Gang violence is a very major issue in the United Kingdom for it is the Gang members who carry out as high as up to half of the shootings that transpire in the capital, and up to 22% of the hard-core violence. (Gov.The UK, 2015) This is the reason why the UK government is eager to take steps to eliminate the involvement of the youth in gangs, because in addition to breaking the power of the gangs in the cities and country-wide in general, it is also important that we take steps to ensure a better future, for the safety of the citizens, and for the better quality of life of the youth.
The problem of delinquency is even more serious when we observe the statistics of the youth because these youth groups have taken the spotlight in the present day media. A lot of that is due to the fact that 6% of the youngsters between ages 10 and 19 are being classified into one or the other group of delinquents. (Hine, 2011)
For all of these reasons, it is imperative that we take steps to find out how the involvements of the youth with the gangs could be scaled down to a minimum, and how many of these lives could be saved from destruction.
Introduction
In general, the gangs itself bring fear and violence into the lives of the people that they surround, but there are also a few additional problems which associate with the gang phenomenon, especially when young people are seen as active parts of these gangs. In some cases, the groups do not even set out to fulfill the duties of gangs rather they are defined to fit into that label against their will.
Prior experience has warned us regarding the effects of the same and it says that labeling groups as gangs could generally inflict a very negative impact on the young people who are involved in the group. This labeling is likely to add glamor to the image of gangs and this, in turn, could make the members of the group more inclined towards delinquent behavior. (Fitch, 2009)
Understanding why the youth join gangs
There are a number of reasons that experts cite for their opinion as to why young people join gangs. First and foremost, they believe that the youth gets a feeling of greater respect, protection, and thrill and in some cases, even in search of companionship where a close friend is in the same gang. Experts also warn that the young adults will be at greater risk of joining gangs if they are seen to be aggressive of delinquent in behavior. (Howell, 2010)
The youth is attracted to a number of factors when facing the decision of joining a gang, and one of these factors is their lure towards the risk factors which many of the gang members seem to be involved in. There are actually a number of reasons that the youth reported towards wanting to join gangs a few of which as we discussed are for a greater sense of security, in search of the idea of respect and in a number of cases also for money. (Howell, 2010)
In a number of cases, the lure towards joining gangs comes from the migrating population as well, in other words, because the ethnicity of the gang members if of interest to the youth and they want to belong to the same group. Sometimes, the young ones also feel that they have no better option because their race leaves them without a group to belong to, an identity or a cultural distinction of their own. (Howell, 2010)
There are also a number of Social control theories which suggest that the decision of the youth to join in a gang to an act of criminal behavior could become elevated when that youth suffers from weak bonds with the society. (Hopkins Burke, 2008)
How young people could be prevented from joining gangs
When setting out to define intervention strategies for the youth becoming part of violent gangs, there are measures that could be taken and followed through on three very basic levels. The first is at the level of an individual, and this could specifically target those children who are disruptive or a more prone to violent attitudes and delinquency. The second level which could be addressed is the parental level which could include setting up of strategies like family preventions. The third approach could be to work on intervention at the school or college level. (Howell, 2010)
For the children who are generally more violent and show a further inclination towards crime, deterrence could be provided in the form of severe punishment and set up of examples of children who have become involved in serious crime. This is a strategy which is very useful towards deterrence. Family intervention could come in the form of group therapies and supervision. (Howell, 2010)
In addition to all of the above, it is also the responsibility of the schools and the universities to make sure that the student does not indulge in a life of crime or become defined as belonging to a violent group or a gang. This is because these schools and colleges are very important places and some very key interventions could take place here which could aim towards the prevention of negative behaviors in students like addressing the incidents of young people varying knives. (The UK Government, n.d.)
The UK government presents advice for the administration and for the faculty members to follow which suggest the inclusion of skills and knowledge which aims at resolving of conflicts as part of the school or college curriculum. The report published by the government also presents the challenging of aggressive behavior in ways which could prevent the reoccurrence of the same kind of the incidents or behaviors. (The UK Government, n.d.)
It is also important for the school administrations to fully understand and prepare for the risks that associate to certain groups to members of the student body. One of the suggestions also says that it is critical to prevent anti-social behavior and attitude amongst the students and also an inclination towards crime. (The UK Government, n.d.)
Conclusion
The involvement of the youth in gang violence may be a complex problem, but there are many solutions towards the resolution of these worries. There are a number of agencies which could be contacted within the UK to help with gang violence amongst the youth and the underlying problems which bring about the same violence. (HM Government, 2011)
In healthcare, there is NHS, an organization which helps by providing access to Doctors, mental health workers, health visitors, alcohol teams and many others. Then there are people within the education system whom the youth or the parents of the youth could find a referral to like youth workers and pupil referral units. (HM Government, 2011) All of these encouragements say that we can work together towards eliminating to issue and in the end, we are going to succeed.
List of References
Fitch, K. (2009). The safeguarding needs of young people in gangs and violent peer groups. [online] NSPCC, pp.6-7. Available at: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/teenagers-at-risk-report.pdf [Accessed 1 Jan. 2017].
Gov.uk. (2015). 2010 to 2015 government policy: knife, gun, and gang crime - GOV.UK. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-knife-gun-and-gang-crime/2010-to-2015-government-policy-knife-gun-and-gang-crime [Accessed 1 Jan. 2017].
Hine, P. (2011). Youth Gang Membership: An Investigation of Young People Joining and Leaving Gangs. BSc Honors. Sheffield Hallam University.
HM Government, (2011). Ending Gang and Youth Violence: A Cross-Government Report. [online] Secretary of State for The Home Department, p.10. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/97861/gang-violence-summary.pdf [Accessed 1 Jan. 2017].
Hopkins Burke, R. (2008). Young People, Crime and Justice. 1st ed. Cullompton: Willan Pub.
Howell, J. (2010). Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs. [online] NCJRS. Available at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/231116.pdf [Accessed 1 Jan. 2017].
The UK Government, (n.d.). Preventing youth violence and gang involvement Practical advice for schools and colleges. [online] The UK Government, pp.4-6. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418131/Preventing_youth_violence_and_gang_involvement_v3_March2015.pdf [Accessed 1 Jan. 2017]
