Sociology

The juvenile delinquency gangs are not new in the U.S. and the world at large. There has been a lot of conflict between the juvenile delinquent gangs and the law. Moreover, different gangs have different rivals in their societies. Severally, the gang members have fought over drug related activities and other issues. In the past, youth gangs were believed to be composed of the young people. It is also the case up to date, but there has been the recruitment of the old people in these groups. Some of the well known gangs in the U.S. are the Crips and the Blood gangs. They are well organized gangs which engage in criminal activities. Gang formation is mostly common among the youth who feel rejected in the societies they live in. This is because it is the desire of every human being to fit in a group where he or she feels wanted. As a result of their self expression, they end up in criminal activities. Most of the young people who join gangs are faced with economic crisis. Therefore, they find criminal activities important as they are their source of income. Gangs are a social problem and should be done away with. Any member who is suspected to be a gang member should face the law. This is because once the problem is not corrected, organized crime will continue flourishing. It is the responsibility of the society to be on the lookout and always make sure they report any person who is suspected to be in the gangs. This will ensure that there is safety in the U.S. and the world at large. Juvenile Delinquent Gangs The Causes and the ways used to combat them

Introduction
Gang related homicide cases are on increase in Los Angeles. A total of one hundred and fifty eight gang related killings were reported in the month of May, 1993. Additionally, the police speculated that the total number of deaths that year could amount to over three hundred and seventy. Up to date, juvenile delinquent gangs have continued to operate despite the efforts of the United States (U.S.) government to curb their growth. Community activists are continually trying to talk to the youth in the gangs to shun their criminal activities. Neighborhood strategy meetings which involve the police, lawmakers, officers and community groups have been held (Associated Press, 2002). This research paper seeks to analyze the causes of juvenile delinquent gangs in relation to the programs and interventions that are used to reduce and combat juvenile behavior.

Definitions of Juvenile Delinquent gangs
Juvenile delinquency is the situation whereby persons below the age of eighteen commit crimes, and they face charges which are different from those of adults (Barker, 2010). Gangs are groups of young people who plan their lives based on criminal activities. They begin as female and male groups which are normally unsupervised. Most of the gang members are less than eighteen years, and they engage in a lot of criminal activities (Carlie, 2002). This is why these groups are referred to as juvenile delinquent gangs.

According to Carlie, 2002, a gang is A group of two or more individuals who have an on-going relationship with each other and support one another individually or collectively in the recurring commission of delinquent andor criminal behavior(Carlie, Why gangs form, 2002). Gangs vary widely as far as their composition is concerned. They may be made up of two or less people who commit minor delinquent acts to highly organized ones (Carlie, Why gangs form, 2002).

Example of a juvenile delinquent gang
There are several juvenile delinquent groups in the U.S. Most of these groups have rival groups, which keep on fighting and engaging on criminal activities. The Crips gang is a group which was formed as a result of an alliance of various street gangs in the U.S. It originated from Los Angeles, California. The Crips gang started its activities in Washington High School Campus in Los Angeles. It was predominantly an African-American gang group. With time, the group gained its popularity and extended to other parts of the U.S. The gang is extremely aggressive as it is highly involved in criminal activities (Walker, 1998).

The activities of the Crips gang have raised a great concern in the U.S. This is because these activities have translated to a severe national problem, and their spread has been rampant. The Crips gang activities have crossed all borders related to racial, ethnic and socio-economic ones (Grant, 2004).
History of juvenile delinquent gangs formation

Juvenile delinquent gangs are not a new phenomenon in the society today. On his inauguration day, a former President of America, Abraham Lincoln had to disguise himself so as to avoid gang attacks. In the 19th century, there was the formation of several gangs in the big cities which were triggered by industrialization. This was as a result of extremes in poverty and population density. Immigrant children were mostly targeted by recruiters. As the immigrant children joined the gangs in the U.S., the level of criminal activities increased .The epicenter for gang formation in the 19th century was Chicago. When the Great Depression hit, all men who became desperate as a result of loss of employment were targeted by recruiters of the urban gangs (Cohen, 2010).

