American Gangs

American gangs first emerged in the late 18th century when large groups of immigrants migrated to the United States. Upon arriving in America, immigrants felt isolated and alone due to language and cultural barriers. To overcome these barriers, immigrants banned together along racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. These groups provided cultural support, enhanced communications, and protection from persecution by more established groups of American residents. Some of the first groups to emerge in California and New York formed along Chinese, Irish, Italian, and Jewish ties.

As the immigrant groups grew, rivalries were inevitable. Territorial turfs were established, and the emerging immigrant groups were willing to fight and die to preserve their territory and way of life. Over time, some groups gained reputations for violence, thus creating the foundations for the first American street gangs.

Immigrant gangs also became fertile opportunities for criminal activity such as bootlegging, drug trafficking, prostitution, and smuggling. Once the gangs grew, they engaged in more violent crimes. Extortion, assault, battery, arson, robbery, rape, and murder were natural consequences of the gangster lifestyle. This process continues today as the United States experiences continued growth in gang-related crime and criminal gangs.

This article addresses differing statutory definitions of criminal gangs, the magnitude of gang membership, gang classifications, and major reasons why an individual joins a gang.

Definition of a Criminal Street Gang

Although the federal government and all 50 states have gang-related criminal statutes, there is no single, uniform definition of what constitutes a criminal gang. However, most federal and state statutes define a criminal street gang as:

• a group of three (sometimes four or five) individuals or more;
• w ho routinely engage in a pattern of gang-related criminal activity; and
• self-identify the gang with a common name, sign, or established leadership.

Definitions of what constitutes gang-related criminal activity also differ. Most frequently, the federal and state statutes itemize a laundry list of certain property and personal (violent) crimes that, if committed on behalf of a gang, constitute gang-related criminal activity. These crimes generally include murder, rape, robbery, burglary, arson, aggravated assault, battery, grand larceny, and other property crimes.

Definition of a Prison Gang

The federal and state governments also differ as to what constitutes a prison gang. However, most federal and state statutes define a prison gang as:

• a group of three or more inmates that band together;
• that are ready to fight, commit crimes, or disobey prison rules for advancement and preservation of the prison gang; and
• present a threat to rules, regulations, or authority of the correctional facility.

The prison gang is a disruptive group of inmates that pose a threat to the protection and security afforded by correctional facilities.

Magnitude of the Gang Pandemic

Criminal street gangs exist in all states, all large cities, and on most tribal lands. According to the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment, more than 33,000 gangs, with an estimated 1.4 million gang members, exist in the United States. These numbers continue to grow.

The Assessment further reveals that criminal street gangs are responsible for an average of 48% of violent crime in most jurisdictions. This statistic spikes to 90% of all violent crimes in some major cities. Consequently, criminal gangs are major forces that threaten national security not only in small foreign countries but also in many U.S. cities.

Some of the largest and most violent gangs in the United States include the Almighty Latin King Nation, Aryan Brotherhood, Barrio Azteca, Bloods, Crips, Hells Angels MC, Mongols MC, MS-13, the Mexican Mafia, Ñetas, Norteños, Nuestra Familia, Outlaws MC, Sorteños, Zetas, and the 18th Street Gang. The membership of some criminal gangs is greater than that of a small country. These gangs include:

• Crips, with more than 35,000 members;
• Nuestra Familia, with more than 42,000 members;
• Latin Kings, with 50,000 members; and
• 18th Street Gang, with more than 50,000 members.

MS-13 is a large transnational gang that routinely plans and controls criminal activity in one country that is carried out in another country. It is estimated to have more than 70,000 members. As such, it is considered a threat to national security not only in Mexico and Central American countries but also in the United States.

Gang Classifications

The 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment provides five major classifications of gangs. The classifications include:

• neighborhood gangs,
• criminal street gangs,
• one-percenter outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs),
• prison gangs, and
• transnational gangs.

Unfortunately, these classifications blur. For example, neighborhood gangs are becoming more sophisticated, more organized, and more adept at using the Internet and cell phones to commit crimes. With increased mobility and improved communications, traditional neighborhood gangs become more aggressive and broaden their territory, quickly evolving into criminal street gangs.

Sophistication also opens the door to organized forms of gang-related criminal activity. Mexican cartels, transnational gangs, and organized crime syndicates readily create alliances with traditional neighborhood gangs and criminal street gangs when it serves to strengthen drug trafficking routes or enhance other gang-related criminal enterprises. As a result, there is no clear line of demarcation when it comes to gang classifications. However, these gang classifications do provide a basic foundation that facilitates uniform analysis of gang growth, gang membership, and gang-related criminal activity.

Neighborhood Gang

The term neighborhood street gang denotes a gang that is small in terms of gang membership, geographic territory, and gang-related criminal activities. Criminal opportunity is often individualistic and opportunistic, limited primarily to drug possession, small sales of drugs, assault, battery, and miscellaneous property crimes. On occasion, the neighborhood gang may transact business in adjacent towns or cities, but generally, the territorial turf is relatively small. For the most part, the neighborhood is created to provide a sense of belonging and protection that includes small profits derived from a few gang-related criminal activities.

