Combating Gang Violence
Research on gange violence discusses the difficulty that law enforcement has in combating the phenomena. Have the writers at Paper Masters outline the various problems associated with combating gang violence.
Below you can see topics on what to include in a research project for criminal justice courses on gangs.
As can be seen, aggressive law enforcement alone is not enough to combat gang violence, thus, the whole community needs to become involved. Preventing gang violence is not a sole person's job; the whole community must work together in order to create a gang free environment. As a community comes together as one, gangs will be forced to stop the violence because the force of the community will be so strong that gangs will become non-existent.
When writing on Combating Gang Violence, address the following aspects of the problem:
- Law Enforcement Strategies to combat gang violence.
(For example: Extra patrols, cameras on street corners, DARE, PAL, etc.) - Federal & State laws in place to combat gang activities.
( For example: R.I.C.O., Anti-loitering laws, extended sentences for gang members) - Is aggressive law enforcement alone enough to combating gangs?
(The community needs to get involved.) - Proper parenting can help prevent kids from joining gangs & gang violence.
Not only is it specifically in the hands of the law enforcement officer to prevent gang violence, but it is also the responsibility of the law maker, thus, two specific laws seem to be successful in the fight against gang violence. According to Shay Bilchick, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency in the U.S. Department of Justice, implementing a community based curfew program that offers a range of services provide a greater benefit in preventing juvenile delinquency and victimization. Community based curfew programs employ a variety of strategies with each program including one or more of the following elements: an established curfew center; center staff with community volunteers and social service professionals; intervention program referrals; recreation and job programs; anti-drug and anti-gang programs; hotlines for crisis intervention; however, the cornerstone for success is creative community involvement. Another way for lawmakers to assist in the prevention of gang violence is to prevent gangs from flaunting their authority by establishing anti-loitering laws.Attorney, Richard K. Willard, believes that the most successful anti-gang programs combine effective gang suppression programs with targeted community aid efforts such as job placement and crisis intervention. As communities become involved in implementing anti-loitering ordinances, gangs will be forced to disperse, and thus, reduce gang violence. These two laws in which law makers are able to establish will help to successfully combat gang violence in positive ways.
Street gangs and the accompanying incidence of gang violence is not a phenomenon that is confined to the nation's inner cities, minority classes or the male gender. According to the research conducted by authors, although gang organizations exist predominantly in large cities, the incidence of gang behavior can also be found in suburban areas with much smaller populations. Similarly, gang behavior crosses ethnic barriers and has been demonstrated by members of African-American, Asiatic, European and Hispanic origin. In the context of gender, most gangs are made up of young males however some gangs allow young females to have limited participation and an even smaller number are entirely female dominated.
Participation in street gangs presents a significant risk of violent death, not only for members but also for innocent bystanders. According to an author, gang members are 60% more likely to die in violent homicides, 80 to 95% of which will be gun-related deaths. The random nature of gang violence presents a similar risk of death or injury to individuals that have no association with gang related activity. According to an author who proposes that the mass media of television and music play a significant role in sensationalizing gang behavior and in contributing to the scope of participation across society.