Classification of Local Gangs - Essay Exampe

For a long time, many people have failed to distinguish clearly between a gang and any other social group existing in the society. The primary reason for this difficulty in gang identification is a lack of deeper understanding of the purpose behind the formation of such groups. Based on the description of the federal government derived from their researched and approved statistics, a clear distinction has been ascertained. Therefore, a gang may be defined as a group of people seeming to agree on the surface but yearn for control and attention at the expense of others (Decker & Pyrooz, 2015). Similarly, a team is a union of agreeable or disagreeable individuals who put their efforts together to achieve a common goal. At least in a team, there is a primary reason for the formation, a factor that brings everyone together despite holding different positions. In gangs, individuals may even own antisocial and very disruptive behavior.

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Gangs fall into several categories. (1) Entrepreneur gangs- These are majorly business criminals who involve themselves in antisocial behaviors with a motive of stealing making money illegally, and they include drug dealers, fencing operators, and even motor car thieves. (2) Traditional gangs- These are gangs who are known to have been operating at a particular place for quite a long time and are governed by certain traditional principles. (3) Non-traditional gangs- These are first time criminals who are not adequately organized and driven by the need for protection and power.

One of the ways of classifying gangs is the level of organization. A good example of this is the entrepreneur criminals, who have the highest degree of order. Most of their operations tend to be illegal but done within the framework of the law (Douglas & Burguess, 2013). These gangs like the Columbian drug traffickers, the Mafia, and many other international dealers are known and will do anything to eliminate those getting in their way.

Another mode of classification is based on the ethnicity of the members. This category is composed of gangs from different nationalities, continents, and smaller ethnic groups (Hagedorn, 2008). They are usually formed in some of the poor neighborhoods surrounding large cities having a core motive of protection. These gangs have a high degree of racism, tribalism, and favoritism and are non-traditional in operation. In the US, the composition of this types of gang group is mainly of Asian and Latino origins who are originating from nations like Jamaica, Japan, Pakistan, Somalia, Puerto Rico, Russia, Cambodia and many others. The majority of the Asians and Puerto Rican immigrants are part of this criminal culture. They are usually involved in street fights, destructions, and theft. In the recent past, the US department of justice has realized an increase in street crimes as a result of the introduction of drugs leading to prostitution, more murder and violence cases.

Finally, stereotyping is another important, though endless mode, used in classification. There are specific groups of people known for crime. It can act as a foundation of eliminating small ethnic criminals within the Ghettos (Shelden, Tracy & Brown, 2013). This category is also composed of the traditional gangs such as the BLOODS and CRIPS within the streets of Los Angeles. The two groups are contenders having both male and females as members. Initially, these groups were composed of men only, but they have currently replicated and are all on the streets of San Francisco, Chicago, and New York.

In classifying groups into different categories, some challenges are evident. First, Stereotyping as a method is not the best as many innocent groups may be viewed as gangs. A good example is the culture society has towards the motorbike operators who wear Leather Jackets. The majority are considered as part of the gang group tagged "hell angels" and may at times be innocent citizen heading or coming from the workplace.

Secondly, People tend to form ethnic groups with different motives. Some may form for legal reasons such as funding, saving or just to help one another. Similarly, others may develop with evil motives such as to steal and make the life of the community members miserable. It is, therefore, significant to understand the background of every collection of individuals to ascertain the legality of their operations before declaring the group as legal or illegal (Siegel & Bartollas, 2014). Finally, the act of believing that criminals only operate in the ghettos may be very vague. Though true as has been observed and proven, dangerous criminals may be living in affluent areas as they are aware of the fact that the police will not be able to carry out investigation from such a neighborhood. These kinds of places act as the breeding areas for the entrepreneur gangs who involve themselves in multi-million operations.

In summary, the major distinction existing between the gangs and a social group lies in objectives and core values exhibited by such kind of people. Gangs can be categorized according to their degree of organization, an ethnic group of the members and the belief mainly considered as a stereotype. From the identified approaches, entrepreneurial gangs who are money oriented, non-traditional and traditional gangs may be identified respectively.

References

Decker, S. H., & Pyrooz, D. (2015). The handbook of gangs. Wiley-Blackwell

Douglas, J. E., Burgess, A. W., & Burgess, A. G. (2013). Crime classification manual: A standard system for investigating and classifying violent crimes.http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1158413.

Hagedorn, J. (2008). A world of gangs: Armed young men and gangsta culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Shelden, R. G., Tracy, S. K., & Brown, W. B. (2013). Youth gangs in American society.

Siegel, L. J., & Bartollas, C. (2014). Corrections today. Belmont, CA, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.