One of the most significant problems facing the UK is the growing effect the gangs are having on the schools. Gang culture is embedding itself in schools across the country, with all the attendant problems that this implies. A key aspect of dealing with this issue of gang activity in schools is the necessity of establishing support programmes and intervening in targeted and effective way. Research over the years has also clearly indicated a direct relationship between the between ongoing demographic changes in the effect that gang activity has on schools in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, this research indicates that the schools by themselves cannot easily solve the problems resulting from gang culture. All too often, these issues are closely associated with historical issues, local communities and the national origins of the families involved. As a consequence, the need for a partnership between stakeholders in this issue is clearly indicated. The following will examine this question and others related to the effect of gangs on UK education.
Will the recent rise in the number of teenage murders related to an expanding gang culture in the United Kingdom is cause for considerable concern. While it is difficult to determine precise figures, it is estimated that in only the last five years the number of gang members in the UK under 16 years old has at least doubled (Vasquez, E, et al., 2012, 92). However, it should be made clear that gang culture participation and activity varies across the country. For instance, in the UK the average age for participation in gangs seems to be roughly 14-15, while the average number of members is 15 (Roberts, R 2006, 11). However, some become involved even younger. In addition, as gang members get older they have children who themselves grew up participating in gang culture. In these homes, violence and weapons possession is not only common, it is expected. This increasing participation in gangs by those under 16 is one of the primary reasons that the issue of gang culture's impact on schools has been raised. But it must be acknowledged that very little research has been done in this area.
The people that join associate their personal identity with street culture and (frequently) membership in a gang. Certainly, all generations of children participate in subcultures, which range from the mods of the 1960s to the later goths, grungers and townies (among others). In fact, there is considerable peer pressure encouraging young students to participate in such cultures (Smithson, H, et al. 2013, 118). At the same time, it's important to avoid making mistake of classifying all peer groups as gangs. As pointed out by Holdsworth and Young, authorities and school districts need to recognize the difference between youth groups on the one hand and gangs and organised crime on the other (Hallsworth S and Young T 2004,13). The following definitions clarify this distinction:
Peer Groups: Peer groups made up of a small number of individuals who are fairly disorganised and move in and out of the group regularly. They tend to have a common background, history and location. In the criminal activities in these groups are unlikely to be serious and not a principal feature of the group. This is the most common type of "delinquent group." Virtually all schoolchildren are members of a peer group at one time or another. In fact, many of the groups that school administrators and others mistake for gangs involved in drug activity are merely "friendship groups far removed from the organised criminal fraternities at the heart of the drugs trade (Barker, I. 2012, 1).
Gang: Relative to a peer group, gangs are fairly stable and long-lasting, meeting frequently and possessing a homogeneous identity. Violence and criminal activities are frequently apart of a gang's essential identity, and they tend to be largely street based.
Organised Criminals: Organised criminal groups are ones that engage in criminal activity primarily for financial or personal gain. For members of these groups, being a criminal is actually their "profession." In addition to direct threat or extortion, these groups are also often participants in the legal black market activities and the drug trade. For the purposes of this paper, the group that will be principally examined is the second one described as "gangs."
Researchers have found that gang-related problems in schools are most frequently associated with quite young people, and in particular young men. Usually it becomes to be seen in students nine years of age or older. Young men (as well as young people in general) tend to be at their most impressionable at roughly the age of 13 or 14. While young females seem to be under less pressure to join a gang of than young males, many of them admit to being drawn to young men in gangs (Allen, D 2013, 9). This caused them to be affiliated with the gangs without necessarily comprehending the consequences.
Nevertheless, certain conclusions have been drawn about gang membership and its effect on schools, as well as how this problem might be addressed. It has been found that gang membership and gang-related problems are more common among some students because of their familial connections (Williams, P 2015, 23). One pair of Manchester researchers discovered that many young people are essentially born into gang membership as a consequence of both community traditions and the fact that their parents had prior (and perhaps even ongoing) involvement in gang activities (Shropshire, S & McFarquhar, M. 2002, Online). In fact, much research seems to suggest that most students do not really understand the underpinnings of gang culture in their community, but are simply a part of it because everyone else is. There are also indications of psychiatric disorders among certain gang members (Coid, J, et al., 2013, 989).
