Gang

For other uses, seeGang (disambiguation).

"Street gang", "Crime gang", and "Gang culture" redirect here. For the Sesame Street book, seeStreet Gang.For similar term, seecriminal gang.For the Ice-T album, seeGang Culture (album).

Agangis agrouporsocietyof associates,friends,or members of a family with a definedleadershipand internal organization that identifies with or claims control overterritoryin acommunityand engages, either individually orcollectively,inillegal,and possiblyviolent,behavior, with such behavior often constituting a form oforganized crime.

Etymology

The wordgangderives from thepast participleofOld Englishgan,meaning'to go'.It iscognatewithOld Norsegangr,meaning'journey'.While the term often refers specifically to criminal groups, it also has a broader meaning of any close or organized group of people, and may have neutral, positive or negativeconnotationsdepending on usage.

History

Apachegangsters fight police. Paris, 1904

In discussing thebanditryin American history,Barrington Moore, Jr.suggests that gangsterism as a "form of self-help which victimizes others" may appear in societies which lack strong "forces oflaw and order";he characterizes Europeanfeudalismas "mainly gangsterism that had become society itself and acquired respectability through the notions ofchivalry".

The 17th century saw London "terrorized by a series of organized gangs", some of them known as the Mims, Hectors, Bugles, and Dead Boys. These gangs often came into conflict with each other. Members dressed "with colored ribbons to distinguish the different factions."During theVictorian era,criminals and gangs started to form organizations which would collectively become London's criminal underworld.Criminal societies in the underworld started to develop their own ranks and groups which were sometimes calledfamilies,and were often made up of lower-classes and operated onpick-pocketry,prostitution,forgeryandcounterfeiting,commercialburglary,andmoney launderingschemes.Unique also were the use ofslangsand argots used by Victorian criminal societies to distinguish each other, like those propagated by street gangs like thePeaky Blinders.

In the United States, the history of gangs began on the East Coast in 1783 following theAmerican Revolution.Gangs arose further in theUnited Statesby the middle of the nineteenth century and were a concern for city leaders from the time they appeared.The emergence of the gangs was largely attributed to the vast rural population immigration to the urban areas. The first street-gang in the United States, the40 Thieves,began around the late 1820s inNew York City.The gangs inWashington D.C.had control of what is nowFederal Triangle,in a region then known asMurder Bay.Organized crime in the United States first came to prominence in theOld Westand historians such as Brian J. Robb and Erin H. Turner traced the first organized crime syndicates to theCoschise Cowboy Gangand theWild Bunch.Prohibitionwould also cause a new boom in the emergence of gangs;Chicagofor example had over 1,000 gangs in the 1920s.

Outside of the US and the UK, gangs exist in both urban and rural forms, like the French gangs of theBelle Époquelike theApachesand theBonnot Gang.Many criminal organizations, such as the ItalianCosa Nostra,Japaneseyakuza,RussianBratva,and Chinesetriads,have existed for centuries.

Types

See also:List of gangs in the United States

AMara Salvatruchagang member with a tattoo showing his gang membership

Gangs, syndicates, and other criminal groups, come in many forms, each with their own specialties and gang culture.

Mafia

One of the most infamous criminal gangs areMafias,whose activities include racketeering and overseeing illicit agreements.These include the SicilianCosa Nostraand theItalian–American Mafia.The NeapolitanCamorra,the Calabrian'Ndranghetaand the ApulianSacra Corona Unitaare similarItalianorganized gangs. Outside of Italy, theIrish Mob,Japaneseyakuza,Chinesetriads,Britishfirms,and RussianBratvaare also examples.

Narco

Narcosordrug cartelsare slang terms used for criminal groups (mainlyLatin Americans) who primarily deal with the illegal drug trade.These include drug cartels like theMedellin Carteland other Colombian cartels, Mexican cartels like theSinaloa CartelandLos Zetas,and thePrimeiro Comando da Capitalin Brazil.Other examples are JamaicanYardiesand the various opium barons in theGolden TriangleandGolden Crescent.Many narcos are known for their use of paramilitaries andnarcoterrorismlike theGulf CartelandShower Posse.

