gang

Also from Answers.com... Chemotherapy Learn what to expect, and what can be done to improve the experience.

(electricity) A mechanical connection of two or more circuit devices so that they can be varied at the same time.

noun

1. An organized group of criminals, hoodlums, or wrongdoers: band², pack, ring¹. Informal mob. See group.
2. A particular social group: circle, clique, coterie, crowd, set². Informal bunch. See group.
3. A group of people organized for a particular purpose: body, corps, crew, detachment, force, team, unit. See group.

phrasal verb - gang up

To assemble or join in a group: band², combine, league, unite. See collect/distribute.

In addition to the idiom beginning with gang, also see like gangbusters.

Definition

Youth gangs are variously defined in the social science and criminal justice literature. They are commonly understood to be a loosely-organized association of socially excluded, alienated, or bigoted individuals acting together within a fluid structure with informal leadership. Youth gangs are bound by a common ethnicity, race, social class, or other determinant and employ distinctive symbols, including style and color of dress, hand signs, tattoos, and graffiti. Loyal gang members follow a gang-defined system of rules, rituals, and codes of behavior. Gangs serve some individuals as a substitute family structure. Membership imparts a sense of empowerment as members act together to defend territory and provide mutual protection. Youth gangs typically engage in delinquent, criminal, and violent activities, often for financial gain.

Description

Gangs have been a part of U.S. culture since the early 19th century. Immigrant youth organized themselves into street gangs, often as a means of economic survival. Social scientists have been studying and reporting on gang membership and attributes since early in the 20th century. Gangs have been seen as a normal adolescent peer activity that occurs "within a continuum of behaviors, from conventional to wild," as suggested by the classic 1927 research of Frederic Thrasher, a social scientist who studied 1,313 Chicago gangs. A more recent view by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1998 holds that "a group must be involved in a pattern of criminal acts to be considered a youth gang." This criterion is also used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation who contend that it is "participation in criminal activity" that separates a community group or social club from a gang.

Gangs are more prevalent in neighborhoods where the community network is weak, with few ties among individual residents or between residents and conventional community institutions. Among adolescent males, the best predictor of gang membership is the absence of a positive male role model. Most girls who participate in gang activity have run away from home at least once due to family problems including the drug addiction and/or arrest of a parent.

Gang violence has reached a crisis level in the United States. A 1998 study revealed that gang members possess significantly more guns than other at-risk youth. The ready availability of such deadly weapons has led to an increase in violence such as drive-by shootings and a loss of life among gang members and others caught in the crossfire. Research reported in 1991 found that gang access to firearms "led to lethal violence in circumstances that might otherwise have been settled with less-than lethal means." Gang culture increasingly involves its youth membership in the use of weapons, drugs, and criminal activity.

Risk Factors

According to Lonnie Jackson, author of the book Gangbusters: Strategies for Prevention and Intervention, many factors contribute to the likelihood of youth gang involvement. Some of the factors he cites include:

• frequent exposure to crime and violence during formative years
• few positive role models, particularly of their own ethnicity
• unstable family life, with little parental control
• lack of economic opportunities conducive to lawful self-sufficiency
• inadequate constructive social and recreational activities for youths
• hopelessness engendered by minimal employment opportunity
• inadequate skills, education, or employment qualifications
• lure of power and money, particularly through the drug trade
• cultural environment that highly values immediate gratification
• unmet needs for safety, a sense of belonging, and secure emotional relationships
• low self-esteem and feelings of insignificance and powerlessness

Demographics

"Gang activity is notably prevalent in the biggest cities (over 100,000 population) in the United States," according to research reported by the National Youth Gang Center. Between 1996 and 2001, more than 90 percent of the largest U.S. cities reported gang activity. However, between 1998 and 1999, the research shows an increase in gang membership by 27 percent in suburban areas and by 29 percent in rural areas. Gang membership is no longer limited to ethnic minorities in America's inner cities, but is found in all ethnic groups, economic classes, and in rural, urban, and suburban settings.

Researchers studying gang life focused first on the behavior of male gangs. Later research, however, has revealed a growing number of girl gangs, with estimates as high as 10 percent of all youth gangs. However, the incidence of female gangs may be much higher than reports indicate. Female gang activity is less violent than that of their male counterparts and is underreported by law enforcement agencies.

Gang membership remains predominantly the province of male adolescents and young adults from 12 to 24 years of age. When young women become involved in gangs, it is usually through relationships with boyfriends or brothers, according to research by A. Campbell reviewed in the Journal of Criminal Justice. Girl gang members experience more long-term, harmful effects from gang membership than their male counterparts, and some research finds that "gang membership itself opened up young women to additional victimization risk."

