Gangs and Crime Final

social learning theory

theory says that people become delinquent through the same learning process as anything else; one learns behavior through one's association with others. There are three related processes that lead a person to become delinquent/criminal: 1. acquisition 2. instigation 3. maintenance

maslow's hierarchy of needs

there are 5 basic human needs that evolve in the following order: 1. physiological/biological 2. safety and security 3. love belonging 4. self-esteem 5. self-actualization

stoners

these are a subset of the skinheads; often called cults, they engage in ritualistic behaviors, including satanism; mostly white suburban youth

skinheads

these are a type of white gang; there are racist and non-racist sections of this group; most violence is between these 2 different sections

1st US established gang?

the forty thieves (1826, NYC)

what US region was the last to see gangs emerge?

the south

traditional gang

--been in existence for 20+ years and regenerate themselves --they contain distinct subgroups, usually based on age --tend to have a wide age range --very large gangs, with membership of 100 or even several hundred members --they are territorial in the sense that they identify strongly with their turf, community, and claim it as exclusively theirs

gangs and tattoos

--gangs use tattoos to denote identity and affinity --most popular tattoo is the gang name, through words or symbols --tattoos are a primary indicator of gang membership for purposes of prosecution under a state's current gang laws

what are the risk factors to joining a gang?

--individual (antisocial behavior, mental health, etc) --family (parents, poverty, condones violence) --school (poor grades, feels unsafe there) --peer group (friends in gangs, antisocial group) --community (high crime areas, low opportunity)

collective gang

--resembles compressed gang but it has more members and a broader age range between members --usually has approx. 1000 members, but no subgroups --this is more in the form of a shapeless mass of adolescents and young adults who have no territorial patterns or activity patterns, nor any distinguishing characteristic of a gang

neotraditional gang

--resembles the traditional gang but has not been in existence as long (10+ years) --medium size- 50 to 100 members, but can grow --it is a newer territorial gang on its way to becoming traditional street gang

compressed gang

--small gang, usually less than 50 members, no subgroups --the age range of members is narrow --usually it has existed for far less than 10 years --due to its size and short track record it is tough to say whether it will evolve into a neotraditional gang and ultimately into a traditional street gang

violence in the family (domain of violence)

--some girls report having strong family ties, and others describe very violent, abusive home lives --most significant relationship is with mother, but often disruptions in relationship that the girl cannot control --substance abuse problems with father

violence with boyfriends (domain of violence)

--this is the most significant arena for violence --girls quickly learn their boyfriends have some basic assumptions about women and their roles and hold certain expectations about them --some girls acede to these demands, and others reject it by confronting them

specialty gang

--this type is narrowly focused on a few criminal activities --small gang (less than 50 members) --probably has existed less than 10 years, but has developed a well-defined territory based on geographical boundaries or on the opportunity for their particular type of criminal activity --principal purpose is criminal rather than social

what do hard core members look like? (aka regulars)

--usually are the older members of the gang, strongly attached to the gang, participate regularly, and have few interests outside the gang, they are so culturally and criminally enmeshed in the gang and are at risk of being so permanently. --most violent gang activity emanates from these hard cores; usually comprises about 10% of total gang membership; these typically had a more problematic, traumatic early life, and became street oriented earlier, and became gang members at an earlier age

what are the different types of gang initiation?

1. "beat in" or "jump in" 2. armed robbery 3. drive-by shooting 4. assault an innocent victim 5. rape an innocent victim 6. blessed in 7. "sex in" 8. murder

10 things all juvenile courts should know about trauma

1. a traumatic experience is an event that threatens someone's life, safety, or well-being 2. child traumatic stress can, but not always, lead to PTSD 3. trauma impacts a child's development and health throughout life 4. complex trauma is associated with increased risk of delinquency 5. traumatic exposure, delinquency, and school failure are related 6. trauma assessments can reduce misdiagnosis, promote positive outcomes, and maximize resources 7. there are mental health treatments that are effective in helping youth who are experiencing child traumatic stress 8. there is a compelling need for effective family involvement 9. youth are resilient 10. the juvenile justice system needs to be trauma-informed at all levels

4 nationally prominent SoCal games since the 1980s?

