Gang Members: A Truly Destructive Lifestyle

A gang is an organized criminal organization that forms a common purpose or identity. Gangs can be formed on the basis of race, ethnicity, territory or money-making activities and usually consist of members from somewhere between the ages of 12 and 24. Behind the formation of the gang there are various reasons, regardless of whether it is protection, profit, or because groups of people have common characteristics. When two or more gangs grow to despise their differences, they form a gang race.

Gang members commit a crime against their gang members, hostile gang members, and non-gang members. Depending on the nature of the gang and its individual members, the crime they commit is different. Drug-oriented groups are guilty of narcotics-related crimes. However, not all gangs are involved in drugs. They specialize in stealing cars, stealing cars, shoplifting, and committing various crimes without professionalism. According to a survey of more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States by Egley (1999), "The most common crime among gang members is reported as being theft / theft, aggravation of attacks, robbers / intrusions and intrusions I will.

Gang members are not always teenagers; in fact, as time goes on, law enforcement agencies have reported that the majority of gang members are adults. In 1996 it was reported that half of the gang members were over 18 years of age, and by 2001 it is reported that two-thirds (67%) of all gang members were adults. However, Egley, Howell, and Major point out that this ratio varies with the size of the community; in the largest city, adults occupy the majority of gang members and ethnic minorities occupy a small group . Still, in 2001, 51% of law enforcement agencies said that more than half of the gang members working in the community were teenagers.

Police authorities reported that the vast majority of gang members are men, but this fact has hardly changed in the NYGS survey. According to Egley, Howell, and Major, it is estimated that 10% of gang members are women. The higher the population, the lower the proportion of being reported as a gang member woman, but of women with the lowest population (less than 25,000), women account for only 17% of gang members. However, 84% of respondents said that there is a female gang member in the community.