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 WHY GANGS? Gang experts cite a variety of factors that have contributed to the recent explosion in gang membership and teen violence including the heightened level of racial and socioeconomic tension and the sharp increase in the adolescent population as children of Baby Boomers come of age. Most at-risk kids come from single-parent homes and many of them have been abused. A 1994 study published in the journal Adolescence found that "gang members had significantly lower levels of overall self-esteem than did non-gang students." It is thought that youths from "father-absent" homes look to gangs for paternal influence, discipline and the support of "family." Gangs also provide friends for kids who are searching for companionship and identity. Gangs are now targeting young children for recruitment. Children as young as 7 or 8 years of age start in gangs as drug couriers. Experts believe that prevention efforts need to be taken beginning as early as elementary school. 
WHAT TO DO It is key that the entire community work together to prevent gangs and gang recruitment. Parents, teachers, peer groups, local businesses and law enforcement need to partner and collaborate on measures that provide alternatives to gangs. Check out these two models of successful prevention / intervention programs: A.C.T.I.O.N. Lima-Allen County Gang Coalition |