1. bloods and crips (primarily african american) 2. a mixture of prison gangs 3. the mexican 18th street gang and the salvadoran mara salvarucha gangs 4. asian gangs

what are the community based responses to gangs?

1. community organization-networking 2. social intervention-youth outreach, streetworker counseling, mentor programs 3. opportunities provision-job training and education 4. suppression-law enforcement strategies

according to jankowski what are the 5 attributes of a gang's entrepreneurial spirit?

1. competitiveness 2. strong desire to accumulate money and goods 3. status seeking 4. ability to plan 5. ability to take risks (the most important)

what are the 7 characteristics of defiant individualism? (gang members display ALL of these traits)

1. competitiveness-competition for scarce available resources 2. mistrust or wariness-trust is not something that is given, it is calculated 3. self-reliance 4. social isolation-less attachment to others 5. survival instinct 6. social darwinist worldview 7. a defiant air- i am going to take what i want and no one is going to stop me

according to jankowski what are a gang's success factors?

1. control over the competition 2. the type of organizational structure (how effectively the gang members carry out their plans; the vertical hierarchical structure seems to work best 3. the stability of the division of labor within the gang 4. the extent to which they avoid antagonizing the community

what do all of the theories agree on?

1. delinquency is a group phenomenon 2. better structured and more enduring gangs are found in lower class culture 3. racial, ethnic, and cultural conflict are conducive to ganging 4. parental delinquency, indifference, and neglect are correlates of ganging 5. there is a wide variety of sizes, types, structures, and purposes of gangs 6. there are many more unstructured gangs than structured gangs 7. primary groups similar to gangs are constantly forming and dissolving 8. there is a greater interest in gangs during adolescence 9. if a gang organization, there will be a leadership elite, lay members, and hangers-on 10. there are more similarities than differences between social groups and antisocial gangs 11. ganging fills strong emotional needs 12. gang structure and cohesiveness increase during external threat or conflict 13. better structured gangs last longer

what were the 3 major chicago street gangs formed in the 1950s?

1. devil's disciples 2. p-stones 3. vice lords

most popular weapon used by girl gangs?

1. fists 2. knives

what are the three recruitment strategies that gangs use?

1. fraternity 2. obligation 3. coercive

how do starter gangs form?

1. from conflict between adolescent groups at regularly scheduled competitive events that continues to fester and grow 2. similar conflict that develops among groups at public gathering places such as malls and on the street or in parks 2. when a previously gang-involved youth moves into the neighborhood

what are dr. klein's 6 key connections between group process and gang violence?

1. gang process selectively crystalizes factors leading to violent behavior 2. the gang legitimizes displays of aggression 3. the gang inadvertently leads to violence on behalf of the gang bc this appears to be expected 4. the gang permits or reinforces the commission of violence 5. the gang helps to draw attention to immediate as opposed to long-term consequences of activity 6. the gang is a medium for the status-deprived individual to seek peer group status

what are the assumptions and results of cultural deviance theory, according to dr. cohen?

1. high proportion of lower class youth (especially males) do poorly in school 2. poor school performance relates to delinquency 3. poor school performance stems from a conflict between dominant middle class values of the school personnel and the values of the lower class youth 4. most lower class male delinquency is committed in a gang setting, partly as a means of meeting some basic needs (self-esteem and belonging) result: reaction formation--one openly rejects what he wants but cannot have or achieve. they rebel against the middle class values of conformity and following the law

what are dr. klein's 7 steps to violence in a gang?

