Gang Violence and Substance Abuse

Introduction

According to Huff, a gang is any group that gathers on an ongoing basis to engage in antisocial or criminal activities (Huff, 3-4). Gang members identify with one another based on geographical location, clothing colours, symbols, and names. They communicate their gang affiliation through hand signs and graffiti. Law-breaking activities enhance the gang's credibility, create fear in the community, and may provide an ongoing source of income for the gang and its members. The magic number of individuals necessary to constitute a gang is universally acknowledged to be three (Knox, 11-19). Nevertheless, rigid definitions such as these frequently omit information needed to understand the phenomenon of gang membership and guide both policy and research.

It is the illegal activities of the gang—activities related to guns, drugs, and violence that are of interest to anyone involved in juvenile justice as well as the media and the public. Violence and drug activity are the two main factors that tend to motivate a society to respond repressively to gangs and gang members. Violence includes the many dangers involving the use and possession of firearms (White, 511-523) as well as an array of unique types of violence associated with gangs and gang members. The drug activity that a gang can engage in is such that it becomes an incipient form of organized crime; the drug dealing operations can be flagrant and sophisticated and generate a great deal of income for the gang. Unfortunately, the intense competition in the underground economy involving the distribution of illegal drugs also means another type of violence: competition with other groups and individuals involved in selling illegal drugs. If gangs and gang members did not pose a major problem in terms of violence (Huff, 5-9), or a predisposition to violence, then it is doubtful that a society would be very concerned about the gang problem.

Conflict is built into the very nature of gang activity. A person who joins a Crip gang automatically takes on an opposition to any and all Blood gang members, and vice versa. The enemy is symbolic and subject to many social and psychological processes that generate ongoing conflict and violence.

One of the most unusual aspects of gang conflict is when, within one household, one sibling joins a gang like the Vice Lords (a People or Brother gang riding under the five-pointed star) and another sibling joins the Gangster Disciples (a Folks gang, riding under the six-pointed star). This happens in a variety of settings and is generally very destructive to the family as a functioning unit.

Many people think that youths join gangs for protection (Knox, 17-35). Actually, only a weaker person would do that or be more susceptible to being recruited for that reason. An interesting truth about American gangs is that a gang member is actually more likely to be beaten and a victim of violence from her or his own gang than any rival gang. This is true because of the ritualistic use of corporal punishment in the gang's group ...