JUVENILE GANGS

Laura KalluspanZOu project

What is a Gang?

• “A formal or informal ongoing organization, association, or group that has as one of its primary activities the commission of criminal or delinquent acts, and that consists of three or more persons who have a common name or common identifying signs, colors or symbols and have two or more members who, individually or collectively, engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal street gang activity.” - 874.03 (1)

Gangs in the US

• An estimated 24,500 gangs exist in the US

• 772, 500 active gang members

• Mostly males ages 15-17

• Cities with emerging gang problems report more females and more mixed race/ethnic groups than those with long term gang problems

– 2000 Youth Gang Survey

Characteristics of Hispanic Gangs

• Generally modeled after LA gangs• Loosely organized• Turf oriented• Graffiti• Colors• Hand signs

• Turf oriented -Adopt generic names such as Players, Posse, Crew, Mafia, Gang, and Bad Boys and attach their particular street or avenue name to it.

• Loosely organized • Graffi ti• Colors• Hand signs

Characteristics of Florida Gangs

Turf Oriented

Vatos Locos on the subway entrance

Mara Salvatrucha on an elementary school wall

Graffiti

Rivalries

Historic rivals, La Raza and Brown Union

Getting In • Jumped in

– “Everybody sets the rules: not to hit in the face and to wrestle. The 1st person on the ground –that was it. You don’t continue fighting.”

• Sexed In

– “Back in the day, the leader used to do the girls when they tried to get in the gang. Sometimes, let’s say you at a skipping party and there’s only 2 girls trying to get in, all of them [the boys] will do it. If it’s like 4 guys, all of them will do it.”

Why join?

• What are the pressures that push youth towards gangs?

• What does a gang have to offer our youth?

• What important needs are being met through gang membership?

• Many youth are introduced to the gang culture at a very early age

• Membership and loyalty to the neighborhood gang becomes a matter of f amily honor & tradition

When does it start?

What are the pressures that push youth towards

gangs?

Community, School Family, Peer

Individual

Impoverished Communities

• Chronic unemployment or underemployment

• Drugs and weapons easily available

• Gangs, Crime and violence become

“normalized”

• Institutionalized prejudice/racism

Family Stress• Unstable/broken home

• Economic instability

• Low educational attainment &

expectations

• Alcoholism/drug abuse

•Family members in

gang

•Parent/sibling

criminality

•Neglect

•Violence

–Verbal, physical,

sexual abuse“I never get along with my father…he used to beat my mom, you know. And I didn't like that stuff and I used to fight with my dad too. I used to fight him too when I seen my mom fighting with him. When I was real skinny and tiny he used to grab me from my throat and put me down on the floor like nothing...like a piece of trash”. - Cristopher

Impoverished Schools

• Under-funded, under-staffed, under-resourced

• Disorganized• Limited enrichment courses• Zero-tolerance policy

Developmental Theory of Gang Membership

Community, Family, Individual, School, Peer Domains

• Preschool – Aggression, defiance

• School entry– Aggression, defiance, conduct disorder,

negative early school experience, lack of pro-social peer group

• Adolescence– Low educational achievement, lack of school

bonding, aggression, defiance, violence, delinquency, gang membership

What does the gang offer?

• Escape: “Problems at home”

• Power: ”Nobody touch you”

• Respect: “You don’t be

scared of nobody”

• Protection

• Fame

• Money: “I used to poor, real poor.

I used to be wanting to have the

money because when you be having

the money people be respecting

you.”

• Fun: “You chill with all your friends,

go to parties, you got a rack of girls”

• Girls

What needs are met by gang membership?

• A sense of belonging and commitment

• The need for unique/special identity – collective identity/group

membership

– individual identity

• Love and acceptance

• Structure

• Esteem and self worth

• Empowerment

• Status

• Support

• Recognition

“So I said, ‘what the hell, I’m in the street. I ain’t doing shit. I ain’t worth shit. Let me change my life around’...So I started selling that crazy shit [cocaine]. Then I got more into the gangs because then I had money, clothes. I became a member of La Raza. I was the man then…nice clothes, nice perfume, Versace and shit”. - Chino

Profile of a Gang Member

• Apathetic/Fatalistic• Limited education• Criminal past• Substance use• No work history

• Teenage parent• Weak family

bonds/support• Tattooed• Dialogue/

mannerisms

Strategies appropriate for developmental stages

• Window of opportunity – ages 7-14– FFT, MST, Strengthening Families

Program– Intensive case management– Academic enrichment/tutoring– Mentoring– Pro-social peer groups – recreation,

skill building

Strategies appropriate for developmental stages

Ages 15-18 – Patience and Tenacity • Street outreach & intensive case

management that is long term & consistent

• Multidisciplinary Intervention Team• Opportunities provision – Jobs!

Jobs! Jobs!

Outreach• Street Outreach• Case management• Court• Mediation• Crisis response• Community service• Referrals

Multidisciplinary Intervention Team

• Outreach Worker & Intervention Specialist

• Juvenile Probation Officers• Trust Counselor - NMB

Senior High• Asst. Principal - JFK Middle• NMB Police Dept - Gang

Unit• Dept. Children & Families• GUESS Program Case

Managers• Dade School Police

Online Resources• National Youth Gang Center

http://www.iir.com/nygc/

• National Gang Crime Resource Center

http://www.ngcrc.com/

• National Alliance of Gang Investigators Association

http://www.nagia.org/

• Florida Gang Investigator Association

http://www.fgia.com/home.htm

• Gangs Or Us

http://www.gangsorus.com/

• The Coroner's Report

http://www.gangwar.com/