The lack of knowledge about effective gang intervention is due to many reasons, including the scarcity of sound programs with a logic model to evaluate, difficulty conducting rigorous evaluations, and a disconnect between studies that examine the motivations and correlates of gang-leaving— but do not explicitly link the findings to on-the-ground practices and programs.
Full Answer
Can psychotherapists help gang members break away from gang life?
These dilemmas arise from clinical issues that inevitably emerge in the treatment of this population. Clinical issues related to the adolescent gang member having great difficulty trusting, having experienced and observed much violence, and usually having participated in criminal activities are central to the treatment process.
What are the risks associated with gang membership?
Aug 20, 2009 · As recovering gang members are often in need of specialized psychotherapeutic care during the process of breaking away from the mental and emotional realities of gang life, the need for a swift ...
What is wrong with gang prevention efforts?
The ability and willingness of individuals to leave gangs appears to be related to factors such as the longevity of an individual’s participation in the gang, and how established and severe the level of gang activity is in the community.
How can we reduce the power of gangs in prisons?
May 10, 2010 · “Students involved in gangs are very difficult clients who come to counseling involuntarily and resent counselors for their intrusions,” he says. “They have little or no motivation to change. They have developed a failure identity and suffer from deep pain of …
How does gang violence affect mental health?
People injured through violence often have a history of mood disorders like depression and anxiety, and they are likely to live in relative poverty. A violent injury makes you more vulnerable to future mental health problems, and repeated exposure to violence increases the risk of PTSD.Jun 8, 2017
What are 5 consequences of joining a gang?
Consequences of gang membership may include exposure to drugs and alcohol, age-inappropriate sexual behavior, difficulty finding a job because of lack of education and work skills, removal from ones family, imprisonment and even death.
What are the individual consequences of gang membership?
Further, in a recent study specifically examining this issue, researchers found that adolescent gang membership was linked to other public health issues, such as alcohol and drug abuse and/or dependence, poor general health, and poor mental health during adulthood.
What happens if you try to leave a gang?
In the worst cases, though, gang members are threatened with death if they leave the gang. In prison gangs, this threat of violence is occasionally carried out. It also has been acted upon by street gangs, and in some cases, gang members who attempted to leave the gang have been threatened, assaulted, and even killed.
Why should I not join a gang?
Joining a gang will not give you more protection; it could enhance your chance of being targeted as a victim. Gang members make far less money than those who do not join gangs. Gang members usually don't get a good education, making it hard to find a good job.
What is the point of joining a gang?
Other reasons for joining a gang include: excitement, physical protection, peer pressure, family tradition, perceived financial gain, an avenue to gain ”respect,“ being wanted and valued by a group, being feared by others, getting girl friends, gaining notoriety or out of boredom.
What is a gang leader called?
A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, kingpin, godfather, or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization.
Can you get out a gang?
Members often realize that the reality is far different than the perception and want out. It is not uncommon that gang members have information that could compromise the group if it fell into the hands of law enforcement, making leaving a gang extremely difficult. Getting out of a gang isn't easy, but you can do it.May 20, 2020
How long does the average gangster live?
They are correct; the sad reality is the average life expectancy of an active gang member is 20 years and 5 months. Too many children fall prey to the lure of gangs because they are looking for a sense of family, love, power, money, perceived safety or some other need or want.Feb 5, 2014
Andrea
I find it sad that an organization such as Homeboy Industries, who provides such a helpful outlet for our youth who are struggling with gang issues will have to shut its doors, while so many big corporate business are getting bailed out.
Jonathan
Feeding the nation is definitely priority one on the govt.s agenda. However, excluding mental health services is like killing the nation with a slow poison.
Kierra
I think volunteering is a great way of stepping in. Donation boxes, fund raiser days etc. do help. The govt. isnt necessarily the bad guy but just the guy who has lots to take care of. Its time the have-alls do something for the have-nots.
Sally
Why is it that groups like this who seem to need the money the most are the ones who are always left holding the bag and getting nothing? These groups provide so many with such worthy services that it is always sad to see them go, and I wonder about the youth and what will happen to them once caring and generous organizatiions like these are gone.
Lewis
As a counselor working among juvenile delinquents, I can definitely say that the govt. is responsible for pulling the plug on this one. Most children and young adults who take to a life of crime do so because of gangs behind them. When the gang can be got rid of, the webs they meticulously weave can be broken.
Daniel P
the streets and the code are misunderstood by those that hold the key to financing these programs. It starts with honesty and truth concerning individuals who come from “dysfunction” and who will never leave these environments, that is not the problem. Educating them how to live in these environments as a different person is the key.
How old is Jason from the Gang?
Jason is an 18-year-old gang member who was referred to gang intervention services by juvenile probation when he was 15 years old. Jason maintained infrequent contact with gang intervention personnel over a two-year period while he rotated in and out of the juvenile justice system and struggled with his parents’ substance addictions. Eventually, Jason moved in with his girlfriend’s family, and her parents assumed guardianship of him. His girlfriend became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Jason successfully completed juvenile probation but could not maintain employment because of his literacy issues.
What are the barriers to gangs?
These barriers might include lack of education and/or literacy, lack of employment skills, lack of documents needed to work, unfamiliarity with the methods of obtaining employment, unfamiliarity with the protocols necessary to succeed on the job, and personal issues such as anger management issues, family conflict, mental health issues, and involvement in substance abuse.
How old was Frank K. when he joined the JQA?