Street

California Attorney GeneralKamala Harrisannounced the arrest of 101 gang members on June 8, 2011.

Street gangs are gangs formed by youths in urban areas, and are known primarily forstreet fightingand gang warfare.The term "street gang" is commonly used interchangeably with "youth gang", referring to neighborhood or street-based youth groups that meet "gang" criteria.Miller (1992) defines a street gang as "a self-formed association of peers, united by mutual interests, with identifiable leadership and internal organization, who act collectively or as individuals to achieve specific purposes, including the conduct of illegal activity and control of a particular territory, facility, or enterprise."Some of the well-known ones are the Black gangs like theBloodsand theCrips,also theVice Lordsand theGangster Disciples.Other racial gangs also exist like theTrinitario,Sureños,Tiny Rascal Gang,Asian Boyz,Wa Ching,Zoe Pound,The Latin Kings,The Hammerskins,Nazi LowridersandBlood & Honour.

Law enforcement

Law enforcement gangs are criminal organizations that form and operate within law enforcement agencies. Members have been accused of significant department abuses of policy and constitutional rights, terrifying the general population, intimidating their colleagues, and retaliating against whistleblowers. Leaders called "shot-callers" control many aspects of local policing, including promotions, scheduling, and enforcement. They operate in the gray areas of law enforcement, perpetuate a culture of silence, and promote a mentality ofpunisher-styleretaliation.

Biker

Biker gangs aremotorcycle clubswho conduct illegal activities like theHells Angels,thePagans,theOutlaws,and theBandidos,known as the "Big Four" in the United States.TheU.S. Department of Justicedefinesoutlaw motorcycle gangs(OMG) as "organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises".Some clubs are considered "outlaw" not necessarily because they engage in criminal activity, but because they are not sanctioned by theAmerican Motorcyclist Associationand do not adhere to its rules. Instead the clubs have their own set of bylaws reflecting the outlaw biker culture.

Biker gangs such as theRebels Motorcycle Clubexist in Australia.

Prison

Prison gangsare formed inside prisons and correctional facilities for mutual protection and entrancement like theMexican MafiaandUnited Blood Nation.Prison gangs often have several "affiliates" or "chapters" in different state prison systems that branch out due to the movement or transfer of their members.According to criminal justice professorJohn Hagedorn,many of the biggest gangs from Chicago originated from prisons. From theSt. Charles Illinois Youth Centeroriginated the Conservative Vice Lords and Blackstone Rangers. Although the majority of gang leaders from Chicago are now incarcerated, most of those leaders continue to manage their gangs from within prison.

Punk

Punk gangs are a unique type of gang made up of members who follow thepunk rock ideology.Unlike other gangs and criminal groups, punk gangs follow a range of political and philosophical beliefs that can range fromalt-righttoradical left.Differing ideologies are one of the causes of conflicts between rival punk gangs, compared to other street gangs and criminal groups who wage gang war solely for illegal profit, vendetta, and territory.Most of them can be seen in political and social protests and demonstrations and are sometimes in violent confrontation with law-enforcement. Examples of punk gangs areFight For Freedom,Friends Stand United,andStraight Edgegangs.

Vigilante

Contemporary organized crime has also led to the creation of anti-gang groups, vigilante gangs, andautodefensas,who are groups who profess to be fighting against gang influence, but share characteristics and acts similarly to a gang.These include groups like theLos Pepes,Sombra Negra,Friends Stand United,People Against Gangsterism and Drugs,andOG Imba.

Structure

Latin Kinggang member showing his gang tattoo, a lion with a crown, and signifying the 5 point star with his hands

Many types of gangs make up the general structure of an organized group.Understanding the structure of gangs is a critical skill to defining the types of strategies that are most effective with dealing with them, from the at-risk youth to the gang leaders.Not all individuals who display the outward signs of gang membership are actually involved in criminal activities. An individual's age, physical structure, ability to fight, willingness to commit violence, and arrest record are often principal factors in determining where an individual stands in the gang hierarchy; how money derived from criminal activity and ability to provide for the gang also impacts the individual's status within the gang. The structure of gangs varies depending primarily on size, which can range from five or ten to thousands. Many of the larger gangs break up into smaller groups, cliques or sub-sets (these smaller groups can be called "sets" in gang slang.)The cliques typically bring more territory to a gang as they expand and recruit new members. Most gangs operate informally with leadership falling to whoever takes control; others have distinct leadership and are highly structured, which resembles more or less a business or corporation.