1. loose bond to the gang 2. collective identification of threat from a rival gang 3. a mobilizing event 4. escalation of activity 5. violent event 6. rapid de-escalation 7. retaliation

3 ways a girl can be part of gang life

1. membership in an independent girl gang 2. regular membership in a male gang 3. female auxiliary of an established male gang

gang dispute pretexts

1. norm violations 2. noncompliance with an order 3. actions that suggest a need to defend others 4. money or debts 5. unfair or rough play 6. identity attack 7. concern regarding opposite sex relations 8. territory or neighborhood honor 9. racial concerns 10. fin or recreational incidents 11. retaliation 12. rumors 13. robbery 14. misunderstanding 15. general troublemaking 16. other pretexts

what are the 3 major categories that school programs fall in?

1. operational strategies 2. alternative behavior strategies 3. engagement strategies

what are the top 5 attractions to joining a gang?

1. protection 2. fun 3. respect 4. money 5. because a friend was in a gang

what are the 3 categories of responses to gang behavior?

1. public--community/neighborhood based programs 2. official--criminal justice system (law enforcement; prosecutor; courts) 3. legislative-- local, state, and federal laws

what are the 3 program components of the aggression replacement training?

1. skillstreaming--students learn beginning social skills, advanced social skills, skills to deal with feelings, alternatives to aggression, skills for dealing with stress, and planning skills 2. anger control training--"hassle log" to journal about anger-evoking incident and how the child responded to it 3. moral education--raise the child's level of fairness, justice and empathy for others

what 2 events fueled the rise of mexican gangs in the west

1. sleepy lagoon murder 2. the zoot suit riots

what 3 developments contributed to formation of NYC gangs?

1. social disorganization in slum areas 2. establishment of green grocery stores 3. involvement of politicians in street gangs

what are the 7 possible outcomes for gang members? (according to jankowski)

1. stay in gang indefinitely 2. drop out and pursue illegal activities alone 3. move onto other organized crime organizations 4. get involved with smaller organizations aka crews and continue illegal activity 5. prison 6. death 7. drop out and live low income life with low income job

what are the two steps to leaving the gang?

1. the decision to leave the gang 2. drifting into quitting

what are the three domains of violence in the lives of girl gang members?

1. the street 2. the family 3. the boyfriends

what are the key reasons gang members site for leaving gangs?

1. their own personal experiences of violence 2. maturational reform

what 2 ways does gang function according to social disorganization theory?

1. they offer a substitute for what society fails to provide the individual 2. they provide relief/ escape from suppression; it fills a void

what are the 5 street gang scenarios?

1. traditional street gang 2. neotraditional gang 3. compressed gang 4. collective gang 5. speciality gang

according to jankowski what are the 4 sources of the 5 attributes of a gang's entrepreneurial spirit?

1. traits associated with the defiant individualist character, especially the mistrust and the social darwinist view 2. tensions between consumer culture and the scarcity of resources in low-income neighborhoods 3. the belief that a member can improve himself if he comes up with a new idea,new ideas to hustle money 4. desire to resist the resignation to a life of poverty and failure (like their parents)

what are the 5 questions that should be answered to help communities assess their gang situations?

1. who is involved in gang activity and what is the history of these gangs? 2. what crimes are they committing? 3. when are the crimes committed? 4. where is the gang-related activity primarily occurring? 5. why is the gang criminal activity happening?

webster's dictionary definition of a gang

1: a group of persons working to unlawful or antisocial ends 2: a group of persons having informal and close relations

what in the 1960s added to chicago's gang problem?

racial unrest

what is the background of defiant individualism?

It was developed by jankowski in 1990 after studying gangs and gang members for 7 years in the 1980s in boston, new york, and los angeles. he concludes that most gang members have developed this defiant individualism

what race were most of the gangs on the west coast?

