Introduction
Youth and gang violence poses a serious threat to the health of the communities in which they are found. It is common to think about gang violence as something that happens in a different place affecting other people and communities. However, the youth are seriously affected by the existence of gangs in their communities and these effects can have far-reaching effects on other communities and the country at large. Gangs increase the level of violent crime in the community, cause an increase in drug and alcohol abuse, and increase the level and intensity of organized criminal activity in the community.
Discussion
Gang activities, especially those of youth gangs contribute significantly to the rise in violence within a community. For example, youth gangs are highly territorial, both geographically and economically (Rosen and Hanna 60). Often, these territories need to be protected to maintain the monopolies that these gangs yearn for. For example, some gangs carve out territories in which they can sell drugs. The process of protecting these territories involves the employment of violence, often through the use of guns.
Gang violence can occur between gangs and non-gang individuals as well as within gangs, meaning that the violence soon reaches all corners of the community or communities involved. For example, guns may be used to expand or defend gang turf. Besides, violence may be used to recruit new members, removing undesired members, keeping members from leaving, enhancing the perception of invincibility and power, enforcing gang rules, seeking redress for perceived and actual wrongs, and gaining dominance over a territory (Office of National Drug Control Policy 2).
The violence can then be escalated in the community when police among other security agencies try to address insecurity because they too are likely to use violence to dismantle youth gangs. Such a level of violence undermines social cohesion within a community and creates fear among the residents.
While the link between violence and drug sales has been a central focus of gang research since the 1980s, very few studies have paid attention to the issue of drug use by gang members. Besides, alcohol, marijuana is the most widely abused substance in gang life. Often, the use of marijuana is normalized within the cultural practices and day-to-day activities (Howell and Decker 2). While the use of marijuana and alcohol can initially begin as part of recreational activity for a gang, this may escalate.
Studies indicate that youth who regularly use marijuana are nine times more likely to experiment with other illegal drugs than non-users. They are also five times more likely to steal (Mackenzie and Hunt 112). For example, members used to alcohol and marijuana may start using more potent drugs such as cocaine and heroin to continue feeling the same effect. In other instances, members of a youth gang may be involved in highly violent crimes because of being on drugs. For example, studies have found a strong link between the use of marijuana and alcohol and violent behavior including the carrying of a gun to school and threatening to harm other people.
Hence, substance abuse within a youth gang can lead to the escalation of violence as well as involvement in organized crime. For example, with the availability of guns among other sophisticated weaponry, a simple case of disagreement can turn into a deadly shooting. Drug abuse likely affects the judgment about engaging in violent criminal activities and one's perception during the crime. Since gang membership has been increasing significantly in both smaller towns and suburban areas, there is a high likelihood that the level of criminal activity and proliferation of small arms will go up, further threatening security in the communities affected.
Lastly, youth gangs can easily transform into corporate criminal enterprises. Some members join youth gangs to make an income. As evidenced by "42 Gang" in Chicago, a youth gang can be incorporated into the low ranks of a more organized crime network (Mackenzie, and Hunt 110). Members of the “42 Gang” in Chicago easily graduated to the lower ranks of the Capone mob.
In particular, when a gang is headed by a talented young member with links and ambitions of joining an organized criminal enterprise, all the members of the gang can be ushered into adult criminal organizations (Rosen and Hanna 59). For example, a petty youth gang can get sucked into drug trafficking with a significant increase in the level of violent crime in the community affected due to access to more powerful guns and influence from adult ex-convicts.
Conclusion
As revealed, youth gangs increase the level of violent crime in the community, cause an increase in drug and alcohol abuse, and increase the level and intensity of organized criminal activity in the community. It has emerged that gangs use violence for a plethora of reasons including the expansion and defense of their turf. In this process, both gang members and gang members can be caught in the crossfire of deadly weapons are used. Besides, it has emerged that the existence of gangs can increase alcohol and marijuana use as members promote the use of these drugs for recreational use. Lastly, it has emerged that youth drugs can be absorbed into organized criminal networks, leading to an increased level of violence in the community due to an increase in the sophistication of weapons and the presence of adult ex-convicts in the gang.