Criminal Street Gang

The criminal street gang focuses more on profits derived from gang-related criminal activity. Ever evolving, it often lacks the leadership and sophisticated organizational structure associated with organized crime, drug cartels, or transnational gangs. Gang-related criminal activities consist primarily of extortion, assault, battery, property crimes, prostitution, and low-level drug dealing. As the gang grows, the criminal activities and territorial control expand. When this occurs, the street gang is likely to make alliances with other gangs or drug cartels that serve to further gang-related criminal operations.

Prison Gang

As noted, a prison gang operates within the confines of correctional facilities. Newly formed prison gangs emerge when inmates band together for support, a sense of belonging, and mutual protection. The prison gang replaces a feeling of isolation and fear of being violated by predatory inmates. Most often, prison gangs form along racial, ethnic, cultural, or geographic backgrounds, thus serving to strengthen solidarity of and loyalty to the prison gang.

OMGs

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives defines an OMG as any group of motorcyclists who voluntarily band together, abide by and enforce the OMG’s rules, and engage in gang-related criminal activities that bring members and the OMG into repeated and serious conflict with society and the law. To qualify as an OMG, the motorcycle club must be (a) an ongoing organization of three or more persons (b) with a common interest and/or activity (c) characterized by a pattern of gang-related delinquent or criminal conduct.

Transnational (International) Gang

In contrast to small neighborhood gangs, transnational gangs are larger, well organized, and highly sophisticated. By definition, the transnational gang routinely plans and organizes gang-related criminal activities in one country that are executed in another country. As such, the transnational gang is a powerful criminal organization, if not a crime syndicate, that often participates in weapons smuggling, extortion, and international drug trafficking activities.

As evidenced, gang classifications tend to blur and overlap. For example, prison is a revolving door for many neighborhood or street gang members. While incarcerated, street gang members often join a prison gang for protection. The prison gang member frequently returns to his or her former street gang upon release. This serves to place the tentacles of prison gang power and control directly into criminal street gangs. It also provides a never-ending supply of new recruits for the prison gang when the street gang members are incarcerated for gang-related crimes.

Common Reasons Why Someone Joins a Gang

Criminal gangs differ in nature and composition. As such, the psychological underpinnings for joining different types of gangs may vary according to the geographic and socioeconomic background of each individual gang member. However, the most frequently given reasons for joining or remaining in a gang are as follows:

• a sense of belonging, connectedness, and companionship;
• desire to enhance self-esteem, self-identity, and respect;
• money to survive and/or enhance perceived social status;
• protection against victimization;
• a feeling of power or control;
• access to drugs, alcohol, and sex; and fear of retaliation for leaving the gang.

The sense of belonging, protection against victimization, and status are key factors for joining a gang. The new gang member gains a feeling of security and self-esteem, knowing that the entire gang will back him or her up if threatened by a non-gang member. The gang becomes the gang member’s new way of life, if not the gang member’s entire life.

Idle Time

Geographical access to gang members is a key factor to consider when determining the likelihood of joining a criminal gang. However, other factors, such as idle time and boredom, also affect the likelihood of joining a gang. Some additional factors may include:

• lack of opportunities for employment;
• lack of social opportunities;
• lack of close family ties;
• lack of close friends or associates;
• lack of supervision; and
• lack of attachment to school, organized sports activities, or church groups.

Essentially, an overall lack of attachment, weakened social bonds, and excess idle time seem to be common denominators when determining the likelihood of joining a gang.

Positive Reinforcement of Antisocial Behavior

Gang members are duty bound by an oath of loyalty to fight or kill anyone who disrespects or threatens the gang or a fellow gang member. In addition, rival gang members are perceived to be subhuman threats, similar to the threat of an insect. This dehumanization process further serves to desensitize and justify the use of violence. Combined, gang-related criminal activity and acts of violence serve to positively reinforce solidarity and loyalty to the criminal gang.

Similarly, group willingness to commit criminal acts of violence diffuses and minimizes individual responsibility and accountability. When more than one gang member commits a crime or participates in a fight, accountability for the act is diffused, and the individual gang member feels less blameworthy. This sense of belonging and lack of individual responsibility further perpetrate antisocial behavior and the gangster lifestyle.

In summary, criminal gangs are a growing concern in the United States. They are becoming more sophisticated, using modern technology, the Internet, and interstate highways to conduct gang-related criminal activities of a larger magnitude and more geographic in scope. Due to the rapid growth of gangs and gang members, they present serious national security concerns to many foreign countries as well as the United States.

References:

1. Baker, T. (2012). North American criminal gangs: Street, prison, outlaw motorcycle and drug trafficking organizations. Durham, UK: Carolina Academic Press.
2. Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment–Emerging Trends. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/ publications/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment
3. Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Gang Intelligence Center. 2015 National Gang Report. Retrieved from https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=792574
4. Howell, J., & Moore, J. (2010). History of gangs in the United States. National Gang Center Bulletin: Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, Bulletin No. Retrieved August 8, 2016, from the National Gang Center: https://www.nationalgang center.gov/content/documents/history-of-street-gangs.pdf
5. Leet, D., Rush, G., & Smith, A. (1997). Gangs, graffiti, and violence: A realistic guide to the scope and nature of gangs in America (2nd ed.). Incline Village, NV: Copperhouse.
6. Wilds, M. (2016). A quick reference guide to gang symbols (3rd ed.). Dallas, TX: Imprimatur Press.