In the past, civil wars have led to the decrease of the young men in the society as they are required to contribute in fighting. During the Second World War, several young men joined the armies of their respective nations. As a result, there was a break in the rise of gang formation. However, after the Second World War, there was a great unrest based on race and status. As a result, the old gang affiliations that existed before the war were revived, and new gangs emerged. The Hispanic people and the African-Americans possessed great ethnic pride at this time (Cohen, 2010).

Juvenile delinquent gangs like the Bloods and the Crips claimed most parts of Los Angeles and New York. There were also gangs which were established in the prisons. This increased the levels of gang affiliation (Cohen, 2010). By the 1980s, a complex group of gang leaders worked to expand drug trafficking activities. Currently, gangs are everywhere in the U.S. They have embraced technology by the use of sophisticated machinery and launching websites so as to accomplish their aims (Cohen, 2010). Up to date, the gangs have continued growing and extending to various parts of the U.S. The gangs are associated with several criminal activities, drugs trafficking being the major one.

Causes of Juvenile delinquent gangs
American psychologist Abraham Maslow came up with the theory of human needs, and called it the hierarchy of needs.  His model is widely accepted in understanding the physiological, biological and the social needs of a human being. According to the model, lower needs must be met so as to fulfill the higher ones. The lower level needs are those of safety and physiological satisfaction. The higher level needs include the sense of belonging, self actualization and self esteem. According to him, once every single lower need gets satisfied, the next need projects, leading to self actualization as the final goal. The absence of needs impedes the movement of an individual to the other level. The Maslows theory has a lot of significance as far as the causes of joining delinquent gangs are concerned (Carlie, 2002).
From the Maslows theory point of view, lack of a sense of security and belonging in school or home environment may lead to children coming together to form a gang. It is from theses gangs that they find acceptance, support and friendship. The gangs may also be formed as a result of the singling out of these types of students by school officials in a bid to give them special treatment. Additionally, if the criminal activities committed by these types of children leads to arrest, they are put in detention centers. Upon their release, they lack acceptance in the society and as a result, they end up forming gangs (Carlie, 2002).
   
One of the major causes of youths joining the delinquent gangs is the search for a sense of belonging. The young people who are disillusioned in life and those who go through rejection are more susceptible to being recruited into gangs than the children who go through a normal life (Keith, 2006). Duffy (2004) states that marginalization and alienation of the youth leads to the joining of gangs by the youth than those children who feel included in the society. The included members of a society believe that they are respected and have better opportunities. The excluded members end up joining juvenile delinquent gangs.

Another reason as to why children join the gangs in the U.S. and in the world at large is for safety reasons. The children feel that when they join a gang, there will be protection over their lives. However, this is a false belief, as they only increase their risks in criminal activities involvement. They are always in conflict with either the law or other gangs. Therefore, the belief that security is gotten by being a gang member is only a fantasy (Keith, 2006).

Hate crimes and racial discrimination has also led to some people joining the gangs. The youths of a mixed ethnic background are always looked at with discrimination. However, a feeling of acceptance is gotten once they get into a gang environment. This is because they are viewed as equal. Therefore, it is the feeling of equality and unity that exists in the gangs which draws them. It is however very difficult to quit the gangs once they join them (Keith, 2006).

There is the belief that gangs give their members a sense of dominance and power. Where they may have been considered as intellectually and physically weak, it is proven wrong as they get convinced that they are more special than others in their societies. This leads to the tendency of the members becoming more intertwined with the criminal activities practiced by a gang, hence making the membership of the gang more prominent (Keith, 2006).

 Prevalence of the juvenile delinquent gangs
 A study which was undertaken by the 2005 Department of Justice estimated that there were over twenty one thousand and five hundred gangs in the U.S. The figures were expected to increase. The results showed that as the population increased, there were increased instances of despair, peer pressure and poverty. The social scientists at that time foresaw a situation where there would be an increase of juvenile delinquent gangs in the United States (Cohen, 2010). The social scientists speculations were correct. In the recent years, there have been very many cases of gang formation.
Prevalence as far as youth gangs are concerned refers to the number of American youths who participate in violent behavior. Self reports from victims or offenders are essential in determining the extent of youth violence. The National Crime Victimization Survey reveals that majority of the violent crimes committed by the gang members are not known by the police (Surgeon General, 2002).
The most common area where gang formation takes place is in the schools. After the young people join the gangs, there are usually high rates of violence, spread of gangs and gang membership from one society to another. Criminologists have involved themselves in the study of the behavior of gangs. Most of the research that has been conducted reveals that there are very high degrees of violence. This is caused by a collective group of policies and behavior that govern the gangs. Studies have revealed that there are very many cases of gang warfare in prisons. The abuse and brutality of the prison guards have accelerated the rates of violence (Decker, 2007).

