Juvenile Delinquency | EssayIvy.com

Research paper

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Juvenile delinquency

Research paper

INTRODUCTION

Lack of proper parental supervision and family cohesion influence the reason why people

join gangs. Children tend to follow in their parent's footsteps. (Lachman, Roman & Cahill2013).

This is because the parents are the first role model for a child. It is therefore essential to ensure

that a parent has good moral values to ensure that the child does not enter into gangs. Lack of

proper supervision by the parent could result in the child feeling neglected and abandoned. The

child might get involved in criminal activities without even the parent knowing. A family is

essential as they help to build each other. The moral values the adults have will be transferred to

the children. You cannot teach a child what you do not know. In this essay, we shall explain

more about this. The hypothesis of this research paper is Juveniles delinquencies with gang-

affiliated parents are at high risk for joining gangs.

Criminal minds are like perpetrators who are looking for their next victims. Perpetrators

are people who teach others how to glorify criminal behaviors. (Ritter, Simon & Mahindra,

2014) They mostly use financial resources to attract their victims. An individual may only know

negativity because their guardians or parents instead of teaching them positive things taught

them criminal activities. You cannot teach what you do not know. The parent or guardian was

probably involved in a gang or with criminal activities, and that is what they taught the child.

This results in a chain of several generations being passed with similar knowledge. Unless

something is done immediately, very soon there will be no morally upright people. The world

will be filled with gangs and violence will be the norm. This chain needs to be broken. It is

difficult for people who are involved in criminal activities with family to stop because it will

require them to cut off all ties with the family.

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I feel disappointed and angry when I see parents teaching their children how to be

criminals. It puts a bad taste in my mouth. I have learned a lot from my experience with children.

One thing that stood out is that children with parents with a criminal mind or with parents who

do not provide sufficient supervision, are at high risk of child abuse, exposure to violence,

dropping out of school and entering the youth justice system. (Lachman, Roman & Cahill2013).

This is in comparison with children who are brought up with proper parental supervision and

parents with a definite structure.

Over the past few years, the number of parents who are teaching their children criminal

activities has increased. This is because it is easier for a child to steal without severe

consequences as compared to adults. If a child is caught during a theft, they can claim guilty, and

the punishment is not as severe as a parent who has been caught in the theft. Criminals use this

tactic, and as a result, more children are being introduced to the criminal world. They are taught

that this is the way of life and the only means to survival. Criminal activities are engraved in

their minds and hearts by the parents. As an individual, I have interacted severally with gang

member’s ad criminals in my early years. I know some of my childhood friends who have been

and are still involved in criminal activities and gangs. This is the only lifestyle that they know.

(Lachman, Roman & Cahill2013).

Parental supervision therefore plays an essential role in the life of a child. It determines

the kind of life that the child will lead later on. They will either be good citizens in the country or

end up in gangs. Family cohesion is both a good thing and a bad thing. Through family cohesion,

the family members are able to have each other’s back. This will ensure that no one falls and

ends up in a gang. Family cohesion on the other hand is the reason why people are unable to

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leave a gang. They will have to cut off all communication with family and family is very

important to a person from a psychological view. (Ritter, Simon & Mahindra, 2014)

LITERATURE REVIEW

There are several literatures, which will be discussed in this research paper. There are

field notes, which are very important and will help us analyze the hypothesis better. The first

literature review is a blood gang that has several members is having a meeting in the park. One

gang member yells to another asking if he has any biscuits. Biscuit is slang. It means a gun. A

young Latino approaches him, and they engage in small talk before he hands him a small

package. The gang member gives him Latino currency. Other members of the blood gang arrive

wearing similar clothes. They greet each other using a hand signal. A member asks the group if

there is someone who has go-fast. Go fast is slang for crystal meth. They begin to smoke and

make a lot of noise. I strike a conversation with a gang member called Ghetto Star.

Drug dealers gave him the name. He explains that the crystal meth is the new cocaine. It

is better and cheaper and it keeps him high for longer. He says that it is better than ecstasy.

Ghetto star has been in the gang since he was a child. A police patrolling the park scatters the

gang members. This literature review shows how the gang member has his or her own language.

