Social Sciences Reasons Why Teens Join Gangs (Essay Sample)

Reasons why teens join gangs
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Introduction
The prevalence of gangs across the world has become a contentious issue largely because of the high number of teenagers that are present in these groups. According to Taylor (2013), as of 2011, more than 3,000 gangs were roaming the streets of the USA alone. Most of these gangs are composed of very young recruits, some barely in their adolescence. That begs the question: what factors push these adolescents into joining gangs at such early ages? Many scholars have studied the factors relating to engagement of children and young people in violent gangs across different parts of the globe and the various remedies to the problem. Among the common reasons include social, economic and cultural factors as well as peer pressure. Solutions proposed have been government intervention in uplifting the economic welfare of these homesteads so that they do not find it necessary to get into gangs. This paper builds on this study, and it expounds further on the reasons why adolescents join gangs and how to rectify that.
Reasons why youngsters join gangs
There are many reasons why teens join gangs across the world. One of the common reasons is the poor economic conditions of the homesteads of most of these gang members. Howell et al. (2009) state that the highest number of adolescents who join gangs in the USA come from poor households. They get enticed into believing that by joining organizations, their lives would change for the better. This illusion forces many of them to join criminal gangs across the country.
Another reason for joining gangs among adolescents is the cultural expectations and stereotyping. Many African-American youths are deemed to belong to one criminal group or another. The society discriminates many of them along the lines of color or race. These adolescents reason out that the society already expects them to belong to some form of a gang and they succumb to that expectation.
Howell (1994) outlines that peer pressure is another common way through which many adolescents join gangs. At this age, many teenagers are undergoing a transformation, and it does not take much to raise or lower their self-esteem. Many consider belonging to a gang as a sign of prestige and stature over their fellow peers. They develop a rebel mentality and feel good when they know that they can engage in criminal activities or work against the system. In some Latin nations, it is not uncommon for these teenagers to serve time in prison. When they exited prison, they get handled as heroes by their fellow teens. That pushes others into joining gangs for the prestige and sometimes for the dangerous adventures that come with leading a criminal life.
In some societies, the youth join gangs as a way of avoiding the major trials that come with being an adolescent (Howell, 1994). Others are literary forced into organizations. Some youths get recruited forcibly into joining gangs. They have little or no alternative. Others find themselves the life their parents had when they were young. The neighborhood in which these teens live in also contributes a lot to the way these teenagers behave, how they relate and how they turn out in life. When they grow in neighborhoods that tolerate or promote engagement in gangs, there is a very high likelihood that they would also join bands.
Possible remedies for this issue
There exist some solutions that could be applied to solve the problem. The solutions could be on a macro or micro scale depending on the prevalence. On a macro spectrum, the involvement by government plays a significant role in influencing the engagement of adolescents in gangs across the world. The government can create programs that aim at rehabilitating gang members and educating others on the perils of joining such before they do.
Raising the standards of living of communities will keep these adolescents from engaging in criminal activities in the name of making a living. Community engagement and empowerme...