Influence of Gang Violence on Society

Gang violence is a huge problem that exists today in many parts of the United States, as well as the rest of the world. Most of us have heard of gangs such as the Bloods and the Crips, which are primarily African American gangs that have gained a large following in the United States. This large following combined with the amount of violence these gangs take part in, has resulted in a lot of national public attention. However, the Bloods and the Crips are not the only gangs operating in modern society all across the country, there are others as well. All of these gangs consist of members who take pride in their drug-slinging and violent behaviors. This kind of influence is disastrous for kids as they look up to these adults as role models. From a social work perspective, this kind of environment works against a person’s well being and is extremely unhealthy, it therefore has a negative effect on society and families alike.

A huge part of looking at gang violence from the viewpoint of a social worker is the effect it has on the youth community. More and more kids today are participating in gang activity. These are things such as drug dealing, robbery, beatings/jumping’s, murder, and other violent crimes. These kids grow up in an environment in which the adults in their lives take part in gang activity. These are men that these kids look up to. They see the fear their role models strike in others and the heavy focus on respect that they hold so close and they want to be exactly like them. As a result of this, these kids want to be in gangs, and they want to participate in these crimes because in some cases it is all they know.

Violence is a huge part of gangs in general. If a person is a member of a gang, according to Scott (2014), “they are very likely to participate in violent delinquency” (p. 784). All gang members are forced to participate in violence at one point or another after he is inducted into the gang. Many gangs have even been accused of killing their own member as a result of their desire to leave the gang lifestyle. This combination of youth and violence is horrible for any society. According to Scott (2014), “Research has found that the more youth are embedded in a gang the slower their rate of desistance from the gang” (p. 784). In other words, the more youth members a gang has, the less likely they are to stop their criminal activity. This points towards the truth that youth are easily influenced and manipulated into acting towards the desires of their gang leaders. Simply put, the older these gang members are the less likely they are to participate in the lifestyle.

Gang activity, according to various studies, is similar in their functioning regardless of their geographic location. For example, according to Pyrooz and Decker (2012) “this study observed self-reported rates of delinquency and gang involvement [in China] not unlike Western countries” (p. 251). In the United States, according to Pyrooz and Decker (2012) “Fifty-two percent of boys and girls reported the presence of gangs in their neighborhood, while 49% of Chinese boys and 47% of Chinese girls reported the presence of gangs in their neighborhoods” (p. 255). This is evidence that points towards the idea that Chinese and American societies may be comparable in terms of the respective countries youth and their exposure to gangs. This is important, as China has not been able to match the amount of data that the United States has collected on the issue and is also struggling with the issue of gang violence.

Also, being a member of a gang puts a person at risk for dangerous every-day situations such as an altercation with a rival gang member. Gang members often identify themselves from things such as hand signs to the clothes they wear, they are able to recognize members of other gangs. With the constant influence of drugs and alcohol, this often creates a situation in which all of its participants will likely be even more aggressive than they would be sober. According to Melde and Esbensen (2012) “involvement in a gang increases exposure to high-risk situations including unstructured social forums where alcohol, drugs, and delinquent peers-including rival gang members-are present” (p. 146). The risk in many of these “situations” can often be death. These gang members will risk their lives in protection of their own egos as well as their pride and the respect and fear they demand from their peers as well as rival gang members.

Violence in gangs has a lot to do with images as well as pride. Gangs will take part in violent behavior in order to prove that they are better, or tougher, than another gang. It provides them with a boost in status if they can prove themselves to be more ruthless in the treatment of others. This kind of dynamic is the reasoning behind the attention that gangs have received across the United States as well as the rest of the world. These gangs have created a reputation for themselves based off of violence alone. Even though gangs participate in all different kinds of criminal activity, the crimes that people seem most responsive to are those crimes of violent nature. According to Melde and Esbensen (2012) “gang research suggests that violence is a tool for acquiring, maintaining, and enhancing one’s status in the group [or gang]” (p. 147). This barbaric behavior is a way for these gang members to feel important in comparison to their peers; it is competitive without a doubt.