Criminal gangs may function both inside and outside of prison, such as theNuestra Familia,Mexican Mafia,Folk Nation,and the BrazilianPCC.During the 1970s, prison gangs inCape Town,South Africabegan recruiting street gang members from outside and helped increase associations between prison and street gangs. In the US, the prison gang theAryan Brotherhoodis involved in organized crime outside of prison.

Membership

See also:Gang population

Black Mafia Familyleaders in 2004

Different gangs and criminal syndicates have various roles and members.Most are typically divided into:

• Boss: known in some groups as leader, elder, don,oyabun,ororiginal gangster,is the one who has control over the movement, plans, and actions of a gang.Gang leaders are the upper echelons of the gang's command. Often, they distance themselves from the gang activities and make attempts to appear legitimate, possibly operating a business that they run as a front for the gang's drug dealing or other illegal operations.
• Under Boss: the second in command of the gang.
• Captain: is the one who issue the command from the Boss /under Boss to the gangsters. Captain is responsible for the activities in the field and of the recruitment of new members.
• Gangsters: also known as soldiers,soldatos,orkobun,are the typical gang members who commit the activities of the gang.
• Associates: known also as gang affiliates orhang-arounds,are people who are not full members of the gang, but either support and participate in the activities of a gang, or have livelihoods tied to gang activities.Included here are specialized roles like enforcers (hitmenwho work for criminal organizations),falcons ( "eyes and ears" of the streets),and mules (smugglers who transportdrugs,money,and other contraband materials).

The numerous push factors experienced by at-risk individuals vary situationally, but follow a common theme of the desire for power, respect, money, and protection. In neighborhoods with high levels of violence, adolescents typically experience pressure to join a street gang for protection from other violent actors (sometimes includingpolice violenceand the waging of thewar on drugs), perpetuating acycle of violence.These desires are very influential in attracting individuals to join gangs, and their influence is particularly strong on at-risk youth. Such individuals are often experiencing low levels of these various factors in their own lives, feeling ostracized from their community and lacking social support. Joining a gang may appear to them to be the only way to obtain status and material success or escape acycle of povertythrough profits from illegal activity. They may feel that "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em". Upon joining a gang, they instantly gain a feeling of belonging and identity; they are surrounded with individuals whom they can relate to. They have generally grown up in the same area as one another and can bond over similar needs. In some areas, joining a gang is an integrated part of the growing-up process.

Gang membership is generally maintained by gangs as a lifetime commitment, reinforced through identification such as tattoos, and ensured through intimidation and coercion. Gang defectors are often subject to retaliation from the deserted gang. Many gangs, including foreign andtransnational gangs,hold that the only way to leave the gang is through death. This is sometimes informally called the "morgue rule".

Gang membership represents the phenomenon of a chronic groupcriminal spin;accordingly, the criminality of members is greater when they belong to the gang than when they are not in the gang—either before or after being in the gang. In addition, when together, the gang criminality as a whole is greater than that of its members when they are alone.The gang operates as a whole greater than its parts and influences the behavior of its members in the direction of greater extend and stronger degree of criminality.

Some states have a formal process to establish that a person is a member of a gang, calledvalidation.Once a person is validated as a gang member, the person is subject to increased sentences, harsher punishments (such as solitary confinement) and more restrictive parole rules. To validate a person as a gang member, the officials generally must provide evidence of several factors, such as tattoos, photographs, admissions, clothing, etc. The legal requirements for validating a person are much lower than the requirements for convicting of a crime.

Non-member women

Women associated with gangs but who lack membership are typically categorized based on their relation to gang members. A survey of Mexican American gang members and associates defined these categories as girlfriends, hoodrats, good girls, and relatives.Girlfriends are long-term partners of male gang members, and may have children with them. "Hoodrats"are seen as being promiscuous and heavy drug and alcohol users. Gang members may engage in casual sex with these girls, but they are not viewed as potential long-term partners and are severely stigmatized by both men and women in gang culture." Good girls "are long-term friends of members, often from childhood, and relatives are typically sisters or cousins. These are fluid categories, and women often change status as they move between them. Valdez found that women with ties to gang members are often used to hold illegal weapons and drugs, typically, because members believe the girls are less likely to be searched by police for such items.