The proportion of gang members of particular race or ethnicity reflects the demographics of the community where they live. "Nearly half (49 percent) of all gang members are Hispanic/Latino, 34 percent are African American/black, 10 percent are Caucasian/white, 6 percent are Asian, and the remainder are of some other race/ethnicity," according to respondents to the 2001 National Youth Gang Survey. The Survey estimated that "youth gangs were active in over 2,300 cities with populations over 2,500 in 2002."

Causes

Research studies throughout the 1980s and 1990s, during a period of growing gang involvement among North American youth, cite complex social problems as the root cause of the persistence and proliferation of youth gangs. Dysfunctional families, often with an absent father, low socio-economic circumstances, poor educational opportunities, unemployment, indigence, deteriorated neighborhoods with high crime rates, racism, and limited opportunities for bringing about a change in circumstances, are among the serious factors that put youth at high risk for gang involvement.

Though there is no conclusive evidence, many critics of popular media cite youth exposure to violent films and song lyrics, particularly rap music, as a negative influence glamorizing gang life and encouraging at-risk youth to join gangs or to participate in gang-related crime as a means of gaining a sense of belonging and empowerment.

When to Intervene

Early intervention is the most effective means of diverting at-risk youth into pro-social activities and associations before they seek affiliation with youth gangs. Children as young as eight years old are attracted by the lure of gang membership. Parents, teachers, and concerned others should seek the help of culturally-sensitive and well-trained counselors who can intervene with information and alternatives that address unmet needs for safety, and provide a feeling of belonging, and a sense of power and purpose.

Indicators

Concerned and attentive parents and school counselors should be on the alert for indications of possible gang membership in at-risk youth. Some indicators are poor academic achievement and frequent truancy, anti-social and delinquent behaviors, adoption of gang dress in style and color, appearance of tattoos, use of hand signals, and other gang-related signs, preference for music with gang themes, and the presence of gang activity in the community.

Treatment

Effective treatment must be culturally sensitive, diverse, and experienced as relevant to the lives of the gang-involved youth. Treatment plans must address the myriad and serious underlying personal and social problems that lead to gang involvement. Young people need information about alternatives to street gangs that can realistically meet their needs in pro-social ways. Treatment for drug addiction, sexual abuse, and other physical and emotional traumas are a prerequisite to providing lasting help. Mental health treatment must address delayed stress issues from repeated exposure to trauma, violence, and economic hardship. Education and training in skills of nonviolent conflict resolution are also important components of a successful treatment plan. Counselors must be skilled, knowledgeable, and trustworthy and able to help the gang-involved youth to examine choices in ways that encourage clear thinking and provide a broader view of potential and possibilities outside gang life.

Prognosis

Early intervention with at-risk youth to relieve some of the personal and environmental stressors that lead to gang involvement has the best prognosis. Youth who have already joined a gang usually also have well-developed manipulative skills. They exhibit a fierce loyalty to other gang members and are highly resistant to change, even after arrest and detention for gang-related crimes.

Prevention

Community intervention at the grassroots, neighborhood level, can be an effective first step in a multifaceted approach to prevention of gang involvement. Eliminating underlying social problems that lead to development of youth gangs and strengthening community ties can reduce the influence of gangs and deter gang crime that thrives when neighborhoods fail to work together. Parental involvement with teachers can head off many problems of truancy, and community education on gang culture will help parents and teachers to identify early signs of gang involvement. Strong after-school programs that assist working parents meet children's needs for supervision and provide structured, pro-social activities to young children may reduce attraction to gang-related activities. Former gang members who are willing to speak about the negative side of gang life, and adults who are willing to serve as mentors and tutors can provide critical positive role models for at-risk youth, an indispensable component to a successful prevention strategy. Job skills training and meaningful employment opportunities will divert many youth from the path to gang membership.

Parental Concerns

The prevalence of youth gangs throughout the United States, and the increase in violence associated with gang membership are serious issues of concern for any parent. Delinquent and antisocial behaviors in young children, particularly those who live in environments where poverty, unemployment, and drug addiction are common, are early danger signs. Seeking help from concerned and qualified school counselors, church, and community leaders can alleviate many parental concerns and provide opportunity for early intervention.

Resources

Books

Branch, Curtis W. Clinical Interventions with Gang Adolescents and Their Families. Boulder: Westview Press., 1997.

Jackson, Lonnie Gangbusters: Strategies for Prevention and Intervention. Lanham, Maryland: American Correctional Association, 1998.

