LECTURE EXTENSION Youth Gangs (pp. 633-634) National surveys report a steady increase in youth gangs in the United States over the past two decades. Serious gang problems exist in 2,000 American cities, where an estimated 23,000 gangs with 650,000 members commit hundreds of thousands of crimes annually (Burnham & Arnold, 2000; Thornberry, 1998). Although most gangs operate in inner-city neighborhoods, a growing number are springing up in places that once had little or no trouble-in working-class areas, well-to-do suburbs, medium-size cities, and even small towns. Most members are male, ranging in age from preteen to the mid-twenties. Girls are usually attracted to gangs through their friendships with boys. However, the number of independent female gangs is on the rise (Yablonsky, 1997). Adolescents in the same gang are generally alike in ethnic and SES background. Why have gangs become so widespread? Experts offer two explanations. First, the gang problem, although spreading, is concentrated in disorganized, poverty-stricken areas, where many youths face a life of hopelessness. Second, young people with stressful home lives are particularly likely to join gangs. Gang members are less attached to their families than are other youths. They report frequent conflict between their parents, domestic violence, alcoholism, drug addiction, and relatives who are in gangs (Maxson, Whitlock, & Klein, 1998; Moore, 1991). The gang provides social status, identity and a surrogate family. Besides being more prevalent, gangs are far more violent than they used to be, contributing to delinquent behavior beyond the influence of antisocial friends (Thornberry, 1998). Their illegal activities include everything from vandalism and muggings to auto theft, armed robbery, drug trafficking, and murder. They are also responsible for the majority of weapon-related crimes in schools (Huff, 1996). What explains this increased criminality? Longitudinal research reveals that boys who join gangs are already heavily into antisocial behavior with peers; gang entry is a further step that facilitates a course of increasingly violent acts (Lahey et al., 1999; Thornberry et al., 1993). Also, many of today's gangs are led by young adults who did not leave the group for employment in late adolescence. Some could not find jobs; others chose to remain with the gang rather than risking a return to their unhappy life. Instead, they become hardened criminals (Covey, Menard, & Franzese, 1997). Often gang violence seems undirected, aimed at anyone and anything. It appears to stem from intense anger, sparked by personal problems or unrelenting poverty. In addition, many gang members believe that the only way to avoid being victims themselves is to commit acts of brutality that display their power (Decker & Lauritsen, 1996). When used against other gangs, these hostilities become part of a vicious cycle. How can gang activity be reduced and controlled? Redirecting the energies of members and potential members is crucial. New educational, employment, and leisure-time opportunities need to be created in the fragmented neighborhoods that breed gang violence. Until these are in place, caring and committed streetworkers can provide counseling for troubled youths and discourage young people from joining. Social agencies can help parents of difficult youths understand teenagers' needs and teach them how to monitor and set limits on their children's activities (Goldstein & Huff, 1993). Curbing the gang problem is especially challenging. Members have established strong emotional bonds and are accustomed to an exciting life in which illegal activities pay off more quickly and at a higher rate than going to school or engaging in routine, regular work. Gangs are not so much the problem as a symptom of a more pervasive problem-the failure of society to provide poverty-stricken and troubled youths with supportive contexts for development. Burnham, S., & Arnold, M. (2000). I am somebody: Gang membership. In D. Capuzzi & D. Gross, Youth risk: A prevention resource for counselors, teachers, and parents (3rd ed., pp. 353-384).
Covey, H. C., Menard, C., & Franzese, R. J. (1997). Juvenile gangs (2nd ed.). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
Decker, S. H., & Lauritsen, J. L. (1996). Breaking the bonds of membership. In C. R. Huff (Ed.), Gangs in America (2nd ed., pp. 103-122). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Goldstein, A. P., & Huff, C. R. (1993). The gang intervention handbook. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Huff, C. R. (1996). The criminal behavior of gang members and nongang at-risk youth. In C. R. Huff (Ed.), Gangs in America (2nd ed., pp. 75-102). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Lahey, B. B., Gordon, R. A., Loeber, R., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., & Farrington, D. P. (1999). Boys who join gangs: A prospective study of predictors of first gang entry. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27, 261-276.
Maxon, C. L., Whitlock, M. L., Klein, M. W. (1998). Vulnerability to street gang membership: Implications for practice. Social Service Review, 72, 70-91.
Moore, J. W. (1991). Going down to the barrio: Homeboys and homegirls in charge. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Thornberry, T. P., Krohn, M. D., Lizotte, A. J., & Chard-Wierschem, D. (1993). The role of juvenile gangs in facilitating delinquent behavior. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 30, 55-87.
Thornberry, T. P. (1998). Membership in youth gangs and involvement in serious and violent offending. In R. Loeber & D. P. Farrington (Eds.), Serious and violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and stressful interventions (pp. 147-166). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Yablonsky, L. (1997). Gangsters: Fifty years of madness, drugs, and death on the streets of America. New York: New York University Press. LEARNING ACTIVITY Examining Reasoning About Real-Life Moral Dilemmas (p. 612)
Divide the class into small groups and ask students to think of some "real-life" moral dilemmas. Examples might include taking a prolife stance but later having to consider an abortion for medical reasons. Another might involve promising to respect a chronically ill parent's desire not to be kept alive through artificial means, and then having to decide whether or not to keep that parent on a respirator. Have the groups share their dilemmas with the class. Students should record their responses, rank each dilemma according to how likely it is to occur in their lives, and classify their level of moral reasoning. Is there a relationship between likelihood of occurrence and maturity of moral thought? Are any gender differences apparent? If so, how can they be explained?
©2001 Allyn & Bacon