Outro

   In conclusion, I would like to hope that things will get better across our country for our juveniles that are struggling to find themselves. I struggle on a daily basis to reach these troubled children and show them that there is a better way to go about life, to be a good person, and to do the right thing. I also understand that society does not make it easy for these youths in poverty to reach their dreams. Their struggle will forever be a tragedy in America, but we as a society can only hope that things will get better. As my career in the law enforcement evolves I will continue to provide my positive words of encouragement to the troubled youths involved in the wrong activities. This job at Reading High School, working at the ninth largest high school in the United States has truly opened my eyes in so many ways; I can only be thankful. Thankful that I have learned another perspective to the lives of others, especially our youth who is our future. These gangs will continue to live in our country, in our neighborhoods, and in our schools, but if we can reach our youths before the gangs can, a difference can be made and the adolescence, the goals, and the dreams of our youths can be saved.

The Answered Questions

  Along my research I stumbled upon a bit of interesting information which almost directly helped me answer my questions; "How many juveniles associated themselves with gangs?", and "What was the percentage of the ethnic backgrounds that made up these gangs?" The National Gang Center produced some very in depth research when it came to these two questions as recent as the year 2011. National Youth Gang Survey Analysis produced this chart which informs us of what was the age of gang members from the year 1996 to the year 2011. The results are surprising to me in the aspect that juvenile gang membership dipped so low in the 2001, but the slowly began to rise again. I believe that now in the year 2014 the number of juveniles would rise back to fifty percent or even high, due to what I have experienced working with juveniles in the past year, and the music they are listening to that promotes nothing but gang violence, gang paraphernalia, and drug/alcohol use.The National Youth Gang Survey offered their analysis of the research they found:

• In virtually every survey year, law enforcement agencies report a greater percentage of adult (18 and over) gang members compared with juvenile (under 18) gang members.
• The most recent figures provided by law enforcement indicate that more than three out of every five gang members are adults. 

     The National Youth Gang Survey answered another one of my questions. "What was the percentage of the ethnic backgrounds that made up these gangs?" Their research show a pure dominance of the Hispanic or Latino group being the high majority of the gang members, but not far behind were the Black or African American gang members. As I noted before with the major gangs across the country being the Bloods, the Crips, and the Latin Kings being made up of predominately Black and Hispanic. These statistics were not as surprising to me after the prior research I had looked into. The White and Other races involved must be some of the Outlaw Motor Cycle Gangs and the fill in members that joined in on some of the well-known gangs or others. The National Youth Gang Survey offered analysis for this chart as well:

• Law enforcement agencies report a greater percentage of Hispanic/Latino and African-American/black gang members compared with other race/ethnicities.

• The most recent figures provided by law enforcement are 46 percent Hispanic/Latino gang members, 35 percent African-American/black gang members, more than 11 percent white gang members, and 7 percent other race/ethnicity of gang members. 

    The United States Department of Justice put out an article describing some ethnic diversity in today's gang world. It describes how there are some gangs are mixed within their races, as well with the demographics have a lot to do with the racial diversity. Their research also involved some of the research that was found within these two surveys, and the National Youth Gang Survey. In 2001, David Starbuck, James C. Howell,and Donna J. Lindquist  stated, "Although many gangs continue to be based on race or ethnicity, gangs are increasingly diverse in racial/ethnic composition. Law enforcement agencies responding to the 1998 National Youth Gang Survey estimated that more than one-third (36 percent) of youth gangs had a significant mixture of two or more racial/ethnic groups; Small cities had the largest proportion of gangs with mixed race/ethnicity. The Midwest had a larger proportion of mixed gangs than any other region.Gangs in suburban areas, small towns, and rural areas show more membership diversity than gangs in large cities. Gangs in these areas have more racially/ethnically mixed membership  and include Caucasians, and younger members than gangs in larger cities (Starbuck, Howell, and Lindquist, 2001).

References 

National Youth Gang Survey Analysis. (2011, October 1). Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/survey-analysis/demographics

Starbuck, D., Howell, J., & Lindquist, D. (2001, December 1). Hybrid and Other Modern Gangs. Juvenile Justice Bulletin, 8-8.

The Notorious

     Across the country within schools there are vast amounts of gang activity that affect our juveniles. Our young juveniles are being drawn in at a young age, they are targeted because they're so easily influenced in order to find ways to fit in. Scott H. Decker and Barrik Van Winkle view joining youth gangs as "consisting of both pulls and pushes. Pulls pertain to the attractiveness of the gang. Gang membership can enhance prestige or status among friends, especially girls (for boys), and provide opportunities to be with them. Gangs provide other attractive opportunities such as the chance for excitement by selling drugs and making money.