There has been an effort to prove, through studies, a connection between drug-use and violence among street gang members. Data has been collected, based mostly on information taken from the United States and Mexico. According to Volkmann et al. (2012) “Findings [based off of the Drugs-Violence Nexus Theory] reveal that drug use increases the propensity of gang members to commit violent acts” (p.67). In other words, the Drugs-Violence Nexus Theory is a theory that states that a connection between increased violence and drug use does indeed exist. Evidence does point towards the idea that this theory could be proven. Although most of the data on this issue has been collected in mainly the United States and Mexico, the relationship between drugs and gang violence has been analyzed in Brazil and throughout Latin American as well. According to Volkmann et al. (2012) “researchers have examined the association between drugs and gang violence in many countries…gangs involved in drug trafficking tended towards more violent behavior [in Brazil and Latin America]” (p. 67).

Researchers have also tested the theory that states that people who are more exposed to gangs and their violence would be more likely to be familiar with drugs. The evidence collected pointed heavily towards the truth of this theory. The survey performed determined that, according to Volkmann et al. (2012) “40% [of those surveyed] reported exposure to gang violence…[and] 83% of those surveyed reported that gangs were active in the community” (p. 73). Based on the data collected in this survey, the evidence supports the truth behind the researchers hypothesis. According to Volkmann et al. (2012) “those who reported exposure to gang violence also reported more familiarity with the illegal drug scene in the community than those with no history of exposure to gang violence” (p. 73). This does indeed assist in solidifying the argument that gangs and drugs go hand-in-hand not only through distribution, but through usage as well. This is strong evidence that points towards the nothing-but-negative affect that gangs have on modern society across the globe.

This combination of drugs and violence creates a place for a young man to go and make money, while being a part of a group. There are many gang members who are struggling, and they join the gang in order to make money. The gang lifestyle makes the offer towards same day payment and provides a young man with a gun as well as a violent and aggressive attitude. According to Deutsch (2014) “for young men unable to find legitimate jobs because of their criminal records or lack of education and job skills, the corners also offer validation, responsibility, and respect” (p. 1). The gang is now a place in today’s world where the young man chooses to go because he has no other choice in the matter. This young man may have a child that he needs to buy food and diapers for. Young men are the most prominent demographic in todays gangs because they are attracted to the lifestyle. The “validation, responsibility, and respect” that the gang offers them is much more than they would have otherwise. These men take pride in what they do, not in the good way.

When speaking specifically of youth gang involvement, one should note the extreme changes that take place in these kids, which drastically changes their emotions, attitudes, as well as their routine behavior. Kids change as a result of joining a gang. According to Scott (2014) “a gang youth’s attitude towards violence will become more negative the longer the youth is in a gang” (p. 785). Therefore, the more time a person spends in a gang (especially if they joined as a youth), the more likely they are to stay in this gang while their attitude and behavior becomes more and more aggressive as well as criminal.

One of the most important things to take note of when analyzing gang violence all over the world is the difference between a gang member and a non-gang member. The difference is very drastic as well as obvious to most people. Gang members are always more aggressive and violent in comparison to normal every-day people. They also tend to commit a lot more crime. This points towards the idea that the gang itself is our societies problem. This collection of mostly young men into a group of people who occasionally even perform illegal acts simply for the pleasure which is extremely destructive to any modern society with hopes of functioning as a community.

Gangs are having a huge impact on the lives of many people across the globe. Differentiation of gangs based on neighborhoods such as certain places like Los Angeles and NYC. These gangs are having detrimental affects on many youth all over the planet. The different levels of gangs combined with the drugs they deal and the violent crimes they take part in, creates an extremely negative environment for all those involved. Often, gang members end up in jail and for many of these young men; they have no other choice but to continue the gang lifestyle because they are unable to get legitimate employment. It is truly a very serious issue, one of the more serious modern issues we face today.