Argumentative essay on gang violence

Introduction

Violence is a state of disorderliness that involves two or more parties. This is normally caused by disagreements of specific issues thus leading to the conflicts. A gang forms where a certain group of people comes up together with common interests; in most cases, the interests may lead to adverse conditions. Being involved in a certain age especially adolescence or young adulthood leads to the formation of gangs. Young adults, especially where youths are involved join as a form of earning themselves respect since different gangs portray different images. Achievement of a sense of belonging has been another major factor (Goldstein, 2002). This is where certain people mostly affected by inferiority complex feel safer as members of gangs. This is gangs alienate them from family and stress. It has been of notable concern that seeking protection has also contributed to the growth of gangs. This is because individuals who feel weaker hang around such gangs so that they may be defended. However, money has been a major crisis in situations where the members raise finances normally from large enterprises. What t hen leads to the maintenance of gangs in the society?

Maintenance of gangs

Gangs have notably been maintained in the society despite the fact that measures to curb them have been enforced day in day out. There are a number of factors leading to this, which include; Gangs being a source of income thus sustaining the peers involved. Additionally, loyalty has contributed majorly (Goldstein, 2002) tot the persisted existence of gangs. For instance, members of certain gangs take oaths, which restrain them from leaving the group. The habitual recruitment of gang members is a common feature of many gangs through peer pressure, coercion and manipulation of prospective group members and hence survives in the society despite the adversity towards them. There are barriers to leaving a gang.

Barriers of leaving gangs

Various issues lead people who had previously been lured into gangs to stick to the bunch of criminals. One of them is mistrust and tension that undermine togetherness in the society. Lack of total preparedness of institutions such as schools, health centers and the prison service also makes it difficult to get rid of such groups. Challenges from rival gangs whereby they do not acknowledge any form of resistance from their nemesis (Sanders, 76) keeps gang members held together for protection against the others. This takes place in a form of violence. There are several solutions to the problem of gangs in the society.

Proposed solution to the gang problem

It is paramount that interference in gang affairs and for the effective infiltration and neutralization, suspicion is not aroused. An abrupt introduction of suggested activities, or attempted recruitment into radical programs aimed at reforming gang members may raise resistance and hence, the necessary care must be taken. It is common for organized groups indulging illicit behavior to possess a group rebellious attitude (Powell, 2010). Their non-conformance is one of the main attributes that facilitate their success villainy. In order to preserve this feel of group mentality for a common objective, a study of their activities is conducted. For instance, a hobby enjoyed by the gang members, say, playing pool at the local bar, may be utilized to gain access to them and reform them for the better. Introduction of competitive pool amongst the gang members, and against other players, for instance, might help foster a feel of unity in purpose other than their villainous activities. The success of such a primary effort leads to the growth of offshoots of other engagement for the target gang group such as communal cleaning for pay by the city to supplement their income.
The final stage of gang groups’ rehabilitation might be the setting up of investment groups, which engages the groups in actual economic activity, subsequently eliminating them from the streets.
The initial motivation for joining gangs needs to be addressed. The future prospects of the youth have to be made clear and achievable early enough to stop the formation of the gangs. Nevertheless, the society need to openly discuss the effects of been gang members in schools and in families with all the stakeholders like the police fully involved.

Works Cited

Goldstein, Arnold P. The Psychology of Group Aggression. Chichester, West Sussex: J. Wiley, 2002. Print.
Powell, Betsy. Bad Seeds: The True Story of Toronto’s Galloway Boys Street Gang. Mississauga, Ont: John Wiley & Sons Canada, 2010. Print.
Sanders, William B. Gangbangs and Drive-Bys: Grounded Culture and Juvenile Gang Violence. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1994. Print.
What I have done
– Changed some of sentence structures and inserted paragraph connections and added a one more paragraph.
– Deleted “ Such interests may lead to the formation of gangs”, “ The idea is towards engaging them thus preventing them from partaking in gang activities”
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