Youth Gangs: Are They Out of Control?
Youth Gangs, Are They Out of Control?Our youth is our future. They are the seeds that will one day blossom into the garden of tomorrow. However, before they mature, they will need proper nurturing and tender care. Our youth needs to be loved, educated and disciplined. Unfortunately, society has created numerous unfavorable pitfalls that forces many youths to abandon hopes to lead a normal life and search for salvation in the world of crimes and gangs. Statistics from the 1999 National Youth Gang Survey has shown that an estimated 840,500 gang members were active in United States. Out of those numbers, roughly 50% are between the age of 18-24. (Moore, Highlights of the 1999 Youth Gang Survey) In addition, youths that are involved in gangs are getting younger and younger. It is not uncommon to find students in grade 1 and 2 committing serious acts of violence. (Youth Gangs, http://ctprevention.com/nesasa/youth/htm) The recent increase number of youth violence is in direct relation with society's failure to solve some of its most common social issues. As a result, youths join gangs to go around the obstacles that society has laid in front of them. The first step in eliminating the youth gang crisis is to understand th
(Jankowski, p38) Others join simply for physical protection from the hazards in the neighborhood. 4 million Americans use cocaine weekly. Some of these families are immigrants who cannot speak English and have insufficient understanding of their new culture. com/nesasa/youth/htm) Incineration of hard-core gang member is not always effective. Finally, perhaps the most dominating reason for youth gang involvement is caused by the harsh environments in the local community. (Youth Gangs: Fiction vs Fact, http://ctprevention. As long as these issues remain, the youth gang epidemic will remain unsolved. (Jankowski, p24) As harsh as this may sound, this is an understatement of the reality in many cities. (Orlando Morningstar, 2) Locking up criminals in an attempt to rehabilitate them will most likely brew additional anger within the individual while the society that caused such criminal behavior remain, more or less, unchanged. The growing number of father-absent families results in the lack of proper parental guidance and the much-needed discipline. (Tonry & Moore, p366) Today, violence has become a vital element of the movie making industry; as a result, many teens are desensitized and mislead by the images depicted on the big screen; causing them to lower their value for human life. He quoted: "I'm in love wit the money. (Wendel, p2) Youths that are most at risk are those who lack support or guidance from traditional family social structure.
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