As many staff members at schools have recognised, most gangs have a clearly laid out hierarchical structure. Often, older and more experienced gang members will recruit younger gang members and put them to work carrying out certain tasks, such as dealing drugs or hiding guns (Windle, J, & Briggs, D 2015,1174). Obviously, it is extremely concerning that these older youth (frequently have themselves stopped attending school) are attempting to recruit, influence and control new young members. These "school levers" are often to be found just outside of the schools carrying out the recruitment activities.
Research findings have further suggested that many gang problems are consequence of long-standing historical or cultural hostilities (Hallsworth, S, & Silverstone, D 2009, 361). Often these tensions exist long before the families of these individuals came to the UK. Racial grouping is also frequently a major part of gang membership. Particularly with newly arriving groups, it is often the case that they will their own separate gangs or peer groups. Even in those instances where there was a prior tension between two groups before their entry into the UK, cultural, religious and racial differences often result in conflict between these various gangs. Another factor is gang territoriality and illicit drug market control.
A number of studies have confirmed that a key aspect of many gangs and gang membership is that it provides the members with a sense of self and belonging (Sauma, J 2008, 32). In fact, initiations, codes and symbols are frequently used by gang members as a method for identifying themselves and separating their group from others. As is the case with many gangs around the world, young gang members in the UK tend to differentiate themselves from other gangs through the use of coloured bandannas and other coloured clothing items. Postcodes are also frequently used as a method for identifying gangs and the local territories they control (Fraser, N. 2011, 1). Many young people who have joined gangs will attend school wearing postcodes somewhere on their person.
As suggested above, a sizable proportion (although not a majority) of young students are drawn into a gang lifestyle because of a desire for acceptance and belonging. Some join because they want to have a sense of security and a feeling that other gang members are there to protect them. Furthermore, as more and more immigrants enter the UK a growing conflict between Western and Eastern perspectives and values is apparently having a detrimental effect on young students sense of self and identity. The unofficial segregation of the students socially does not help this (Vaughan, R. 2012, 14). In fact, it encourages gang membership.
Experts have mentioned many other possible factors for youth participation in gangs, including the lack of a father figure in the home, reduced respect and obedience to elders and an excessive degree of freedom allowing young people to do as they please. In fact, many school staff members and researchers have suggested that it is the true criminals in gangs that are intentionally provided new recruits with a sense of belonging and identity that they are not obtaining within the family unit (Shute, J 2013, 49).
Others have pointed out that many young people who have "joined" gangs have done so not out of choice but because of where they lived and with whom. In other words, their family had connections with the gang in that area and they became automatically labelled as members. This brings up an important point, which is that young students can frequently be involved in gangs without necessarily being full "gang members." Young people often do not consider the use associations with gangs to mean that they are actually members of the gang. Instead, they view themselves as identifying with that gang and being a part of broader "gang culture." This is particularly relevant for the schools in question, since it gang membership is related to location or familial association, schools can frequently discover that they are located in a specific gang's territory. As a result of this, the school itself can become a player in ongoing gang turf wars. In the same way, it becomes a rich source of recruits for the gang. At the same time, gangs have to be fairly selective about who they recruit, since they want someone to fit their mold (Densley, J 2012, 314).
As suggested above, an interesting aspect of the prevalence of gang culture in the UK is that even though most students are not members of gangs and do not want to be members of gangs, the vast majority of them at least know someone in the gang (whether it is a friend, family member or other individual in the community). At the same time, these students did not suggest that they were currently active members of gangs or that there were specific gangs operating in school. They did point out what they viewed as significant ethnic divisions within the school and local communities.