This language is learned and spoken by the young members of the gang. The young ones have

also learned the hand signals of the gang. Guns and ammunition are openly sold in the presence

of the gang. The gang members are drug abusers. They have progressed from using cocaine and

ecstasy and are now using crystal meth. The gang members are given names in respect to their

jobs. Ghetto Star got his name from being a good drug dealer. The gang is afraid of the police

and they scatter immediately they arrive at the scene.

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The second literature review. Young children dressed like gang members. They are

sagging and flashing gang hand signals. They dance to loud music praising the gangster lifestyle.

They imitate the leader gang members. Slowly they are being groomed to be gang members. At

one side, teenagers are posing with a toddler dressed in gang clothes; other two-gang members

are in a playful fight on the street. Blood girl poses for a photograph. They are drinking a 40

ounce of oldie English 800. There are several children all below the age of 12 in the gang. Police

suddenly arrive at the scene. Several gang members are handcuffed. Children are initiated into

the gang lifestyle. This is the only life that they have lived, and they are enjoying it. They are

happy when they dress like the rest of the gang members. They even take photos to capture the

moment. Young girls are drinking alcohol. This is illegal by the state. These children have no

morals. They have been taught negative things. They will most likely grow up to be gang

members or end up in the juvenile delinquent system. They probably do not go to school since

they believe that gang knowledge is the only education they need. This literature shows how

family cohesion is influencing negatively on the lives of the young children. It shows how

children learn from their parents and their guardians (Lachman, Roman & Cahill2013).

Third literature review. A group of gang members is sited smoking marijuana. They pass

it around each taking a few puffs. Another group is weighing weed on a scale making

transactions. They are speaking in a coded language. They are taking words that begin with c and

replacing them with b. for example; coffee becomes coffee. Another gang member follows a

fellow gang member down the street and takes off his shirt attempting to fight him. There are

few younger gang members in the shadows hiding watching the fight. This review shows us that

the gangs have their form of language. This is to prevent outsiders from understanding what they

speak. The gang openly sells drugs and uses them. Most of them appear to be drug addicts. The

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young people learn from the older ones. They stand in the shadows watching the fight learning

the moves.

Fourth literature review. There is a celebration, and the gang members are getting ready

for the celebration. A barbecue grill is being prepared. Beer, water, soda, ice are put I a chest to

cool them. They are passing rolls of marijuana while engaging in small talk. There are several

couples when the celebration begins. Many of the women are cougars. They have come with

their children. Some tomboys appear in their early twenties. They are dressed in gang-style

clothing; they are wearing wide baggy jeans, fresh white t-shirts and Jordan’s. The celebration

was by OG for his homies. OG appears on the scene. As he addresses the crowd, he boasts of

being in prison for 26 years on the charges of murder and being the founder of the gang. This

literature review talks about how the gang values being in prison. The longer a member stays in

prison, the more respect he earns. They celebrate OG for the murder he committed. It also shows

the value of family. They have all gathered to celebrate and make merry as a family. Family

cohesion is very important in the gang lifestyle. The women set a terrible example for their

children. They are cougars, and they openly show it to the rest of the world. This teaches the

children that being a cougar is okay and it is okay to date a man who is younger than you are.

The young people have been initiated into the gang culture. They dress in a similar way to the

older gang members.

In the final literature review, three children are playing with two Latino women in the

park. One woman is sited on the picnic table braiding a young girl’s hair. Four black plays that

are roughly seven years old are also playing around them. Nine young men are sited on a picnic

table behind the playing children. They are sited passing blunts of marijuana mourning the loss

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of two gang members lost who were killed in 2017. There is a baby girl sited next to the gang.

This literature review shows how the gang members openly use drugs in the presence of the

children. They are smoking, yet children are playing around the area. The family is paramount.

The Latino women take time to play with the children in the park. Play helps to develop a Childs

memory. The child can grow quickly. The gang member also shows family cohesion. They

mourn the loss of their loved one. This shows the importance of family.

METHODS

This is a comparative essay. It is a purposive sample. This means that both the pros and

cons of the hypothesis are discussed and analyzed (Lachman, Roman & Cahill2013). Various

literature was considered for this study. They were analyzed, and results and findings were

drawn from the results. A group of gang members was observed. The field notes were noted and

then analyzed. The gangs were all analyzed in the same setting, which is the park. Through

observation, many quality data was able to be collected. This is because there was no interaction

with the gang members. They did not know they were being observed. This improves the quality

of the data since it will be original.