Initiation

Different gangs from around the world have their way of recruiting and introducing new members. Most criminal gangs require an interested candidate to commit a crime to be inducted into a gang.Many street gangs, like the Bloods andMS-13,have a ritual where they would beat up (also known as "beat-in" or "jump-in" ) aspiring applicants for several seconds to show their toughness, willingness, and loyalty.Some of these gangs allow women to become members either through being jumped-in or having sex with male members (known as "sexed-in" ).

Biker gangs like theHells Angelsrequire a candidate, known as a "hang-around", to be observed and mentored by veteran gang members (which can last a year or more) in order to assess their personalities and commitment.TheCosa Nostrarequires people wanting to be full members or become made men to take part in aceremonyinvolving oaths, agreement, and bloodletting to show their loyalty.TheSigue-Sigue Sputnikfrom the Philippines require gang members to tattoo (or "tatak" ) the name of the gang or their leader into their body.Triads have a more unique way of initiating associates into full members. Triad ceremonies take place at an altar dedicated toGuan Yu( Quan Vũ, GuānYǔ), with incense and ananimal sacrifice(usually a chicken, pig or goat). After drinking a mixture of wine and blood (from the animal or the candidate), the member passes beneath an arch of swords while reciting the triad's oaths. The paper on which the oaths are written will be burnt on the altar to confirm the member's obligation to perform his duties to the gods. Three fingers of the left hand are raised as a binding gesture.The triad initiate is required to adhere to 36 oaths.

Training

Training and expertise in various forms of illicit activities, including combat, exist variously throughout different gangs. Specific members of American mafia groups, like police infiltrators, double agents, and sometimes also enforcers and hitmen, have had backgrounds in law enforcement or the military.Sicilian mafia and Calabrian Mafia inSouthern Italybecame notorious for creating "schools" in the countryside to train children as young as eleven in weapons and illegal activities.Giovanni Tinebra, the chief public prosecutor ofCaltanissetta,once stated, "Instead of going to school, many boys go into the countryside where there are people who teach them to shoot and turn them into killing machines."

Some drug cartels in Colombia and Mexico have established themselves asparamilitaries.The earliest and most famous example was the time when the Medellin Cartel hired Israeli soldierYair Kleinto train militiamen and assassins.Los Zetas became infamous for being founded by US-trainedMexican commandos.Together withKaibilesfromGuatemala,they set up camps to train futuresicariosand soldatos.Other Mexican cartels who trained their members include theJalisco Cartel,who trained their members for three months in ambushes, codes of silence and discipline, inside camps.

In the case of street gangs, most do not train their members in shooting and combat.Although a few would train their youths how to shoot using empty cans and bottles as targets (with some cases using undergroundshooting ranges), most gangsters have no formal instructions in firearms usage and safety.The late 90s and early 2000s saw many gang members in the US being sent by judges to the military to “set them on the right path”, which only led to these street gangs gaining military training and experience.Many street gangs, most notably African-American gangs like the Folk Nation and Bloods, continue to have a presence in theUS Military.

Typical activities

Mara Salvatruchasuspect bearing gang tattoos is handcuffed. In 2004, theFBIcreated theMS-13National Gang Task Force to combat gang activity in the United States. A year later, the FBI helped createNational Gang Intelligence Center.

TheUnited Nationsestimates that gangs make most of their money through thedrugs trade,which is thought to be worth $352 billion in total.TheUnited States Department of Justiceestimates there are approximately 30,000 gangs, with 760,000 members, impacting 2,500 communities across the United States.