Wolff, Lisa Gangs. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc., 2000.

Periodicals

Decker, Scott H. and G. David Curry. "Gangs, gang homicides, and gang loyalty: Organized crimes or disorganized criminals." Journal of Criminal Justice 30, no. 4 (July–August 2002): 343-352. Science Direct.

St. Cyr, Jenna L. and Scott H. Decker. "Girls, guys, and gangs: Convergence or divergence in the gendered construction of gangs and groups." Journal of Criminal Justice 31, no. 5 (September–October 2003): 423-433. Science Direct.

Wang, Alvin Y. "Pride and prejudice in high school gang members." Adolescence 29 no. 114 (Summer 1994): 279. EBSCO.

Organizations

Institute for Intergovernmental Research. National Youth Gang Center. Post Office Box 12729, Tallahassee, FL 32317; Phone:(850) 385-0600. www.iir.com/nygc/maininfo.htm

Web Sites

"Chicago officials innovative in battling street gang life." Los Angeles Daily News. Belleville News-Democrat and wire service sources. [cited October 11, 2004]. www.belleville.com.

"Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Gangs." National Youth Gang Center. Institute for Intergovernmental Research. [Cited October 11, 2004]. www.iir.com/nygc/faq.htm.

"Gangs Fact Sheet." National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. [cited October 11, 2004] www.safeyouth.org/scripts/facts/gangs.asp.

Hagedorn, John. "Discussion of Gang Definitions." Crime & Justice: A Review of Research.24. (1998): 366-368. [cited September 27, 2004]. .

[Article by: Clare Hanrahan]

This article is about groups of individuals who share a common identity. For other uses, see Gang (disambiguation).

Mara Salvatrucha suspect bearing gang tattoos is handcuffed. In 2004, the FBI created the MS-13 National Gang Task Force to combat gang activity in the United States. A year later, the FBI helped create National Gang Intelligence Center.

A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen. In the United Kingdom the word is still often used in this sense, but it later underwent pejoration. The word gang often carries a negative connotation; however, within a gang which defines itself in opposition to mainstream norms, members may adopt the phrase as a statement of identity or defiance.

The term gangster (or mobster) refers to a criminal who is a member of a crime organization, such as a gang. The terms are widely used in reference to members of gangs associated with American prohibition and the American offshoot of the Italian Mafia, such as the Chicago Outfit or the Five Families. The related word "mobster" is a term derived from Latin and Aramaic. The word mobi means large gathering in Aramaic, and similarly, mob in Latin means crowd.

Gang is from the past participle of Old English gan "to go". It is cognate with Old Norse gangr "a group of men", and it is in this sense that the word is used today, rather than the older meaning.^[1]

Contents 1 Historic criminal gangs 2 Gang signs 3 Gang population 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links

Historic criminal gangs

Bonnie and Clyde were notorious bank robbers who, with their gang, traveled the Central United States during the Great Depression.

A wide variety of historic gangs, such as the Muslim Assassins, Adam the Leper's gang, Indian Thugs, Chinese Triads, Japanese Yakuza, Irish mafia, American Old West outlaw gangs and Italian Mafia crime families have existed for centuries. In 1850, New York City recorded more than 200 gang wars fought largely by youth gangs.^[2] Chicago had over 1,000 gangs in the 1920s.^[3] These early gangs were known for many criminal activities, but in most countries could not profit from drug trafficking prior to twentieth century drug prohibition laws such as the 1912 International Opium Convention and the 1919 Volstead Act. Gang involvement in drug trafficking increased during the 1970s and 1980s, but some gangs continue to have minimal involvement in the trade.^[4]

Gang signs

Main article: Gang signal

Gangs often establish distinctive, characteristic identifiers including graffiti tags^[5] colors, hand-signals, clothing, jewelry, hair styles, fingernails, slogans^[6], signs such as the swastika, the noose, the cross, five-pointed and six-pointed stars, crowns and tridents ^[7], flags^[8] for example the Confederate flag, secret greetings, slurs, or code words and other group-specific symbols associated with the gang's common beliefs, rituals, and mythologies to define and differentiate themselves from rival groups and gangs.^[9] As an alternative language, hand-signals, symbols, and slurs in speech, graffiti, print, music, or other mediums communicate specific informational cues used to threaten, disparage, taunt, harass, intimidate, alarm, influence^[10], or exact specific responses including obedience, submission, fear, or terror. One study focused on terrorism and symbols states: "... Symbolism is important because it plays a part in impelling the terrorist to act and then in defining the targets of their actions."^[11] Displaying a gang sign, such as the noose, as a symbolic act can be construed as "... a threat to commit violence communicated with the intent to terrorize another, to cause evacuation of a building, or to cause serious public inconvenience, in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such terror or inconvenience...an offense against property or involving danger to another person that may include but is not limited to recklessly endangering another person, harassment, stalking, ethnic intimidation, and criminal mischief."^[12]