Collecting data using this method will also pose some serious challenges. For example,

the person is merely observing. There is no interaction with the subject of study thus lack of

clarification if a particular action is not understood. Observation is also time-consuming and

requires a lot of energy. The gang members could suspect you are police who is undercover and

could plot to kill you or cause harm. There are there methods of data collection, which could also

be applied in this context. For example, the use of open-ended questionnaires. The children in the

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gangs could be given questionnaires to fill in. From their results, an analysis could be made. This

would also help in learning the study

FINDINGS

The ex-gang leaders do not lead by example. They lead the young ones astray by

bragging about their harmful actions. The young ones look up to them and will tend to follow

their example. The family is significant to them. They mourn the loss of a gang member who

was killed. The ex-gang member celebrates to bring together member of the gang. The young

members who are being initiated into the gang learn the value of the family cohesion. This is a

good trait. The family, however, is also leading the young ones astray. They learn to how to

fight. The young ones sat in the shadow watching a fight going on between the gang members.

The young ones also are introduced to drugs and alcohol. The young girls are drinking alcohol.

There are no role models for the children. All the adult smoke and drink alcohol in the

presence of the children. They do drug transactions openly. Guns and ammunition are also sold

openly. This is not a good role model. The children will be impacted by the negative image, and

that is all that they will know. The women in the thirties and their forties are perpetrators. They

are cougars. They use their money to wheel in the young males to be gangsters. They expose the

children to the harmful lifestyle. There are however a few who try to teach the children the

proper way. The two Latino women in the park play with the children. They spend time with the

children, which help to create a bond between them and the children. The play is also essential to

the development of the child. The child will develop in the proper way (Lachman, Roman &

Cahill2013).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Research paper

In conclusion, lack of parental supervision has led to the development of the gangs.

(Ritter, Simon & Mahindra, 2014). The young ones slowly enter into the gangs without the

knowledge of the parent. They begin to live the lifestyle and become one of them. The parent

realizes this when it is too late. Peer pressure can also lead to people joining gangs. Young

people care a lot about what their social peers think of them. In today’s generation, being a

gangster and living a thug life appears to be cool and it is envied. The young people end up

joining gangs so that they can dress up like gangsters, talk, and behave like them. In the process,

they begin to adapt to the gang life and begin a life of crime.

Family cohesion influences people joining gangs. They are born into a gang and are

surrounded by the detrimental lifestyle. They have no option but to join the gang and be one of

them. Children who are from gang-affiliated parents are at higher risk in joining gangs. The

parents expose the children the negativity. This is because that is all the life they know. The

children end up as gangsters (Lachman, Roman & Cahill2013).The gang life has serious effects

later on in life. It results in children dropping out of school, child abuse, exposure to violence and

entering into the justice system

This is wrong. Our children are our future. We should protect them. All this is taking

place in where we live. In our neighborhoods, there are gangs where children are initiated.

Seeing people exposing children to this horrible lifestyle has left a bad taste in my mouth. It is

disconcerting to see all this.

Research paper

References

Goldman, L., Giles, H., & Hogg, M. A. (2014). Going to extremes: Social identity and

communication processes associated with gang membership.´ Group Processes &

Intergroup Relations, ´ 17(6), 813-832.

Lachman, P., Roman, C. G., & Cahill, M. (2013). Assessing youth motivations for joining a peer

group as risk factors for delinquent and gang behavior.´ Youth violence and juvenile

justice, ´ 11(3), 212-229.

O'Brien, K., Daffern, M., Chu, C. M., & Thomas, S. D. (2013). Youth gang affiliation, violence,

and criminal activities: A review of motivational, risk, and protective

factors.´ Aggression and violent behavior, ´ 18(4), 417-425.

Ritter, N., Simon, T. R., & Mahindra, R. R. (2014). Changing Course: Keeping Kids Out of

Gangs.´ NIJ Journal, ´ 273(2014), 16-27.

Van Ngo, H., Calhoun, A., Worthington, C., Pyrch, T., & Este, D. (2017). The unraveling of

identities and belonging: Criminal gang involvement of youth from immigrant

families.´ Journal of International Migration and Integration, ´ 18(1), 63-84.

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