Topic > A Study of the Surge of Youth Gangs in America

The appearance of crime and violence in American society has been of concern over the past decade (Lauger, 2012). The increasing rate of gang formation has been associated with increases in violence and crime rates. The foundation of gang formation is the youth gang. According to research by Sheldon et al. (2003), most people in gangs joined at a young age. Although the police sector is strongly committed to curbing crime, the aspect of gang formation appears to be the weakening factor. As gangsters are detained in bars, the rate of young people joining and operating in gangs has increased, making it difficult to completely eradicate the gang from society. The issue of youth gangs has caused concern and most researchers have been unable to define their perimeters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The youth gang element is propagated by gang culture. According to police-related research, America has over 33,000 operational gangs (Lauger, 2012). They range from street gangs, to prisons, to bikers and street gangs. Although people perceive gangs to comprise informal groups within society, a study on gang culture explains otherwise. The current gag training system is never made up of antisocial losers, but of formal, organized individuals. These gangs are funded to facilitate murder-for-hire, drug trafficking, and human trafficking, among other criminal activities (Lauger, 2012). Major gangs such as the Crips, Blood, King Master, and Dead Rabbits, among others, operate as commercial entities, comprising an organized management of American elites. Although the federal and local governments have been at the forefront of combating the formation of gangs and the activities engaged in by these gangs, gangs appear to be a part of American culture. In rare cases gang members are caught. The controversial part of the law is how these gangs have control even in prisons. The Mexican Mafia is a gang well known for operating even behind bars. Gang members enjoy safety, recognition and even protection after engaging in criminal activities. Gangsters enjoy royal status funded by money laundering in addition to other criminal activities such as drug and human trafficking. The "prosperity" of these gangs and the laxity of the law in combating gang violence and crime have developed a gang culture, which pushes young people to form their own gangs, anticipating enjoying privileges similar to those enjoyed by big bands. In addition to gang culture, most American youth join gangs due to institutional failure. Some Americas have limited access to economic and social opportunities. Although America is ranked among the developed nations, the lack of job opportunities has been a threat especially among the youth in various states. Society's inability to provide for the needs of its people has forced unemployed youth to form gangs and engage in criminal activities to keep themselves alive. Most young people who join youth gangs are jobless. The disintegration of families has increased the number of street children in the country. Street children form self-defense gangs. They end up engaging in criminal acts. Failure in education is perceived as social rejection among young people, who end up joining gangs due to frustration and lack of alternatives. A certain number