The book “ Gangs and organized crime ” was written to promote a deeper understanding of gangs and organized crimes to strive for community protection. Gangs have been part and parcel of the American experience ranging from inner-city gangs, urban gangs, bike gangs, and prison gangs that adversely impact neighborhoods. From the analysis in all 50 states, it is clear that gangs develop due to social needs (George et al., 2019). With many individuals seeking to satisfy the need, they choose to become aggressors or offer perceived protection to members. During formations, gangs operate in secrecy from the visibility of law enforcement and society. The textbook closes the information gap by providing vast details that all readers can value despite the different professional engagements. Research conducted from surveys is an indicator of gang prevalence in different states. In most cities, gang members are adults, with most of them focusing on youngsters as replacements or supplementation to the gang. Annual surveys from the national youth gang center reveals that 63% of the gangs involved adults of an average age of 20 to 26 years (George et al., 2016). Using the national longitudinal survey, studies show that approximately there are 3.5 gang members, with about 400,000 leaving and rejoining the gangs each year( George et al., 2016). Additionally, with data from federal and correctional facilities, it is clear that gang activities are prevalent in prisons. For instance, the national gang intelligence center (NGIC) estimates their prison gangs represent 16% of the gangs in the U.S. (George et al., 2016). Understanding the broad-based data ensures that the issue of gangs can be analyzed from an evidential point. Gangs are focused on profits from activities that illegally generate income. They have evolved from turf street groups and adapted an organized structure with a ruthless model to those who do not adhere to the rules. For instance, in the drug market, each gang has its market share based on sales and revenues. The model changes the group's emotional connection and allows its members to view the drug market as a territory that needs protection. Through the perceived social service, gang members look to a better life through the accrued profits. They rely on street reputation to maintain the ruthless model by either enforcing behavior through violence. However, they are less likely interested in street rivalry unless it is for protecting the market. Unwanted attention to law enforcement is threatening to profits. Maintenance of cohesiveness ensures that the economic enterprise thrives. Gangs are based on a culture of collective violent behavior that forms self-recognition. Gang members have the organizational capability that lone criminal offender does not have. The group helps in the formation of identities through the use of symbols. For instance, Chicago-based gangs use hand signs while Las Angeles-based gangs throw signs. While the decision to join might be voluntary, ritualism and selective membership make it harder to leave the perceived opportunities and power. The principal is to learn criminal behavior that becomes the foundation of sophisticated criminality. Increased gang membership increases gang crimes up to 80 %( Pyrooz & Densley, 2018). While gangs engage in numerous violent behavior, the desire for group autonomy makes it harder to practice restraint in their actions. In recent times, gangs have become more organized, which should be a source of guidance for law enforcement. While it is easier to focus on visible gangs, advanced groups have structures in place, making it harder to prosecute. They have the power to contribute to insurgency and instability in the country by constantly reinventing and changing ways of doing things. Gangs have adapted to technology faster than law enforcement (George et al., 2018). Modern innovations has become one of the secure forms of communication. Through a wide possibility through computers, gang members can rely on gaming systems such as PlayStation to communicate with each other. Keeping up with changes is essential in ensuring that law enforcers are not playing catch up. Ultimately, police officers are well-positioned to access gang members, a significant source of information to incorporate with technology. The approach embraces effectiveness that encourages law enforcement to embrace prevention mechanisms rather than pure enforcement. Gangs have become a significant problem not only for her inner city but also in rural areas. The information calls for joined efforts with citizens to tackle the situations as a social problem. With a partnership with communities, police officers can create a force that relies on established trust to combat violence. While the federal government has good agencies, it ignores how gangs operate and underestimate the gang problem (George et al., 2019). However, with the continuation of gang acceptance through idolization, the positioning of police officers should be a guide for law enforcers to rethink their response strategies. Such include suppression strategies such as project safe neighborhoods that have proven to combat gang violence more than anti-gang initiatives (Whittaker et al., 2020). By increasing, police legitimacy trust can thrive to prevent and minimize gang engagement. Discussion on females' role in the gang world is informative on a subject that is often overlooked. The modern female gang members are more competitive, violent and have more gang influence over males (George et al., 2019). While they might not be as organized as the male gangs, they provide services that ensure the gang world is operational. With the chivalry hypothesis that females receive special treatment from the criminal justice system, females have the capacity to shift attention. The auxiliary units held by females present a source of identity. For all female gangs, they tend to receive less attention from police officers. For instance, only half of the members show to have an arrest record (George et al., 2019). Despite the magnitude of violence, female gang members can impact community wellness adversely. The relationship between gangs and the media is beneficial to both parties but adversely impacts society. The portrayal of gangs in music and movies creates a positive perception of gang life. The imagery is a major motivating factor for youngsters to consider joining the criminal emperors. For instance, in improvised areas, gang association is seen as the source of life betterment. Ultimately, even in the portrayal in a negative light, gangs can gain a reputation that enhances their community standing. For instance, some of the Community members may empathize with gangs over police operations. The media distortion on elements such as race and ethnicity of gang members is beneficial to profits and, at the same time, increases gang-related violence. Shifting focus on community perception of gangs should guide the efforts in local areas. Gangs in poor communities are perceived as a legitimization of a community organization. As such, society members visualizes the criminal activities as a personal matter rather than a social issue. For instance, if a young man gets involved in gangs, it becomes a family problem. While police perceive the issue as a public one, local communities might drag the efforts to tackle the problem since thy still hold a personalized view. Even though suburban areas might believe that the problem is in poor neighborhoods, gang-related crimes can affect anyone at any time. The members do not also need a central locality or property to inflict violence. Collaborative efforts should be the basis of solutions without romanticizing or idolizing gang exploits in the media or the community.
References
George W. K., Gregg W. E., & Carter F. S. (2019). Gangs and organized crime . New York: Routledge.
Pyrooz, D. C., & Densley, J. A. (2018). On public protest, violence, and street gangs. Society , 55 (3), 229-236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-018-0242-1
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Whittaker, A., Densley, J., Cheston, L. et al. (2020). Reluctant Gangsters Revisited: The Evolution of Gangs from Postcodes to Profits. Eur J Crim Policy Res 26, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-019-09408-4