Mexican gangs

generic definition of a gang

a group of people who form an allegiance for a common purpose, who engage in criminal activity, and who conform to ONE or MORE of the following rules: 1. share a common group name 2. share common symbols, tattoos, or graffiti 3. share a common style of dress 4. frequently congregate upon, or lay claim to, a geographic location 5. associate together on a regular or continuous basis

what qualifies as a gang member?

a person will be identified as a gang member if he/she meets 2 or more of the following: 1. an individual admits membership to a group which meets the definition of a gang 2. a reliable informant identifies the individual as a member of a gang 3. an informant of previouslt untested reliability identifies an individual as a gang member 4. an individual resides in or frequents a particular gang's area and adopts its style of dress, hand signs, and symbols/tattoos 5. an individual has been arrested in the company of identified gang members for offenses which are consistent with gang activity

strain theory

a theory that describes inconsistencies between societal conditions and opportunities for growth and fulfillment within society. the american dream: 1. achievement 2. individualism 3. universalism 4. fetishism of money when we cannot achieve american dream it causes strain and we look to illegal means to achieve it

cultural deviance theory

a theory that says delinquency and gangs results from the desire to conform to cultural values that to some extent conflict with values of conventional society

social disorganization theory

a theory that says disparate crime rates throughout parts of the city, where crime rates were highest in areas with high unemployment and low opportunity, were caused by a breakdown of institutional, community based controls, which is caused by 3 major factors: 1. industrialization 2. urbanization 3. immigration

obligation recruitment

advertise sense of duty; especially in areas where gang has existed for generations; must uphold the neighborhood tradition

when did east coast gangs emerge?

after the revolution

ohio revised code definition of a gang

an ongoing formal or informal organization or group of 3 or more persons to which ALL of the following apply: --has 1 of its primary activities the commission of 1 or more of the following offenses: any felony offense, any offense of violence --has a common name or colors, signs, symbols --the persons individually or collectively engage in a pattern of criminal gang activity

what are the categories of factors that contribute to a youth's decision to join a gang?

attractions and risk factors

who are the majority of victims of gang violence?

other gang members

why did gangs not really exist in the south until the 1970s?

because there was no single large city to provide a breeding ground for gangs

why do gang members display all the traits of defiant individualism?

because they come from low-income, low-resource communities

what are vertical gangs? (aka traditional or area gangs)

common territory; usually only male members (sometimes female auxiliary groups); mostly ethnic minority members

who is the "father" of social disorganization theory?

dr. frederic thrasher

who is main person behind social bond theory and what does he say?

dr. travis herschi, and he states that what keeps most of us from not committing crime is a social bond to society, and there are four elements of this bond: 1. attachment 2. commitment 3. involvement 4. belief

what does jankowski conclude that every gang he studied has?

each gang has some form of ideology, which consisted of a set of beliefs that gave gang members 1, a worldview 2, an interpretation of this world and 3, a justification for the superiority of this worldview

important to remember

female gang members have a higher delinquency rate than non gang girls AND nongang delinquent boys

gangs and white collar crime

gangs are becoming more involved in identity theft, bank fraud, credit card fraud, money laundering, counterfeiting, etc. --supergangs such as the bloods, crips, gangster disciples, vice lords, latin kings, aryan brotherhood are engaging in these crimes

gangs and weapons?

gangs use high-powered, military-style weapons and equipment, resulting in potentially fatal encounters with law enforcement officers, rival gang members, and innocent bystanders

the street (domain of violence)

girls in independent girl gangs confront violence when selling drugs and in competition with females in other gangs --girls pride themselves on being independent --they have devised a number of income-generating strategies, such as boosting and drug dealing --bc they are on their own they take precautions on the street because they know that they are potential victims of drug addicts and thieves

what is the major gang city/center of the south?

houston

what does the gang member acquire, according to social disorganization theory?

identity and status; the gang becomes his family

where are independent girl gangs more likely to be found?

in smaller cities

how were the p-stones and vice lords formed?

in the illinois state reformatory school for delinquent boys

fraternity recruitment

it's the cool or "in" thing to do; advertises through word of mouth; members are evaluated according to their potential to be a good fighter; if he already has reputation as a fighter, he is accepted without further testing; if rep is unknown a gang member will deliberately pick a fight with him to assess his fighting skills

what were the first southern cities to see gangs

miami and san antionio

where did dr. thrasher concentrate his work?

more than 1300 chicago gangs in the 1920's

where are are gang homicides most likely to occur?

on the streets

what do wannabes look like?

