2019). Moreover, apprehending known and serious gang members, especially their leaders may cripple their operations. This ensures sharing of information about other gangs to the law enforcement officers.
Law enforcement use assessment to ensure that the strategies they are applying are successful and effective. Assessing the problem head on helps the law enforcers gain a deeper insight and understand what they are dealing with. A plan can be formulated afterwards with a target in mind about criminal gang activities hence, saving time and resources in controlling criminal activities. The process of assessment takes three steps. Firstly, identifying individuals to oversee the whole process, laying the groundwork, and determining methods and means of data collection. Secondly, the data that is collected is analyzed and is interpreted over a range of indicators in several domains. Lastly, preparing a report about the findings and coming up with a final report, which extensively explains the nature and extent of the gang activities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, gang membership has affected most of the peers. This is due to the profit- making motivation that drives them in joining gangs. However, criminal activities can be prevented through implementation of stringiest laws such as lengthy jail terms. Moreover, integration of faith- based organizations in providing various disciplinary approaches is essential in controlling crimes. Community interventions which aim at reducing crime rates are also crucial for engaging peers who are inactively involved in various work settings.
References
Bichler, et al. (2019). The impact of civil gang injunctions on networked violence between the Bloods and the Crips. Crime & Delinquency , 65 (7), 875-915.
Howell, J. C. (2015). The history of street gangs in the United States: Their origins and transformations . Lexington Books.
Pyrooz, D. C., & Decker, S. H. (2019). Competing for control: Gangs and the social order of prisons . Cambridge University Press.
Ridgeway, et al. (2019). Effect of gang injunctions on crime: a study of Los Angeles from 1988–2014. Journal of quantitative criminology , 35 (3), 517-541.