    A gang is defined by Julia Dunn of Stanford as "an interstitial group, originally formed spontaneously, and then integrated through conflict; it is characterized by the following types of behavior: meeting face to face, milling, movement through space as a unit, conflict, and planning. The result of this collective behavior is the development of tradition, an unreflected internal structure, solidarity, morale, group awareness, and attachment to a local territory" Within America the most noticeable and the most thought about gangs are the famous Bloods and Crips. These gangs identify themselves with the colors red and blue. Blood which identifies with the color red while the Crips identify themselves with the color blue. These two affiliations have been the most notorious rival street gangs within the United States.

     

    Many gangs would continue to follow their way, growing just as large as the Bloods and the Crips, but rather hard to gain the reputation that these two have created for themselves. The newer gangs may even be factions or branches of one of these popular gangs that make them affiliated while still "reppin" the set of a Blood or a Crip. For example, the Piru is a linked gang to the Bloods, but instead of wearing a pure red, they wear more of a burgundy colored shade. A good example of their paraphernalia is a a throwback Philadelphia Phillies hat which is all burgundy and has a capitol P on the front of it standing for Piru. 

    After an interview I had with my cousin Ben Castiglioni, who is the head of the Juvenile Probation Gang Unit in Berks County informed me that the bloods are the only well known gang that has this sort of satellite system of gangs that operate within one another. The Crips or the popular Latin Kings do not have this type of operation. I believe this is why the Bloods are so continuously well know and are an ever growing gang. 

   African American gangs formed in California during the 1920s. They were not territorial; rather, they were loose associations, unorganized, and rarely violent. They did not identify with graffiti, monikers, or other gang characteristics as gangs nowadays do. These early gangs consisted generally of family members and neighborhood friends who involved themselves in limited criminal activities designed to perpetrate a "tough guy" image and to provide an easy means of obtaining money. From 1955 to 1965, the African American gangs increased with larger memberships and operated primarily in south central Los Angeles and Compton. This was partly due to more African American youths bonding together for protection from rival gangs. These gangs were then noticed as the famous Bloods and Crips (Hoover, 1999). These gangs began as strictly African American, but again after information received in an interview I conducted with the head of a Juvenile gang unit, will show that in the Bloods and Crips of today now accept members of all ethnic backgrounds, including Hispanic and even White. 
    The video below shows how violent and how and how serious these gangs are taken. Mobs of Bloods and mobs of Cribs have serious fights, some to the death. This is a sad truth as to what is going on in today's streets, and the fact that our young juveniles are becoming involved in such violence at such a young age.

 

    Hispanic gangs began forming in California during the early 1920s. They started as looseknit groups banding together for unity and socializing in the barrios (neighborhoods) where the same culture, customs, and language prevailed. Gang members were male youths ranging from 14- to 20-years-old. Property crimes such as burglary, strong-arm robbery, and vandalism were their crimes of choice (Hoover, 1999).
    Along with the Bloods and the Crips, there is another gang that dominates across the country. They are represented by the colors of gold and black, normally with a gold flag (bandana) and fend for themselves in the streets across the country with no affiliation to either the Bloods or Crips. A gang that I thought only stuck to one particular group of ethnic background. The Latin Kings were thought not to associate with any other ethnicity other that those of Hispanic decent, but according to George Knox of the National Gang Crime Research Center he states, "We have routinely found white and Black members of the LKs, as well as members whose families recently moved to Chicago from Iraq, Palestine, Poland, Asian countries, etc. In regard to ethnic composition, the Latin Kings are predominantly Latin (Mexican and Puerto Rican, and Cuban), but clearly their membership is a veritable "rainbow" when it comes to ethnicity and race" (2000). This was shocking to me as I found this bit of research; that a gang called the Latin Kings would have members in their gang that are not of Latino decent. Then again it goes back to how the Bloods and the Crips continued to reinvent themselves allowing other members of a different ethnicity join their gang in order to strengthen their numbers and keep their gang strong. Knox also presents some powerful statistics within his research, he shows various averages as of when a Latin King member will begin their life of crime. For example, the average Latin King member will first hear about gangs at the age of nine years old; at the age of eleven they will have fired their first pistol or revolver, have seen someone killed or severely injured, and have been arrested for their first crime; at the age of thirteen is when they get their first gang tattoo and their own gun. Knox presents some very shocking and scary facts for our youth. These gangs are getting a hold of the children of our nation at a very young age and are exposing to a life of crime that some of them end up calling home. Below is a video of an ex Latin King member with an active member who both look to be no older than sixteen years old, conducting one of their gang handshakes. Within the video closer to the end you see the hand signs presented by the gang members that represented their affiliation.