Differences within ethnically diverse gangs
Youth gangs have always been made up of members of the ethnic groups occupying the lowest rank on the American socioeconomic ladder. Todays gangs are primarily black and Asian, along with those Hispanics living in conditions no better than those of their grandfathers.(Carlie, Ethnic composition, 2002). In many US societies, people have an inability to accommodate others from different tribes in the same neighborhood or city.

There is inadequate stability in such areas as they are socially disorganized. In the U.S., there is an ethnically diverse population of gangs. This has happened since the immigration of other tribes in the U.S. For example, there was a lot of influx in the 1900s in the U.S. from Irish and Italians. As a result, there was the formation of Italian and Irish gangs. Ordinarily, the immigrants may feel left out in their new societies. This situation leads to the immigration gang tradition (Carlie, Ethnic composition, 2002).  This is a situation where the youth join gangs so as to find a sense of belonging and earn income (Carlie, Ethnic composition, 2002)

There are gangs which are composed of a mixture of ethnic and racial groups. In such kinds of environments, there are several conflicts that arise. The examples of the gangs are the Hispanics, which have subsets like the Ecuadorians, Colombians and Mexicans. The same applies to the African American groups. Their relations may vary depending on their original African countries. There is antagonism that lies between the Afro-Caribbean, like those from the Dominican Republic and Trinidad, and the blacks from Africa. There is also distrust among the Asian community (Carlie, Ethnic composition, 2002). Therefore, there are cultural, ideological and political conflicts between youth gangs from different nations. Their relationships are characterized by violence, distrust and disrespect.
Programs and intervention strategies for curbing gang delinquency behavior
There are several ways in which nongovernmental organizations and the government responds to the juvenile gang situations. The response can range from gross overreaction and denial of a problem. This is because of fear of a gang hurting a communitys image. Minimizing the nature of a problem posed by a youth gang can result to greater problems than the ones that exist (Duffy, 2004). It is therefore very important for the community and the government to solve the problems of the youth so as to avoid gang formation. The society should always be on the lookout for any signs of gang development.
 The delinquent gangs formation is a problem which is supposed to be everyones concern in a community. For a successful prevention of gang formation, it is important for the society to be taught on their formation, behavior and communication. The gangs issues are so rampant such that the police seek help from the community so that they can get to know more about the gang related activities in a certain area (Duffy, 2004).

It is important to look at the factors that may have led to gang formation. Most gangs result from challenging situations at the economic and family level. Therefore, there should be a plan made so as to mitigate the social problems that lead to the formation of gangs. Also, job opportunities should be provided to the young people as they are the most recruited members. This will ensure that the young people receive support and acceptance, therefore minimizing the chance of joining the gangs (Walters, 2010).

The prevention of gang formation is supposed to start from home. This is in situations where family members suspect that one of their members is a gangster. Several signs are associated with gang members. These signs include the sudden increase of possessions and money, change in dress style and secret behavior. It is the duty of the family members to report the behavior to a counselor so that the person can be guided on the wrongs of joining a gang (Walters, 2010).

The biggest supporters of the prevention of gangs are the faith-based organizations like Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and churches. Most faith- based organizations hold the belief that there is a higher chance of young people being reformed and rehabilitated. Therefore, they work more with the young people in their day to day operations (Walters, 2010). It is the responsibility of the NGOs and the faith-based organizations to ensure that they are always on the lookout, so as to prevent the young people from joining the gangs.

Conclusion
The world should embrace the aspect of equality in all ways possible. In this manner, all the young people and the few old people who are tempted to join gangs will not, as they will have found a sense of belonging.