Youth & Gangs

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, juveniles who are involved with a gang are two to three times more likely to commit a delinquent act then you would expect when considering their representation in the population. They also state that juveniles in a gang are five times more likely to commit a violent crime then non-gang juveniles. It’s evident that gang involvement plays a large role in the likelihood that a juvenile will enter the criminal justice system.

Many children get involved with gangs in order to fill a void left by an absent family structure. Children need to have a sense of support and belonging and if it’s missing in the home, many look elsewhere. Gang members prey on the adolescents who are yearning for affection, self-esteem, and protection. If gangs can provide the type of ambiance the youth is seeking, then they are likely to do whatever it takes to please the gang leaders.

Common criminal acts that gang members engage in are murder, rape, robbery, intimidation, extortion, burglary, prostitution, drug trafficking, assault, drive-by shootings, etc. These aren’t just status offenses; these are serious crimes, many of which are violent. Juveniles involved in gang activity are not only putting themselves in physical danger, but they are much more likely to receive harsher punishments due to gang enhancements when being punished in the criminal justice system. Effort towards finding productive ways to keeping our youth out of gangs needs to remain a priority.

Click on this link to check out some of the anti-gang plans San Diego, San Jose, San Bernidino, and Santa Rosa have enacted:
http://safestate.org/index.cfm?navId=1462