Gangs are involved in all areas of street-crime activities likeextortion,drug trafficking,both in and outside the prison system, andtheft.Gangs also victimize individuals byrobberyandkidnapping.Cocaineis the primary drug of distribution by gangs in America, which have used the citiesChicago,Cape Town,andRio de Janeiroto transport drugs internationally.Brazilian urbanization has driven the drug trade to thefavelasof Rio. Often, gangs hire "lookouts" to warn members of upcoming law enforcement. The dense environments of favelas in Rio and public housing projects in Chicago have helped gang members hide from police easily.

Street gangs take over territory or "turf" in a particular city and are often involved in "providing protection",often a thin cover for extortion, as the" protection "is usually from the gang itself, or in other criminal activity. Many gangs usefrontsto demonstrate influence and gain revenue in a particular area.

Violence

"Gang war" redirects here. For other uses of the term, seeGang war (disambiguation).

See also:Category:Organized crime conflicts

Latin Kingsgraffiti

Gang violence refers mostly to the illegal and non-political acts of violence perpetrated by gangs against civilians, other gangs, law enforcement officers, firefighters, or military personnel.A gang war is a type of small war that occurs when two gangs end up in a feud over territory or vendetta.Gang warfare mostly consists of sanctioned and unsanctioned hits, street fighting, and gun violence.

Modern gangs introduced new acts of violence, which may also function as a rite of passage for new gang members.In 2006, 58 percent of L.A.'s murders were gang-related.Reports of gang-related homicides are concentrated mostly in the largest cities in the United States, where there are long-standing and persistent gang problems and a greater number of documented gang members—most of whom are identified by law enforcement.Gang-related activity and violence has increased along the U.S. Southwest border region, as US-based gangs act as enforcers for Mexicandrug cartels.

Schools

Despite gangs usually formed in thecommunity,not specifically inschools,gang violence can potentially affect schools in different ways including:

• Gangs can recruit members in schools;
• Gang members from the same school can engage inviolenceon the school premises or around their school;
• Gang members from the same school can commit violence against other students in the same school who belong to a different gang or who do not belong to a gang;
• Gangs may commit violence against other schools and students in the community where they are active, even if these students do not belong to a gang.

Global data on the prevalence of these different forms of gang violence in and around schools is limited. Some evidence suggests that gang violence is more common in schools where students are exposed to other forms of community violence and where theyfearviolence at school.

Childrenwho grow up in neighbourhoods with high levels ofcrimehas been identified as a risk factor for youth violence, including gang violence.According to studies, children who knew many adultcriminalswere more likely to engage inviolent behaviourby the age of 18 years than those who did not.

Gang violence is often associated with carryingweapons,including in school.A study of 10-to-19-year-olds in the UK found that 44% of those who reported belonging to a delinquent youth group had committed violence and 13% had carried a knife in the previous 12 months versus 17% and 4% respectively among those who were not in such a group.

According to a meta-analysis of 14 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific also showed that carrying a weapon at school is associated withbullyingvictimization.

Comparison of Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) data onschool violenceandbullyingfor countries that are particularly affected by gang violence suggests that the links may be limited. In El Salvador and Guatemala, for example, where gang violence is a serious problem, GSHS data show that the prevalence of bullying, physical fights and physical attacks reported by school students is relatively low, and is similar to prevalence in other countries in Central America where gang violence is less prevalent.

Sexual violence

Women in gang culture are often in environments where sexual assault is common and considered to be a norm.Women who attend social gatherings and parties with heavy drug and alcohol use are particularly likely to be assaulted. A girl who becomes intoxicated and flirts with men is often seen as "asking for it" and is written off as a "hoe" by men and women."Hoodrats" and girls associated with rival gangs have lower status at these social events, and are victimized when members view them as fair game and other women rationalize assault against them.

Motives

Most modern research on gangs has focused on the thesis ofclass strugglefollowing the work ofWalter B. Millerand Irving Spergel. In this body of workThe Gaylordsare cited as the prime example of an American gang that is neither black nor Hispanic. Some researchers have focused on ethnic factors.Frederic Thrasher,who was a pioneer of gang research, identified "demoralization" as a standard characteristic of gangs.John Hagedornhas argued that this is one of three concepts that shed light on patterns of organization in oppressed racial, religious and ethnic groups (the other two areManuel Castells' theory of "resistance identity" andDerrick Bell's work on the permanence of racism).