While gang culture in schools has long been associated with ethnic or religious minorities, reports of such activities have increased significantly in recent years. In the past, teachers and administrators would frequently denied that such activity was taking place, but more recently incidents have occurred that it made the scope and scale of the gang problem in UK schools more evident. Confrontations between various ethnic groups (including newly arrived ones), the frequency of young students during weapons and students having very few belongings one week at designer clothing and mobile phones the next are all possible indicators of gang activity. Certainly, there are indications that young members of newly arriving communities are having an impact on antisocial behaviour in schools. The acceptance (and even expectation) of violent behavior among these groups of young people (such as among the Somali community) is an issue that has to be addressed and carefully managed.
One of the principal points that researchers have made regarding street gangs is that they definitely have the potential to impact school environment, including both students and those working in schools. As many school staff members have pointed out, even if the problem of gang activity within the school could be quickly and easily solved (a daunting proposition), the gangs outside schools in the surrounding community would still exist and would still affect the students in the school. In other words, the gangs and gang problems are not arising from schools, but are instead arising in the communities associated with schools and are affecting the schools indirectly. As a consequence, schools in the UK need to find ways to manage this effect will prevent it if possible.
In many instances, administrators, teachers and students view the schools as sanctuaries where young people can escape from surrounding community stresses and gang activity. As one author put it, "schools are often the only safe havens in their pupils' lives(Shaw, M 2012, 3)." One major concern is that the period of time students spend travelling between their home, the school and back again could provide potential opportunities for gang-related activities or gang recruitment.
Another interesting and disturbing aspect of gang involvement by young people use that education itself is often viewed by them is not the "cool." Many researchers have noted that gang members or those affiliated with gangs often have low self-esteem and equally low life goals. In fact, the highest aspiration for some of these young students is to become a drug dealer. Displaced aggression also seems to play a part in this (Vasquez, E, Osman, S, & Wood, J 2012, 92). While this hardly complies with societal norms, gangs and gang membership creates its own set of values and norms that members adhere to both for maintaining their status and protect themselves.
An example of the above can be seen in the fact that many gang members choose to fail their exams in order to avoid being viewed as conformist and "uncool" by other gang members (BBC News. 2008, Web).In addition to causing problems for students, such a situation also makes staff recruitment and retention much more difficult. In keeping with the above, a number of students have pointed out that the mindset and attitude being advocated by schools is entirely opposed to the one that they were working on the streets.
One of the most critical and dangerous aspects of gang activity in schools is the increasing presence of weapons in and around schools. Obviously, schools have to maintain a zero tolerance policy with regard to weapons. However, for many students the downside of this policy is that they are concerned that by being forced to give up carrying weapons they are yielding any means to defend themselves from other students that do (Northern Echo 2012, 39). For many of these young people, having the ability to protect themselves against other gang members was of greater importance than risking the possibility of being caught with a weapon on school grounds by the police. Furthermore, the use of weapons and gangs can be seen as hierarchical, with young gang members starting out with stones or sticks, advancing to the use of knives by the age of 16 and guns as they approach adulthood.
While many politicians and some researchers have advocated the policy of school exclusion for gang members carrying weapons, experts have come to see school exclusion as merely encouraging further growth in gang culture and escalation of gang activities and issues in the community. Young students themselves were extremely critical of the idea of school exclusion as a policy for dealing with weapons, since they viewed it as creating more young people who had no future and who were more likely to become immersed in serious criminal activities. Recently, a report by the YJB (Youth Justice Board) pointed out that school exclusion is one of the many factors that can go into encouraging gang participation in the school context as our increases in unauthorised absences and inadequate youth facilities in the community (Youth Justice Board 2007, 27).
