The Gang Issue of America Essay -- Legal Issues, Crimes

Gangs are very dangerous to everyone in society. â€Å"Gangs are groups of people (mostly young males) who band together for protection and a sense of belonging. The U.S. Department of Justice officially defines a youth gang as a group of young people involved in criminal activity† (Gangs 1). About one million gang members are in more than 20,000 criminally active gangs in the United States. Also, that group of about one million people is accountable for up to eighty percent of our nation’s crimes. Since 2005, gangs have nationally added about 200,000 members to the already high total (Targeting Gangs 1). This is why more action from the community needs to be taken to help with the growing gang-related crimes here in America. Additionally, what kinds of people are in gangs? To begin with, Latinos make up forty-nine percent of gang member population; African-Americans, thirty-four percent; White, ten percent; Asian, six percent; and the other one percent is just the â€Å"other† category (â€Å"Facts About Gangs† 109). Also in 1996, the National Youth Gang Survey stated that members of gangs were fifty percent adolescents (under eighteen years of age) and fifty percent were adults (eighteen or older). In that survey during 2006, the number of juveniles dropped to only being thirty-six and one half percent of members, on the other hand, the percentage of adult gang members consisted of sixty-three and one half percent of the gang population (Gangs 1-2). Gang members wear similar types of clothing; which is a T-shirt, tennis shoes, and either nicely creased blue jeans or khaki Dickies (baggy men's pants or shorts). Also a member usually has a patterned bandana hanging out of his back pocket; also around his pants is a cloth belt that almost re... ... possible that gangs and gang violence will be stopped completely. With help from the communities in every city and town it is possible to stop and decrease the excessive number of gang members and gang-related crimes. We need to remember that there are many possible ways to help decrease the population size of gangs in America. Some different alternatives to being in a gang are alternatives in the school and community, educational programs for parents and children, and arresting some hard-core gang members and leaders. It is necessary for the safety of the future American citizens to start the process of controlling and containing gangs now. Without helping stop gang membership, America will become more violent and dangerous for innocent people. This is why more action from the community needs to be taken to help with the growing gang-related crimes in America.