Usually, gangs have gained the most control in poorer, urban communities anddeveloping countriesin response to unemployment and other services.Social disorganization, and the disintegration of societal institutions such as family, school, and the public safety net, enable groups of peers to form gangs.According to surveys conducted internationally by theWorld Bankfor theirWorld Development Report 2011,by far the most common reason people suggest as a motive for joining gangs is unemployment.

Ethnic solidarity is a common factor in gangs. Black and Hispanic gangs formed during the 1960s in the USA often adapted nationalist rhetoric.Both majority and minority races in society have established gangs in the name of identity: theIgbogangBakassi BoysinNigeriadefend the majority Igbo group violently and through terror, and in the United States, whites who feel threatened by minorities have formed their own gangs, such as theKu Klux Klan.Responding to an increasing black and Hispanic migration, a white gang formed calledChicago Gaylords.Some gang members are motivated by religion, as is the case with theMuslim Patroland theEpstein-Wolmark gang.

Identification

Main article:Gang signal

A Sureño gang tattoo

Most gang members haveidentifying characteristicswhich are unique to their specific clique or gang.TheBloods,for instance, wear red bandanas, theCripsblue, allowing these gangs to "represent" their affiliation. Any disrespect of a gang member's color by an unaffiliated individual is regarded as grounds for violent retaliation, often by multiple members of the offended gang.Tattoosare also common identifiers,such as an '18' above the eyebrow to identify a member of the18th Street gang.Tattoos help a gang member gain respect within their group, and mark them as members for life. Tattoos can also represent the level they are in the gang, being that certain tattoos can mean they are a more accomplished member. The accomplishments can be related to doing a dangerous act that showed your loyalty to the gang. They can be burned on as well as inked. Some gangs make use of more than one identifier, like theNortenos,who wear red bandanas and have "14", "XIV", "x4", and "Norte" tattoos.Some members ofcriminal gangsare"jumped in"(by going through a process of initiation), or have to prove their loyalty and right to belong by committing certain acts, usually theft or violence.

A member of theCripsshowing agang signal

Gangs often establish distinctive, characteristic identifiers includinggraffititagscolors,hand signals,clothing (for example, thegangsta rap-type hoodies), jewelry, hair styles, fingernails, slogans,signs (such as thenooseand the burning cross as the symbols of the Klan),flagssecret greetings,slurs,or code words and other group-specific symbols associated with the gang's common beliefs,rituals,andmythologiesto define and differentiate themselves from other groups and gangs.

As an alternative language, hand-signals, symbols, and slurs in speech,graffiti,print, music, or other mediums communicate specific informational cues used to threaten, disparage,taunt,harass,intimidate,alarm, influence,or exact specific responses including obedience, submission, fear, or terror. One study focused on terrorism and symbols states that "[s]ymbolism is important because it plays a part in impelling theterroristto act and then in defining the targets of their actions. "Displaying a gang sign, such as the noose, as a symbolic act can be construed as "a threat to commitviolencecommunicated with the intent to terrorize another, to cause evacuation of a building, or to cause serious public inconvenience, in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such terror or inconvenience… an offense against property or involving danger to another person that may include but is not limited to recklessly endangering another person,harassment,stalking,ethnic intimidation, andcriminal mischief."

The Internet is one of the most significant media used by gangs to communicate in terms of the size of the audience they can reach with minimal effort and reduced risk. Social media provides a forum for recruitment activities, typically provoking rival gangs through derogatory postings, and to glorify their gang and themselves.

US impact debate

Researchers and activists in the United States have debated the true impact of US gangs on crime in the United States, with a 2019 episode of theYou're Wrong Aboutpodcast claiming that the perceived increase in gang violence was in fact an overblown moral panic.There have been repeated complaints of bias around the enforcement of gang-related laws asking why Frats and Gangs are treated differently "They're both blamed for predisposing their members to violent acts, but they’ve sparked radically different public-policy responses."

Activists have also made the link between a perceived increase in gang activity and the sharp rise in US police budgetswhile pointing out rampant corruption in police gang units, such as theRampart scandalin the Los Angeles Police Department.