As an alternative approach, schools might implement a number of practices designed to limit the presence of weapons on school property:
The deployment of metal detectors in schools
The posting of FPNs (Fixed Penalty Notices)
Presentations from a police officer regarding weapons and gangs (an approach not viewed positively by young people)
Mediation efforts to resolve conflicts in the community
The use of police officers at the close of the school day to disperse rival gangs when necessary
Other approaches that have been used in order to minimise gang culture in UK schools include:
The establishment of "peace treaties" among the various local gangs
The direct involvement of parents in efforts designed to prevent any association between younger students and older ones might already be involved in gangs
The use of a restorative justice approach that focuses on repairing the harm caused by criminal activity rather than just punishing the criminal
A "managed move" approach that attempts to move problems students to other schools rather than excluding them entirely from school
In conclusion, the issues of gang activities in schools and the effects that those activities are having on the schools and the students are difficult and complex. In fact, they are too difficult for the schools to address alone. The many problems caused by such gangs for schools have been discussed above, but dealing with these problems will require the engagement of not only school staff, but also parents, the broader community and the students themselves (Deuchar, R. 2009, 19). This problem is deeply entrenched in the schools, and has been increasing in recent years. Changes to demographics in the UK are not solely responsible for this situation, what they have certainly contributed to community conflicts between opposing ethnicities. Along with ongoing economic problems and other stresses, these conflicts have contributed to the growth of gangs, gang-related drug crimes and gang violence throughout the country.
References
Allen, D 2013, 'Why girls fall into gang culture', Nursing Children & Young People, 25, 8, pp. 8-9.
Barker, I (May 18, 2012 ). Do you wanna be in my gang?. The Times Educational Supplement, Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic
BBC News 2008, 'Gangs who Fail Exams on Purpose.' [Web] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3663916.stm
Coid, J, Ullrich, S, Keers, R, Bebbington, P, DeStavola, B, Kallis, C, Min, Y, Reiss, D, Jenkins, R, & Donnelly, P 2013, 'Gang Membership, Violence, and Psychiatric Morbidity', American Journal Of Psychiatry, 170, 9, pp. 985-993.
Densley, J. 2012, 'Street Gang Recruitment: Signaling, Screening, and Selection.' Social Problems, 59(3), 301–321.
Deuchar, R. 2009, Gangs, Marginalised Youth and Social Capital. Stoke on Trent, UK, Trentham Books.
Fraser, N. 2011, 'Gang war.' The Spectator (1828) Limited, London.
Hallsworth, S, & Silverstone, D 2009, ''That's life innit': A British perspective on guns, crime and social order', Criminology & Criminal Justice: An International Journal, 9, 3, pp. 359-377
Hallsworth S and Young T 2004, ‘Getting Real About Gangs’. Criminal Justice Matters (55) 12-13.
Northern Echo 2012, 'Shock of four pupils a day caught in school with weapon'. Northern Echo, Darlington (UK).
Roberts, R (June 23, 2006 ) 'Gangs.' The Times Educational Supplement, Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic
Sauma, J 2008, 'Street encounters: betrayal and belonging in youth gangs', Public Policy Research, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 32-35.
Shaw, M 2012,(May 18, 2012 ). 'Let's Not Lose Our Heads over Gang Culture.' The Times Educational Supplement, Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic
Shropshire, S and McFarquhar, M 2002, 'Developing Multi Agency Strategies to Address the Street Gang Culture and Reduce Gun Violence Amongst Young People.' [Online] http://www.iansa.org/ documents/2002/gang_culture)_and_young_people1.pdf
Shute, J 2013, 'Family Support as a Gang Reduction Measure', Children & Society, 27, 1, pp. 48-59
Smithson, H, Ralphs, R, & Williams, P 2013, 'Used and Abused The Problematic Usage of Gang Terminology in the United Kingdom and Its Implications for Ethnic Minority Youth', British Journal Of Criminology, 53, 1, pp. 113-128.
Vasquez, E, Osman, S, & Wood, J 2012, 'Rumination and the Displacement of Aggression in United Kingdom Gang-Affiliated Youth', Aggressive Behavior, 38, 1, pp. 89-97.
Vaughan, R. 2012, "Social segregation rife in UK schools, says OECD", The Times Educational Supplement, , no. 5010, pp. 14.
Windle, J, & Briggs, D 2015, 'Going solo: the social organisation of drug dealing within a London street gang', Journal Of Youth Studies, 18, 9, pp. 1170-1185.
Williams, P 2015, 'Criminalizing the Other: Challenging the Race Gang Nexus', Race & Class, 56, 3, pp. 18-35.
Youth Justice Board. 2007, 'Groups, Gangs and Weapons.' Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.
