Youth Gangs

Research papers on youth and gangs can study any aspect of the sociological influences or the psychological aspects of young adults involved in gang activity. You can have a project on gangs and gang activity custom written from the writers at Paper Masters.

Youth Gangs research papers point out that the 2000 census shows an America that is factionalized and polarized more even as it becomes more diversified. One aspect of the polarization of America that lies along the lines of race, age, gender, and location is that of youth gangs. Of the many youth gangs that have sprouted across America, the gang known as Bloods, along with the many off-shoots (veins?) of the Bloods, typify youth gang existence.

As a youth gang, the Bloods' ages typically range from twelve to nineteen. As an East Coast gang, the Bloods are based in New York City, though the Bloods are now found nationwide. The Bloods are divided into two main gender factions - the male Bloods and their female counterparts - the Bloodettes. Combined, their base of operations is in the Bronx in an area they call the United Blood Nation. However, the Blood's criminal interest has grown to span America.

Though gangs have been in and around cities since cities existed, the Bloods have the following history:

• The Bloods beginning can be traced back to 1992 with its founder.
• Godfather Omar (OG Mack) Portee was said to be the founder
• The Bloods began on the West Coast
• OG Mack founded the Bloods while imprisoned on Rikers Island in 1993

From the original gang, the Bloods branched off as well as assimilated other, smaller gangs into its membership. Among the gangs that sprang up from the Bloods are those such as:

• Bloodstone Villains
• Tregansta
• The Bloodettes
• One-Eight Trey

While modern American youth gangs vary from city to city in composition and organization, there appear to be a number of recurring themes applicable to almost all of them.

Homogeneity: Members are typically young males of similar ethnic or racial background. (However, gang researchers have noted the growth of female gangs and, in certain, still rare instances, multi-ethnic gangs.) The usual breeding grounds are poor, inner-city neighborhoods in which dysfunctional or disorganized families are the norm.

Multi-generational membership: While most American gang members are in their teens, those cities with long-term experience with such organizations (e.g., Los Angeles) find that "hard-core" members--those who organize their whole lives around gang activities--are considerably older. In Los Angeles the average age of a hard core member is 25. Some gangs have a membership that includes members of two or even three generations, a type of stability that has usually only been associated certain traditional criminal organizations (e.g., the Mafia) and, at that, usually only in their Old World setting and not in the United States.

Territoriality: Youth gangs are territorial, in the sense that they identify with a neighborhood or a school in which some of the members are enrolled. However, actual gang operations may extend beyond the specific neighborhood identified with the gang. The "home turf" may actually function as a (relatively) safe haven from which gang operations may be conducted, as well as a locus of operations itself. Business operations: Youth gang organization lends itself to organized criminal activity of an ongoing nature, notably sale of narcotics, extortion, prostitution and the like. While gang attraction is probably initially social rather than financial, the latter aspect is a major factor in members' identification of self-interest with the larger gang interests.