these are recruits, usually in their pre-teen years; know and admire gang members, they are one notch above the at risk youths in terms of commitment and involvement; they are involved with gang attire, language, values; they are mentally ready to join the gang, they view the gang as an exciting place to be, where they can become somebody, one researcher calls this type an emulator

juggalos

these gangs are a type of hybrid gang they are followers of the band the insane clown posse; they seem to be the most violent of all hybrid gangs

hybrid gangs

these gangs are also known as copycat gangs; they often engage in violent crime in order to get attention and respect; members often cross over and join another hybrid gang

what are horizontal gangs?

these gangs are cut across different neighborhoods; different age groups of members; aka supergangs or nations (crips, bloods, folks)

hispanic gangs

these gangs are mostly in southern california, most do not identify with specific colors, not transient at all, are based in neighborhoods where hispanics have lived for years; gangs fulfill the need for belonging; the need for family

white gangs

these gangs comprise about 10% of the US gang population

sureno gangs

these gangs include the MS-13 gang; originate in mexico; the fastest growing supergang

asian gangs

these gangs maintain a low profile; engage in low visibility crimes (primarily property crimes); violent crimes only committed for retaliation

what do veteranos/ O.G. (original gangsters) look like?

these members are in their 20s, 30s, or older, still participate in gang activities, veteranos are traditionally regarded as a kind of elder statesman who are somewhat retired but still command respect, the title is more honorable within hispanic gangs than with african-american gangs; OGs are original gangsters, referred to in african-american gangs as men who have earned respect through a combination of longevity and achievement

what do temporary gang members look like?

these members are only marginally committed, join gang at a later age than the other members, remain in the gang for only a short period of time; primarily associates with the gang during a certain phase of his development

what do at risk gang members look like?

these members are pre-gang youths, do not yet belong but have an interest in joining; they are often as young as 8 years old, live in neighborhoods where gangs exist openly, often fantasize about being in a gang, have friends or relatives who belong to the gang and whom they admire, often they being experimenting with certain gang attire and/or laguage

what do fringe gang members look like?

these members have not made a total commitment to the gang culture; still able to function outside the gang structure; often will drift in and out of the gang; most may have just recently been initiated into the gang

how do gangs get their weapons?

they acquire them illegally, straw purchases through middle-men, thefts from individuals, vehicles, residences, thefts from law enforcement and military personnel, and from other gangs

what do associate gang members look like? (aka peripheral members)

they have strong gang affiliation, but spend less time than hard cores because they have other interests, has usually made a personal commitment to the gang culture and is dedicated to achieving hard core status; joining the gang is precipitated less by a problematic early life and more by some life turning event which causes him to join

what qualifies as a true ex-gang member?

they no longer have any friendship or emotional ties to the gang and its members PLUS they no longer participate in any activities with their former gang members

what do auxiliary gang members look like?

this is a common role for female gang members, hold limited responsibility in the gang, do not participate in all gang activities, a related type is an adjunct member (a permanent parttime member who is so by choice, often because he holds down a regular job).

taggers

this is a form of graffiti; it is way for middle class white youth to call attention to themselves; they usually "tag" on or around their school property; it is a way for them to emulate the gang and "gangsta rap" culture

labeling perspective

this theory says that the criminal justice system helps to perpetuate crime and deviant behavior

coercive recruitment

this type of recruitment exists when gang needs more members quickly, to expand illegal operations or to resist a takeover attempt by rival gang; physical and psychological intimidation; may include physical threat to potential members or their families; may include physical attacks on the recruit or family or destruction of their property

what does a stereotypical gang leader look like?

tough, long criminal record, strong influence over other members, does not keep leadership control for very long, leadership tends to be situational, often challenges to leadership role from other hard core members, the leaders of a gang determine at what level of criminal activity the gang will function, characteristics of the leaders are reflected in the day to day activities of the gang

gangs on the east coast were primarily created by?

waves of immigration and urban overcrowding

social bond theory/social control theory

why DON'T people commit crime? this theory says that proper social behavior requires proper socialization.