What is a gang?
There are many variations on what defines a street gang.
Gangs are typically viewed as dangerous associations of violent young men and/or women who engage in criminal behavior. Some legal definitions include that the goal of gangs is to grow their membership in size and power. Gangs are considered a grave threat to society because many think that they are responsible for a large percentage of homicides, illegal drug sales and violence in our communities. Still others think that gangs are a ripe opportunity for foreign terrorist infiltration. Read on to find out how much of this is true.
Unfortunately gangs are often a refuge for disenfranchised kids who feel left out from friendships available in a peer group or the safety of a loving family. Kids join gangs for prestige, a sense of belonging, financial gain, tradition, and boredom and alienation.
Myths and Facts
Do all youth gangs engage in criminal behavior?
By definition, gangs do carry out illegal activities and many do rob or injure their members or others. Youth gangs have a high incidence of posession of unregistered weapons and sale of drugs, most commonly marihuana. Other typical felony charges are vandalism, breaking a curfew or parole. As can be seen, many gang offenses are not criminal in nature. Not all youth gangs commit criminal behavior punishable by prolonged incarceration.
Do all street gangs want to grow their membership?
There are all sorts of street gangs, from organized and growing to transitory and diminishing. The gangs that have historically gained more notoriety are located in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, have beeen around a long time and do activley engage in recruitment efforts to maintain and grow their influence. But according to the Justice Policy Institute there are also many, small localized gangs that emerge as quickly as they dissapear which are created as rites of passage for youth that feel marginalized from society. Contrary to common belief, many very young gang members leave their gangs after a couple of years.
Are gangs responsible for the majority of homicides and violence in our communities?
The largest figure of gang involvemeent in homicides is 50%. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) cites that half of the homicides in the country are committed by gangs. But many other sources have not been able to verify this. Most law enforcement records that I reviewed point to about 10 to 20% gang participation in our nation's homicides. A majority of homicides are committed by individuals acting alone.
Are gangs along the U.S. Mexico Border associated with the Mexican drug cartels?
There are indications of some associations between Mexican cartels such as the Felix Arellano and Salvadoran-based gangs that have proliferated in the U.s., such as MS-13. According to the Center for Immigration Studies: "Some Hispanic street gangs have, in effect, become extensions of drug cartels and are working to open new markets, which, in turn, will strengthen both the cartels and the gangs. For example, members of MS-13 have been working for the Sinaloa cartel, one of several major cartels operating along the Mexican border. The gang has helped Sinaloa take control of drug-smuggling routes into San Diego, Calif., and El Paso, Texas. As a result, these cliques are growing wealthier and more powerful, and acquiring more powerful weapons."
Could gangs become easily associated with foreign terrorist organizations?
According to the Center for Immigration Studies and the FBI a close tie between Al-Quada and U.S. is highly improbable. They cite that gangs do not want the government intelligence attention that terrorist cells receive. However, there is a Drug Enforcement Agency(DEA) report stating that a link was found between drug revenue and terror network funds overseas. Although the threat remains, it is not imminent.
