#4 Effects of Gangs in Schools and Communities

Gangs were once known to just be limited to major U.S. cities but are now more prominent in every area. Even small cities, suburbs, and rural communities are experiencing the presence and effects of gangs in their everyday lives. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, teens are more likely to join or become involved with a gang if they see themselves as deficient in any way and are seeking a seemingly loyal support group.

Many times a teen who joins a gang has a family member who has been or is presently involved with a gang. Joining the gang causes the teenager to feel as though their social life is improving. In reality the group may make this new member become more antisocial in order to stay a part of this gang and keep experiencing what he thinks are benefits.

If a student is involved in a gang, their commitment to performance in school is greatly reduced, especially if drugs or violence increase in their life. Reduced commitment and attention to school work can obviously result in negative consequences, such as dropping out or learning difficulties. In a school attended by gang members, weapons and drugs are reported more often and cause a higher risk of violence on campus. All of this new danger causes a constant feeling of fear to the other students.

Even though violence and drug use seem to be completely personal, the other members of the gang influence each other. Members seem to be victimized. Recovery groups for gang members and support groups for those wanting to leave their gang have proven to be helpful.

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/gangs-impact-teenagers-3840.html

#3 Video: The Gila River Indian Community's Gangs

When we think of gangs and the violence they cause on their communities, we may mostly think of this happening in big cities. This video demonstrates that not only are gangs an issue in cities, but also the places that are a little bit less populated. Officer Osife talks about the gangs in the Gila River Indian Community and shows us that we do not have to be in New York City to be effected by gangs.

#2 What Causes Teenagers To Join A Gang?

Teenagers are very impressionable and try to fit in wherever they can. A gang gives that teenager a chance to be with people like him or her. Most teens who join a gang join because they feel like they are failing in school, have no other activity to participate in, or want to be a part of something. While in the gang, these teens resort to the violence, the drug use, and many of the other negative aspects the group participates in.

Not only are boys joining gangs, but girls are too. About 30% of girls who join gangs have been in special education at school, causing them to have similar struggles that boys do. Because of their mutual struggle, it would seem that these girls would much rather be in the streets or in jail than in school. In school they may alway see themselves as failures, but in their gang, they are a part of something seemingly important.

It is not always the drugs, the violence, and the crime that lure teens into gangs, it could be their personal belief that all they have been able to do is fail.


http://www.helpinggangyouth.com/faqs.html (Most Frequently Asked Questions About Gangs)

#1 Intro

My name is Sam Butman and for my semester taking Sociology, I chose to study gangs. I want to look into the affects they have on the community around them, a few of the reasons why a person would join a gang, and the violence involved. After this semester project is over, I want to be able to say that I truly learned something from my topic and the topics my classmates chose as well.