A program educating young people about the dangers of gang membership will include diverse information on the subject of organized crime, violence and the consequences of engaging in gang-related criminal activities. Students will first be informed about some of the reasons that motivate young people to join gangs. According to Bishop et al., (2017), youths consider gangs as a source of protection, financial freedom, friendship and respect. However, it is important to note that gangs are affiliated to organized criminal activities. Thus, youths that engage in delinquent behaviors or are violent have a higher risk of joining gangs. Kids that encounter social problems at school or within their communities, tend to get involved with their peers who are affiliated to a gang in order to feel secure and protected. Students will discuss the perceptions they have about gangs and youth gang activities. Youth gang activities are associated with violence, delinquency and crime. Therefore, once an individual joins a gang they are exposed to violence as gang members are pressured to commit criminal acts such as burglary, assault or murder to prove their loyalty to the gang. When a young person is recruited into gangs they are likely to engage in premature sexual behavior, drug and substance abuse and crime, which affect their physical, emotional and psychological well-being (Bishop et al., 2017). Gang-related activities expose kids to the mental and physical risk factors which destabilize their normal life routine. Therefore, they begin to lose interest in school and are withdrawn from positive activities that contribute to their growth and development. The long-term effects of being affiliated with a gang include lack of employment and negative history with law enforcement. As a result, a young person’s adult life is tainted by their past experience being a member of the gang.
The evolving risks of joining a gang places a person and their loved one at risk of being killed or kidnapped. Being a member of a gang is like participating in a battlefield since members are expected to constantly engage in beatings and shooting with other rival gangs (Armstrong & Rosbrook-Thompson, 2017). As a result, as a gang member one risks the lives of their families and relatives since rival gangs may abduct, kill, assault or rape their opponent’s family member in a bid to seek revenge. Both boys and girls may be forced to commit criminal offences to prove their position in the gang. For instance new members may be required to attack an innocent civilian by robbing a shop, shooting or burglarizing a home. Moreover, once a person has joined a gang there is no turning back as they cannot opt to leave the gang at their freewill. Taking an oath to join a particular gang is like signing away one’s life commitment to the prosperity of the gang. Therefore, if a gang member desires to leave they are punished by death. Students will be required discuss some of the factors that may inspire them to join gangs. By understanding the issues that will motivate a young person to join a gang, alternative measures can be provided to ensure that kids do not consider joining gangs as lasting solution. According to Armstrong and Rosbrook-Thompson (2017), communities have the responsibility of strengthening social relationships formed within the families and in the schools to prevent kids from joining gangs. During the program students will be informed of the existing community supervision programs and personnel that may assist them in overcoming some of the challenges that may drive them to be members of a gang.
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References
Armstrong, G. & Rosbrook-Thompson, J. (2017) ‘Squashing the Beef’: Combatting Gang Violence and Reforming Masculinity in East London, Contemporary Social Science , 12:3-4, 285-296, DOI: 10.1080/21582041.2017.1385833
Bishop, A. S., Hill, K. G., Gilman, A. B., Howell, J. C., Catalano, R. F., & Hawkins, J. D. (2017). Developmental Pathways of Youth Gang Membership: A Structural Test of the Social Development Model. Journal of crime and justice , 40 (3), 275–296. doi:10.1080/0735648X.2017.1329781
