Gangs, Boys

Gangs share similarities to cliques, which are made up of friends and crowds that are a loosely organized group of people. Both gangs and cliques are groups of people who share activities, and sometimes confidences. The difference is that gangs are involved in illegal and antisocial activities. Their illegal activities and visibility have waxed and waned, depending on the state of the economy and the vigilance of law enforcement. In the 1970s through the early 1990s, violent gang activities occurred at a high rate. This is attributed to the poor economy and emergence of crack cocaine. With the acceptance of contraception and the legalization of abortion, the birth rates among single women and those most likely to be at risk for gang involvement dropped, and as the older gang members were given lengthy prison terms, gang activity waned during the 1990s. The United States has tracked gang activity for the past 200 years.

Gangs fill a void by providing status, social acceptance, protection, self-esteem, and a sense of pride among the members. The emotional needs met by the gang make membership all-important for at-risk youth. Gangs are formed within geographic neighborhoods and communities and by ethnicity. Pride and geography lead to turf protection.

Feared by the general community for their violence, gangs maintain standards for members: recruiting new members, enforcing rules and regulations, setting goals, and assigning roles. Gang identification is provided through claiming colors, picking brand-name clothes, using gang talk, and giving street or gang nicknames. Individuality can be maintained but identification with the group is most important. Gangs are mostly composed of males, but females are affiliated either in an adjunct group or within the original gang. The role of girls in gangs is often primarily seen as either sexual objects or as mothers, which provides a sense of family for the members of the gang. Unfortunately, the activities girls are expected to perform are often illegal and puts the girls in danger.

Gangs, once dominant in the inner city, are now a problem of the suburbs and small towns as well. The revitalization of inner cities and the demolition of housing projects have forced the impoverished to move into the suburbs. As these problem families are displaced, the gangs also move, and these once relatively quiet communities must deal with an influx of illegal drugs, firearms, drive-by shootings, and deaths. This entry describes the attraction of gang membership, the process of joining, gang activities, and the process of leaving.