UK impact debate

In theUK context,law enforcement agencies are increasingly focusing enforcement efforts on gangs and gang membership. Debate persists over the extent and nature of gang activity in the UK,with some academics and policy-makers arguing that the current focus is inadvisable, given a lack of consensus over the relationship between gangs and crime.

TheRunnymede Trustsuggests, despite the well-rehearsed public discourse around youth gangs and gang culture, "We actually know very little about 'gangs' in the UK: about how 'a gang' might be defined or understood, about what being in 'a gang' means... We know still less about how 'the gang' links to levels of youth violence."

Professor Simon Hallsworth argues that, where they exist, gangs in the UK are "far more fluid, volatile and amorphous than the myth of the organized group with a corporate structure".This assertion is supported by a field study conducted byManchester University,which found that "most within- and between-gang disputes... emanated from interpersonal disputes regarding friends, family and romantic relationships", as opposed to territorial rivalries, and that criminal enterprises were "rarely gang-coordinated... most involved gang members operating as individuals or in small groups."

Cottrell-Boyce, writing in theYouth Justicejournal, argues that gangs have been constructed as a "suitable enemy" by politicians and the media, obscuring the wider, structural roots of youth violence. At the level of enforcement, a focus on gang membership may be counterproductive; creating confusion and resulting in a drag-net approach which can criminalise innocent young people rather than focusing resources on serious violent crime.

United States military

Main article:Gang presence in the United States military

Gang members in uniform use their military knowledge, skills and weapons to commit and facilitate various crimes. As of April 2011, theNGIChas identified members of at least 53 gangs whose members have served in or are affiliated with US military.

In 2006, Scott Barfield, a Defense Department investigator, said there is an online network of gangs and extremists: "They're communicating with each other about weapons, about recruiting, about keeping their identities secret, about organizing within the military."

A 2006Chicago Sun-Timesarticle reported that gangs encourage members to enter the military to learn urban warfare techniques to teach other gang members.A January 2007 article in theChicago Sun-Timesreported that gang members in the military are involved in the theft and sale of military weapons, ammunition, and equipment, including body armor. TheSun-Timesbegan investigating the gang activity in the military after receiving photos of gang graffiti showing up in Iraq.

The FBI's 2007 report on gang membership in the military states that the military's recruit screening process is ineffective, allows gang members/extremists to enter the military, and lists at least eight instances in the last three years in which gang members have obtained military weapons for their illegal enterprises."Gang Activity in the U.S. Armed Forces Increasing",dated January 12, 2007, states that street gangs including the Bloods, Crips,Black Disciples,Gangster Disciples,Hells Angels,Latin Kings,The 18th Street Gang, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Mexican Mafia,Norteños,Sureños,and Vice Lords have been documented on military installations both domestic and international although recruiting gang members violates military regulations.

See also

• Collective narcissism
• Criminal tattoo
• Drug cartel
• Gang population
• Gangs in Australia
• Gangs in Canada
• Gangs in New Zealand
• Gangs in South Africa
• Gangs in the United Kingdom
• Gangs in the United States
• Malcolm W. Klein
• List of criminal enterprises, gangs, and syndicates
• List of known gang members
• Organized crime
  • Organized crime in Italy
• Outlaw motorcycle club
• Raskol gangs
• School violence
• Triad (organized crime)
• Violent extremism
• Violent non-state actor
• War on Gangs

General and cited references

• Collins, Angela M., Scott Menard and David Pyrooz. 2018. "Collective Behavior and the Generality of Integrated Theory: A National Study of Gang Fighting".Deviant Behavior39(8):992–1005.doi:10.1080/01639625.2017.1395664.
• Hagedorn, John M. (2008),A World of Gangs: Armed Young Men and Gangsta Culture,Minneapolis:University of Minnesota Press,ISBN978-0816650668
• O'Deane, Matthew D. (2010),Gangs: Theory, Practice and Research,San Clemente, CA: Lawtechcustompublishing,ISBN978-1933778198,archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-05,retrieved2011-05-07

Attribution

• This article incorporates text from afree contentwork. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. Text taken fromBehind the numbers: ending school violence and bullying​,70,. UNESCO.

External links

• Media related toGangs (organized crime)at Wikimedia Commons