Gang population

Los Angeles is the 'gang capital of America' with an estimated 120,000 gang members.^[13] There were at least 30,000 gangs and 800,000 gang members active across the USA in 2007.^[14][15] About 900,000 gang members lived "within local communities across the country," and about 147,000 were in U.S. prisons or jails in 2009.^[16] By 1999, Hispanics accounted for 47% of all gang members, Blacks 31%, Whites 13%, and Asians 6%.^[17]

There are between 25,000 and 50,000 gang members in Central America’s El Salvador.^[18] The Mexican drug cartels have as many as 100,000 foot soldiers.^[19] The Yakuza are among the largest crime organizations in the world. In Japan, as of 2005, there are some 86,300 known members.^[20] Hong Kong's Triads include up to 160,000 members.^[21] It was estimated that in the 1950s, there were 300,000 Triad members in Hong Kong.^[22]

See also

List of criminal organizations List of gangs in the United States American Mafia Contract killing Criminal tattoo Organized crime in Italy Drug cartels Hitman Gangs in Australia Gangs of New York Gangs in Canada Irish Mafia Gangs in the United Kingdom Gangs in New Zealand

Mafia Bloods Crips Jamaican Posse Outlaw motorcycle gang Raskol gangs Russian Mafia Prison gang Gang des Tractions Avant Gang signal Organized crime Triad (underground societies) Yakuza British Bangladeshi gangs

References

1. ^ Douglas Harper. "gang". Online Etymology Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=gang&searchmode=none. 
2. ^ 19th century AD. Adolescence , Summer, 1995 by Ruskin Teeter.
3. ^ Gang (crime). Encyclopædia Britannica.
4. ^ "The Growth of Youth Gang Problems in the United States: 1970-98". 2001. http://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/ojjdprpt_yth_gng_prob_2001/chap7.html#c. 
5. ^ Author: Ferrell, J., Title: "Crimes of style: Urban graffiti and the politics of criminality", Publisher: New York: Garland. (235pp),Year: 1993[1]
6. ^ "Gang Identifiers and Terminology", Cantrell, Mary Lynn, Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Problems, v1 n1 p13-14 Spr 1992 [2]
7. ^ "Noose: ‘Shameful' sign makes ominous return", by Darryl Fears, Washington Post, Published: October 21, 2007 6:00 a.m.[3]
8. ^ "Symbols and the world system: National anthems and flags", KA Cerulo - Sociological Forum, 1993 - Springer [4]
9. ^ "The Seven-Stage Hate Model", United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation [5]
10. ^ RICO [6]
11. ^ "Symbolism and Sacrifice in Terrorism", Authors: J. Dingley; M. Kirk-Smith, Source: Small Wars & Insurgencies, Volume 13, Number 1, Spring 2002 , pp. 102-128(27, Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group [7]
12. ^ Terroristic Threat Law & Legal Definition [8]
13. ^ Gang mayhem grips LA, The Observer, March 18, 2007
14. ^ COPS Office: Gangs
15. ^ L.A. Gangs: Nine Miles and Spreading, laweekly.com, December 13, 2007
16. ^ Report: Gang membership on the rise across U.S., by Kevin Johnson, USA Today, January 30, 2009
17. ^ Into the Abyss: The Racial and Ethnic Composition of Gangs
18. ^ El Salvador's teenage beauty queens live and die by gang law, The Observer, November 10, 2002
19. ^ 100,000 foot soldiers in Mexican cartels, Washington Times, March 3, 2009.
20. ^ Criminal Investigation: Fight Against Organized Crime (1), Overview of Japanese Police, National Police Agency (June 2007).
21. ^ Asian Triads
22. ^ Hong Kong's T-Shirt Contest, TIME, November 28, 2007

Further reading

• Frederick Thrasher, The Gang: A Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1927
• Varrio Warfare: Violence in the Latino Community, Gabriel C. Morales, 1998
• Forces...Gangs to Riots..." Book 1 and 2, Valdivia, Hernandez, LULU.com Press, 2005