Frank K. joined the JQA when he was 10 years old. He had a poor relationship with his parents, and his younger brother eventually joined the gang as well. Frank K. gradually gained stature in the gang. By age 19, he was given responsibility for recruitment of new members and for ensuring that all of the schools in the gang’s territory were controlled by JQA members. His younger brother played a similar role in the gang. In 2011, Frank K. was assaulted by prison gang members in retaliation for a homicide committed by JQA, and his home was burglarized by the prison gang. As a result, Frank K. decided to decrease his gang involvement to protect himself and his family.
How old is Mathis?
Mathis is a 34-year-old OB gang member who has served multiple short prison sentences and typically reoffended within 2–3 months after release. During his last period of incarceration, he participated in gang intervention activities for about five months. As a result of his participation in these activities, he realized the importance of being involved in the lives of his wife and children. He decided that gaining legitimate employment was important to avoid returning to his previous involvement in drug sales.After release, Mathis reconnected with his family for a few weeks and then a met with a gang interventionist to discuss employment options. Mathis and his wife had many questions. Mathis previously had negative experiences working with employment agencies and felt that they did not help him find a job. The intervention specialist reassured Mathis that the intervention agency provided regular training to the employment agency on working with gang members. He also told him about the program’s successes with other gang-involved clients.
How do gang interventionists work?
Gang interventionists should help clients identify short- and long-term employment goals and work with clients over time to ensure that they are ready to work; that they have addressed any educational deficits, substance abuse, or mental health issues; and that the employment opportunities provided “set the clients up to succeed.” It can take a considerable amount of work for a client to be ready to start employment. In the short-term, however, the individual may need to earn money immediately by doing less-skilled work for less pay.
Where is Jim Paterson?
Jim Paterson is a writer, editor and school counselor living in Olney, Md. Contact him at [email protected]. Letters to the editor: [email protected]. Post navigation. ← Today’s action, tomorrow’s impact No easy answers →.
Who is Donald Kodluboy?
The starting point. Donald Kodluboy, a psychologist who retired from Minnesota public schools after 30 years, has studied and written about gangs and now consults on the topic. He says counselors and schools should offer a structured, consistent and even-toned approach in their handling of any situation involving gangs.
Who is Lisa Taylor?
Lisa Taylor-Austin, a school counselor and ACA member, has worked with gangs for more than 20 years and served as an expert witness in legal actions involving gang members for 13 years.
Who is the president of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development?
Sandhu, president of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, a division of ACA, believes integrative counseling or psychotherapy that “looks beyond and across the confines of single-school approaches” works best with gang members.
What are pull factors?
Pull factors can be viewed as potentially prosocial opportunities and include things like getting a job or moving to a new neighborhood or city. Over three-quarters of gang members in two of the three studies reported both push and pull factors in reasons for leaving.
How many gangs are there in the US?
With over 30,000 gangs in the U.S. and over 800,000 members, gangs represent a serious concern for schools, families, cities, and the nation. Gang membership clearly enhances criminal involvement, increasing both the frequency and seriousness of offending and victimization. Years of research on testing interventions seem to suggest ...
What is gang programming?
Gang programming should identify and address the needs of individuals disillusioned with their gang and offer sustained opportunities to engage in prosocial networks and relationships. Engagement in prosocial activities translates to a number of different gang interventions.
Why do young people join gangs?
Having identified these risk factors, experts propose that young adults join gangs because they both act as a surrogate family, as well as provide a sense of belonging, power, control and prestige; all things that are commonly identified as absent in childhood among gang initiates.
What is the Harlem Children's Zone?
The Harlem Children’s Zone project, pioneered by Geoffrey Canada in 1997, serves thousands of children and covers a 100-block area of Harlem, New York; a neighborhood known for broken homes, violent crime, and drug activity.
Who is Joe Killian?
The idea of a gang acting as a substitute family is supported in interviews conducted by Joe Killian, a writer for the News and Record; Killian spoke with 40 gang members from Greensboro, North Carolina.
Why do gangs use violence?
Gangs use violence to resolve disputes, discipline members and protect their interests. Stories of violence are passed down across generations to ensure the memory lives on. The “war years” occurred more than 30 years ago, yet still loom large in the minds of the people we interviewed.
What does it mean to be in a gang?
Being in a gang means assuming these liabilities. To compete for control, gangs need numbers, which is why focusing on points of entry and exit offers hope for reducing the power of gangs in attracting new members and encouraging current members to leave. ".
Is prison scary?
For the uninitiated, prison is scary. People are stripped of their identity, roles and status from the outside. About half of the prison population is convicted of a violent offense. Joining a gang would seem like a pretty good decision.
Why do people join gangs in prison?
Status and protection were common reasons for joining a gang in prison, much like on the street. But ideology was also important, such as race supremacy or vigilantism, which we rarely observe in street gangs. Still, most prisoners don’t end up in gangs.
Can you leave a gang?
It was once believed that once you join a gang you could never leave. Criminologists have dispelled this myth among street gangs; young people leave gangs regularly, and usually without repercussions like violence. We also found this to be the case in prison, even for the security threat groups.
What is David's double life?
David’s double life. David leads something of a double life. He’s a student-athlete who goes to church and takes his grandmother to Wal-Mart on Sundays. He’s also affiliated with a gang — something his hardworking mother doesn’t know. David said his home life was “almost ideal” when he was a boy.
Who is Marcus Harden?
Marcus Harden, a 6-foot-5 former Rainier Beach football star, is an intervention counselor at Seattle’s Madrona K-8 school and mentors gang-involved youth. Some Seattle teens trying to get out of gangs are finding it's not so easy.