References

Decker, S., & Van Winkle, B. (1998, August 1). Why Do Youths Join Gangs? Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://www.ojjdp.gov/jjbulletin/9808/why.html

Dunn, J. (1999, July 26). Los Angeles Crips and Bloods: Past and Present. Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/gangcolor/lacrips.htm

Hoover, M. (1999, May 28). Where All the Madness Began: A Look at Gang History. Retrieved January 21, 2015, from https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/gangcolor/madness.htm

Knox, G. (2010, January 1). Gang Profile: The Latin Kings. Retrieved February 1, 2015, from http://www.ngcrc.com/ngcrc/page15.htm

    

    

The Interview

   I had the experience and opportunity to be able to interview Ben Castiglioni; he is the head of the Juvenile Probation gang unit in Berks County which is where Reading, Pennsylvania is located. I was able to ask him some questions and gained some rather valuable information about gangs that operate locally as well as other nationally known gangs. Along with that the racial backgrounds of these gangs have been listed as well, but even more shocking the amount of females that are now involved. The picture to the left is of my cousin Ben Castiglioni (Left) and of his partner Juan Roman (Right) at a seminar speaking on gangs. Below is our interview.


 Q: How many juveniles are in the juvenile system today? Of that number, how many of them are listed as having a relation to gangs?

A: Numbers ran of juveniles under supervision, and the number came back to roughly a thousand kids being under juvenile supervision in the county of berks. Actively listen within the statistics listed within their systems, there are 92 listed as gang members. Although that number is listed within the computer system; that number may be have some juveniles who are unreported as being listed as being gang active. So this number may in fact be higher than just 92.


Q: Other than the Crips and the Bloods, what are the other well-known gangs across the country?

A: Latin Kings, Surenos, Black P-stones, Pirus, and Gangster Disciples.


Q: At what age do these gangs begin to recruit their members?

A: Sometimes as early as birth, some of these young children are rather unfortunate and are born into the lifestyle or the gang family. But there has been gang activity seen in as young as elementary schools where children are "reppin" gangs, and are throwing up gang signs


Q: What tasks must these young members perform in order to succeed or rank up within their new gang?

A: These young members must "put in work" which is slang to committing criminal activity that will benefit the gang, which could include robbery, drug dealing, or fighting of opposing gang members. This will have the young wannabes gain respect with the gang, which will then have them "jumped in" which in terms means that the gang performs a beating of the individual for them to be able to be seen as tough enough to be a member.

Q: Where do these gang members recruit the young children, and how do they persuade them to join in on their criminal activity?

A: Neighborhoods or Parks are where these prospects are located and targeted. These are young school kids, but they are friends and family of the gang members they are not complete strangers. There is a preexisting influence with these prospects.

Q: Do certain gangs target to recruit a certain race of young teens over another race for their gangs?

A: In the immediate Berks County area no, there is no targeting of a certain race, but predominately blacks are members of the Bloods and of the Crips. Mexicans are strictly Surenos. Latin Kings only have Hispanic members. In today's gang world, mostly any gang will take any members they can get. I have seen Hispanic and White members of Bloods and Crips, but Latin Kings are those who try to stick with a strict membership of Hispanic members.

Q: With all of these gangs, where does the racial diversity stand between them, and is there more of a dominance of race in one gang over another? What is the breakdown between the gangs?

A: Nationally, Latin Kings are Hispanic, Bloods and Crips are Black, OMGs (Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs) are white.

Q: Must certain requirements be met physically, racially, or ethnicity wise in order for these young juveniles to become full blown members?

A: Physically able to perform criminal activity. Gangs will sometimes target mentally slow individuals who are in special needs classes in school to be members. The reason for this is how easily these individuals can be manipulated into performing criminal acts without asking questions.


Q: Do you see a lot of female gang members in today's gang world?

A: There are more and more female gang members in today's society. These females are the ones dating the gang member. These females help their boyfriends/fellow gang members by carrying weapons and drugs.


Q: What are the racial/ethnic backgrounds of these females joining?

A: Predominately Hispanic and some Black females. Mainly because of the demographics in which gangs operate.


Q: With all of these juveniles engaging in gang activity, do you think there is hope for change of these young teens, or do you believe the gang lifestyle will live with them forever?

A: There is hope for the majority of the juveniles under supervision, but there is about a hardcore 5% that will stay within the gang lifestyle for life, but other than that, a lot of the juveniles will find their way out. That also depends on where the gang is located. A hardcore gang in Compton, California compared to Reading, PA is completely different, and getting out of a gang may result in death.

    This interview was an eye opening one for sure. Seeing that there are ninety-two active gang members within the juvenile system is rather mind blowing. To think that these ninety-two are only the ones who have gotten caught, could mean that there are another 200 juvenile gang affiliates out there, some being in fifth grade getting ready to get beaten up in order to run with these street pirates. It is a scary truth, and one that all parents must be aware of for our children's success.