External links

• http://forcesgangstoriots.googlepages.com/home
• Gangresearch.net/Archives/hagedorn/gangcomref.html A bibliography on the sociological study of Gangs]
• A 1923-26 map of Chicago gangs made by Fredric Thrasher
• Jeanne Weiler, The Sociology of Female Gangs
• A list of the names of the Gangs of London
• Robert Snyder, Gangs: the Family in Turmoil
• Ben Leapman, London's criminal families replaced by ethnic gangs, The Telegraph, 22 April 2006
• Gang Profiles - Gang Prevention Services
• John Hancock, Combating Gang Activity in Prison, Gangs Across America

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - arbejdshold, sjak, kolonne, bande
v. intr. - slutte sig sammen, angribe i flok
v. tr. - rotte sig sammen

idioms:

• gang up    angribe i flok

2.
v. intr. - gå i slæng

3.
n. - gangmasse, metalmoder

Nederlands (Dutch)
bende, vriendenkring, meute, ploeg (arbeiders), samenstel (gereedschap)

Français (French)
1.
n. - bande (péj), équipe, (Tech) jeu
v. intr. - former un gang, se grouper, s'allier
v. tr. - former un gang, se grouper, s'allier

idioms:

• gang up    former un gang, se liguer, s'allier

2.
v. intr. - aller, avancer, circuler

idioms:

• gang agley    s'en aller à vau-l'eau, mal tourner (un projet), marcher de travers

3.
n. - (Minér) gangue

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Bande, Haufen, Kolonne
v. - zusammenstellen, zu einer Gruppe zusammenschließen, eine Bande bilden

idioms:

• gang up    sich zusammentun

2.
v. - gehen, weitergehen

idioms:

• gang agley    scheitern

3.
n. - Gangmineralmasse, Gangmineralgestein

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - παρέα, συντροφιά, σπείρα, συμμορία, συνεργείο (εργατών), (ναυτ.) πλήρωμα (κν. τσούρμο)
v. - σχηματίζω ομάδα ή σπείρα, συσπειρώνομαι

idioms:

• gang up    συνασπίζομαι

Italiano (Italian)
banda

idioms:

• gang up    formare una combriccola, riunirsi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - grupo (m) de pessoas, quadrilha (f), jogo (m) de ferramentas, gangue (f)
v. - agrupar-se

idioms:

• gang up    atacar em bando, agir em conjunto como um grupo

Русский (Russian)
шайка, партия заключенных, компания, рабочая бригада, комплект инструментов, комплектовать инструменты

idioms:

• gang up    ополчаться, сговариваться, собирать шайку

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - círculo de amigos, banda, cuadrilla
v. intr. - actuar en banda, unirse, confabularse
v. tr. - acomodar en grupos, atacar en banda

idioms:

• gang up    unirse, confabularse, conspirar

2.
v. intr. - hacer, proceder, seguir un curso

idioms:

• gang agley    proceder mal

3.
n. - roca sin valor en la que se encuentran vetas de metales

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (arbets)lag, gäng, uppsättning (verktyg)
v. - slå sig ihop, gå (skotsk.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 一帮, 一群, 恶少帮, 阿飞党, 游伴, 一队人, 一伙人, 一组人, 成群结队, 结伙, 使结成一伙, 使成套排列, 合伙袭击

idioms:

• gang up    集合起来

2. 一帮, 一群, 恶少帮, 阿飞党, 游伴, 一队人, 一伙人, 一组人

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 一幫, 一群, 惡少幫, 阿飛党, 遊伴, 一隊人, 一伙人, 一組人

2.
n. - 一幫, 一群, 惡少幫, 阿飛党, 遊伴, 一隊人, 一夥人, 一組人
v. intr. - 成群結隊, 結夥
v. tr. - 使結成一夥, 使成套排列, 合夥襲擊

idioms:

• gang up    集合起來

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 떼, 폭력단
v. intr. - 떼를 이루다
v. tr. - 무리로 편성하다

idioms:

• gang up    단체로 행동하다

2.
v. intr. - 가다

3.
n. - 맥석

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 一団, 一味, 遊び仲間, 非行グループ, ギャング
v. - 団結する, 集団で襲う, 一団になる

idioms:

• gang up    徒党を組んでする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) عصابه, جماعه (فعل) يهاجم‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮כנופיה, חבורה, קבוצה‬
v. intr. - ‮התלכדו לחבורה, פעלו כחבורה‬
v. tr. - ‮ערך (כלים וכו') לעבודה בתיאום‬
v. intr. - ‮הלך, נמשך‬
n. - ‮סלע חסר-ערך בו נמצאו מחצבים‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.